- Washington and Israel plan regime change in Iran and
Syria. Israel wants regional supremacy. Washington wants global hegemony
and control of the world's strategic resources.
-
- America tolerates no independent states. Making them
client ones is prioritized.
-
- Insurgent infiltrators ravaged Syria for months. Libya's
model was replicated short of NATO intervention perhaps to follow.
-
- Washington, Israel, and rogue allies use many destabilization
tactics. They include fake accusations, political and economic sanctions,
isolation, covert and direct confrontation, cyberwar, targeted assassinations,
and other provocations short of war perhaps planned.
-
- Accusing Iran of developing nuclear weapons is a red
herring. In December 2007, America's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE)
said:
-
- "We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003,
Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program; (perhaps it never existed);
we also assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum
is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons..."
-
- The NIE also said:
-
- "We assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not
restarted its nuclear program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether
it currently intends to develop (them)."
-
- "Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons program
suggests it is less determined to develop (them) than we have been judging
since 2005."
-
- In February 2010, America's Annual Threat Assessment
of the US Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
said:
-
- "We do not know....if Iran will eventually decide
to build nuclear weapons." No evidence of an ongoing program was presented.
-
- In March 2011, the US Intelligence Community Worldwide
Threat Assessment for the Senate Armed Services Committee said precisely
the same thing. Nothing new suggested an Iranian nuclear weapons program.
-
- In other words, years of sophisticated satellite, covert,
and other intelligence showed nothing.
-
- Yet baseless accusations persist. Major media scoundrels
highlight them. Hostile rhetoric is featured. On January 10, a Washington
Post editorial headlined, "The US needs to intensify sanctions on
Iran," saying:
-
- Iran's Fordo facility began enriching uranium to 20%,
"80 percent of the processing needed to produce bomb-grade material....
"Iran claims" it's "for a research reactor."
-
- "In short, the new (Fordo) operation crosses another
important line in Iran's advance toward a nuclear weapons capability. Was
it a red line for Israel or the United States?"
-
- Fact check
-
- Producing medical isotopes requires 20% enriched uranium.
IAEA cameras monitor operations. In addition, regular inspections are conducted.
No evidence suggests Iran's diverting uranium for military purposes.
-
- Moreover, as explained above, the combined (16-agency)
US intelligence assessment found no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons
program. Post editors ignored it. Instead, spurious, provocative, hawkish
allegations are featured, not truth and full disclosure.
-
- Iran's "unwilling to stop its nuclear activities
or even to make significant concessions....This doesn't mean that the Obama
administration should reject further dialogue, or take military action.
It does mean that every effort must be made to intensify sanctions - and
in particular to stop....Iranian sales of oil everywhere in the world."
-
- "Iran may be feeling some economic pain, and it
may be isolated. But its drive for nuclear weapons continues."
-
- Fact check
-
- Iran's a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory.
No evidence suggests violations to its provisions. In contrast, America,
Israel and rogue allies spurn all international law, including NPT's three
pillars:
-
- non-proliferation;
-
- disarmament; and
-
- using nuclear technology peacefully.
-
- For decades, Israel's been nuclear armed and dangerous.
Its grand strategy dictates nuclear weapons use in response to unspecified
"nonconventional" attacks. It also suggests preemptive use against
Iran's underground facilities, and has US-supplied bunker buster capability
for it. Perhaps a joint US/Israeli attack is planned.
-
- Moreover, Israel's a nuclear outlaw. It never signed
NPT and prohibits Dimona facility inspections. For decades, it illegally
produced warheads. Heroic whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu exposed it. Knowledgeable
experts confirmed it. Media scoundrels suppress it.
-
- Covert Operations and Other Destabilization Tactics
-
- For years, Washington pushed the envelope with Iran.
The Bush administration authorized covert CIA destabilization. Congress
appropriated $400 million for it. Obama continues similar policies.
-
- In spring 2010, Iranian intelligence discovered the Stuxnet
malware computer virus infecting its Bushehr nuclear facility. At the time,
operations were halted indefinitely.
-
- Israel was blamed. Washington was also implicated. Calling
it a hostile act, General Gholam-Reza Jalali said if Bushehr went online
infected, Iran's entire electrical power grid could have been shut down.
-
- On November 12, 2011, an explosion destroyed the Revolutionary
Guard's Bid Kaneh base. Seventeen deaths resulted, including a founder
of Iran's missile program.
-
- On November 28, another Isfahan explosion badly damaged
a uranium enrichment facility. On December 11, a Yazd explosion at a steel
mill allegedly linked to Iran's nuclear program killed at least seven.
-
- On December 4, Washington's sophisticated stealth RQ-170
drone illegally entered Iranian airspace. Iran downed it intact by hacking
into its cyber system. Its design replicates America's B-2 stealth bomber.
-
- Since 2006, five rounds of sanctions were imposed, as
well as numerous bilateral restrictions banning trade, financial transactions,
energy investment and technology sales.
-
- Provisions in Washington's FY 2012 National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) target foreign financial institutions dealing with Tehran's
central bank. US corporations, including banks, already can't do business
with the Islamic Republic.
-
- Curtailing Iran's ability to sell oil is key. Other provisions
affect refined petroleum products, liquified natural gas, natural gas resources,
oil or liquified natural gas tankers, and products used to construct or
maintain pipelines for oil or liquified natural gas.
-
- In addition, measures prohibit developing infrastructure,
ports, buying Iranian sovereign debt, and companies helping Tehran, North
Korea or Syria pursue nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, as well
as missile capability.
