• Listen to this segment

GUEST: Trita Parsi, author of the forthcoming, “Treacherous Triangle — The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States”

As the Israeli assault on Lebanon and Gaza continues, we take a look today at Israel-Iran relations. Commentators in mainstream media, whether the New York Times, Washington Post, or Haaretz in Israel, have warned of an Iranian trap to provoke Israel and the United States. One TV commentator in the US called Iran “the spookiest country” and claimed that Iran “orchestrated the whole thing” in order to put pressure on the G8 summit and divert attention from Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran, along with Syria, is seen as controlling Hezbollah in Lebanon. While expressing moral support for Hezbollah, Iranian leaders have also been careful to say that they are not seeking a direct military confrontation with Israel. In a recent statement, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel had “pushed the button of its own destruction” by attacking Lebanon.