US/Israeli Hostility Toward Iran Threatens World Peace
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Iran is a sovereign independent country, free from US imperial control - the key reason for nearly 40 years of hostility by Washington toward the Islamic Republic.
It’s why Republican and undemocratic Dem administrations have sought regime change since Iran’s 1979 revolution.
Israel seeks the same objective. It’s long sought to be the dominant Middle East power - along with Washington’s regional presence. Iran’s sovereign independence stands in the way of achieving the imperial aims of both countries.
It’s well known that Tehran’s nuclear program has no military component. The Islamic Republic abhors these weapons, wants them abolished.
It’s the leading proponent of a nuclear-free world. As long as these weapons exist, humanity’s survival is threatened. Eventually they’ll be used, risking armageddon.
Einstein deplored these weapons. “I have always condemned the use of the atomic bomb against Japan,” he said.
Five months before his November 1954 death, he stressed:
“I made one great mistake in my life…when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made…”
Separately he said: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
No evidence suggests an Iranian intent to produce theses weapons. The fuss over its nuclear program is a red herring, a pretext for continued US/Israeli-led hostility toward the country.
The real issue is long sought regime change. Pretexts are needed to pursue it. If not one, then another. If none exist, they’re invented.
Washington and Israel want Tehran’s government replaced by pro-Western puppet rule, the way the country was run for a generation under US/UK-installed despot Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Next February will mark the 40th anniversary of Iranian sovereign independence. US/Israeli hostility toward the country persisted since 1979.
False accusations are unrelenting. Iran threatens no other nations. Washington, Israel and their rogue allies threaten world peace.
Things are portrayed in polar opposite fashion. Iran’s legitimate nuclear program is falsely considered threatening. It’s no different than similar programs in many other nations - Iran the only one criticized.
At the White House on Tuesday, Trump and French President Macron called for major JCPOA nuclear deal changes.
“I can say that we have had very frank discussions on that, just the two of us,” Macron told reporters at a joint press conference with Trump, adding:
“We, therefore, wish from now on to work on a new deal with Iran,” including elements discussed in a Monday article, asking if the nuclear deal can be saved.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned of “grave consequences” if the JCPOA is abandoned or unacceptably altered.
Russia and China issued a joint statement, expressing “unwavering support” for the deal, opposing efforts to change it, intending to block any US-led attempt through the Security Council to sabotage what took years of talks to achieve.
Since adopted on October 18, 2015, implemented on January 16, 2016, Washington flagrantly violated the letter and spirit of the JCPOA nuclear deal.
In December 2016, Congress near-unanimously renewed the Iran Sanctions Act, effective through 2026.
At the time, an unnamed senior Obama administration official lied, saying “we do not believe (an extension) violat(es) the nuclear agreement with Iran…”
Tehran justifiably called it a flagrant breach. The same holds for unilaterally imposed congressional and administration sanctions - after the JCPOA’s mid-January 2016 implementation.
Obama’s administration and Trump’s violated JCPOA Articles 26 and 29, illegally pressuring Western financial and other corporations not to do business with Iran.
The Islamic Republic never achieved the economic and political benefits it sought by agreeing to the deal.
Macron going along with Trump on unacceptably changing it may doom it entirely.
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said if Trump withdraws from the JCPOA or demands unacceptable changes, he’s “basically killing the deal,” adding:
“(T)he immediate consequence in all likelihood would be that Iran would reciprocate and withdraw. There won’t be any deal for Iran to stay in.”
Things seem headed in this direction, further proof Washington can never be trusted - what North Korea should heed in dealings with the Trump administration.
Hegemons demand. They don’t negotiate. They insist other nations bend to their will. They’re all take and no give.
With rare exceptions, it’s how America has done business throughout its history.
It’s word isn’t its bond, its agreements not worth the paper they’re written on.
A Final Comment
National Iranian American Council president Trita Parsi believes Trump’s hostility toward Iran risks war, saying he’s “threatening (it) if Iran restarts nuclear activities on one hand while he unravels the very agreement that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran on the other.”
He’s “setting (things) up for a very real military conflict. (He’s) openly “telegraphing it.”
Things may be heading in this direction, Russia likely to get involved as it did in Syria. Is inevitable conflict between the world’s dominant nuclear powers coming? The possibility should terrify everyone.
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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