-
- Ron Paul calls Iranian sanctions "acts of war,"
perhaps preceding hot conflict. "Sanctions were the first step in
our wars against Iraq and Libya," he said, "and now more sanctions
against Syria and Iran are leading down the same destructive path. Sanctions
against Iran are definite steps toward a US attack."
-
- Gary Sick, Middle East analyst/former National Security
Council member, also calls Washington's latest sanctions "the equivalent
of a military blockade of Iran's ports, arguably an act of war."
-
- Spurious reports suggested Russian nanodiamond expert
Vyacheslav Danilenko helped Iran develop nuclear weapons. In fact, he's
a noted authority on developing nandiamond technology by explosives.
-
- Employed at the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute
of Technical Physics until 1989, his work entailed synthesizing diamonds,
not nuclear technology. As part of the Institute's gas dynamics group,
he began studying the process in 1960.
-
- He later joined Prague's Institute of Materials Science
Problems, then based in Ukraine.
-
- Assassinating Iranian Nuclear Scientists
-
- On January 11, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, an academic and
nuclear official at Iran's Natanz facility, was assassinated. Mossad, CIA,
Britain's MI6, and/or US covert Special Forces were likely responsible.
-
- A powerful sticky bomb was attached to Roshan's car.
Its detonation killed him, seriously injured his driver, and caused extensive
damage.
-
- Wednesday's killing was the fourth targeting Iranian
scientists involved in its nuclear program since 2010. Current head of
Iran's atomic agency, Fereydoun Abbasi, narrowly escaped an attempt on
his life.
-
- Last November, missile expert/General Hassan Moghaddam
was killed in the blast at Bid Baneh base outside Tehran.
-
- In July 2011, gunmen on motorcyles killed Dariush Rezaeinejad,
a member of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA). His electronics work
involved developing high voltage switches.
-
- In May 2011, an Iranian Abadan oil refinery explosion
killed one and injured six.
-
- In November 2010, a bomb attached to his car killed nuclear
engineer Majid Shahriyari.
-
- In January 2010, a bomb outside his home killed nuclear
scientist/Professor Massoud Ali-Mohammadi.
-
- In response to the latest incident, Iranian vice president
Mohammad Reza Rahimi said, "Iran's enemies should know they cannot
prevent Iran's progress by carrying out such terrorist attacks."
-
- On January 10, Israeli chief of staff Benny Gantz called
2012 a "critical year" for Iran," partly from "things
that happen to it unnaturally."
-
- On January 11, New York Times writer Scott Shane headlined,
'Adversaries of Iran Said to Be Stepping Up Cover Actions," saying:
-
- "(A)n accelerating covert campaign of assassinations,
bombings, cyberattacks," and other actions target Iran, "according
to current and former (unnamed) American officials and (Iranian) specialists...."
-
- They suggest Israel's mainly responsible. Iran also blames
Washington. White House and State Department spokespersons denied involvement.
So did Hillary Clinton "categorically." Perhaps "the lady
doth protest too much (Hamlet, Act III, scene II)."
-
- Israeli military spokesman General Yoav Mordechai claimed
no knowledge of Wednesday's killing, but added he's "definitely not
shedding a tear."
-
- Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Patrick Clawson
said he's "often asked when Israel might attack Iran. I say, 'two
years ago.' "
-
- Iran's UN ambassador Mohammad Khazaee protested in a
letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, blaming "certain foreign
quarters (of) terrorist acts" targeting Iran's "peaceful nuclear
program, under the false assumption that diplomacy alone would not be enough
for that purpose."
-
- He suggested joint US/Israeli involvement.
-
- The Times reported that current and former US officials
say "(t)he CIA has repeatedly tried to derail Iran's uranium enrichment
program by covert means, including introducing sabotaged parts into (its)
supply chain."
-
- It also said Wednesday's assassination "fit a pattern
over the past two years of covert operations by the West and its allies
to 'degrade and delay' Iran's nuclear program."
-
- France's Le Figaro said "the US and Israel have
carried out multiple acts of sabotage against sensitive nuclear installations,
while ordering targeted killings of Iranian nuclear experts."
-
- Former CIA case officer Art Keller told the Los Angeles
Times, "We are definitely doing that. It's pretty much the stated
mission of (CIA's) counter-proliferation division to do what it takes to
slow....Iran's weapons of mass destruction."
-
- Iranian nuclear scientist defections are also encouraged.
In fact, Shahram Amiri claims CIA operatives kidnapped him. Press TV reported
he said US and Saudi forces abducted him 2009 while on a pilgrimage to
Mecca. They tried to bribe him to say he escaped from Iran.
-
- "Amiri insisted that he was offered $10 million
to appear on CNN and announce that he had willingly defected to the US."
Instead, he took refuge in Pakistan's Washington embassy, "urging
an 'immediate return' to Iran." He later dismissed comments about
his defection. Iran held America responsible, saying Amiri was freed after
refusing to cooperate.
-
- A Final Comment
-
- Washington, Israel and rogue allies perhaps intend 2012
to be decisive. Both Iran and Syria are targeted. If regime change by other
means fail, expect war to follow with potentially devastating consequences.
-
- Nonetheless, hawkish fools seem intent on rushing in
where angels fear to tread. Expect ordinary people to suffer most. This
time could be catastrophic.
-
- Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
-
- Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and
listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive
Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central
time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy
listening.
-
- http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
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