The case against Iran’s nuclear program – Part 1 (Overview)

BEVIN KURIAN

01 December 2011

(This article was first published at The Los Angeles Post and republished under Bevin Kurian’s permission)

Iran - Nuclear Facilities / thelosangelespost.org
Iran - Nuclear Facilities / thelosangelespost.org

“The use of military force against Iran would be very dangerous. It would be very provocative. The only thing worse would be Iran being a nuclear power”. The affirmation from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani sums up what is to be presented in this entire series – ‘The Case Against Iran’s Nuclear Program’.

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Over the past decade, the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Israel, and other leading nations fiercely expressed their deep concerns against the current Iranian nuclear program. The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently submitted a damning set of evidences accusing Iran of covertly building a nuclear weapon, and further pointed out that the development of nuclear energy was a disguise to cover up their virulent intents. Years of diplomatic negotiations and sanctions have done little to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The existence of the State of Israel is an anathema to the Iranian authority, and their revulsion is very well-documented. From shamelessly denying the holocaust and swearing to wipe out the Jewish people, to furtively and aggressively sponsoring terrorism, Iran shows no indication of pursuing their nuclear program for peaceful purposes.

Cited below are excerpts from the current President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, concerning his views on Israel:

December 2005

“Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces (…) Although we don’t accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?  If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe — like in Germany, Austria or other countries — to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe.”

October 2005

“Israel must be wiped off the map (…) The establishment of a Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world (…) The skirmishes in the occupied land          are part of the war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land.”

November 2006

“Israel is destined for destruction and will soon disappear. Israel is a    contradiction to nature, we foresee its rapid disappearance and destruction”.

May 2006

Israel is “a regime based on evil that cannot continue and one day will vanish”.

August 2007

“The Zionist regime is the flag bearer of violation and occupation and this regime is the flag of Satan”.

September 2008

“Our nation has no problem with other nations, but as far the Zionist regime is concerned, we do not believe in an Israeli government or an Israeli nation”.

October 2009

“The Zionist regime wants to establish its base upon the ruins of the civilizations of the region…The uniform shout of the Iranian nation is forever ‘Death to Israel’”

September 2010

“The U.S. government orchestrated the 9/11 attack to reverse the declining American economy and increase its grips on the Middle East in order also to save the Zionist regime”.

September 2010

“How come when it comes to the subject of the Holocaust there is so much sensitivity?”

April 2011

“They say they want to create a new and greater Middle East under the U.S. and the Zionist regime’s (Israel) dominance. I am telling you that a new and greater Middle East will be established without the existence of the U.S. and the Zionist regime”.

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To simply put, Iran with a nuclear bomb is a doomsday scenario.

A military strike against Iran is closer than one might actually want to believe. Ehud Barak, the current Defense Minister of Israel admitted following the release of the latest IAEA report that ‘Iran is less than a year away from producing a nuclear weapon’. If the UN fails in its mediations, we are looking either at the possibility of learning to live with a nuclear Iran or going to war. This is the decision that the next US administration will have to undertake and that is why the upcoming 2012 United States elections matter. Even if a military strike is ruled out by the US, the administration will have the added burden to sell that decision to Israel. Since her independence in 1948, Israel’s right to exist were tested by her Arab neighbors in the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. With ongoing conflicts against Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, Israel does not see herself keeping the status quo with a nuclear Iran.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin embedded the ‘Begin Doctrine’ into the soul of Israel’s military and political stratagem. The Begin Doctrine states “On no account shall we permit an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against the people of Israel”. In short, the best defense is pre-emption.

Undeterred, Israel talked the talk and walked the walk. In 1981, armed with the new doctrine, then Prime Minister Begin dispatched eight F-16s to destroy a nuclear plant in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq (which was on the verge of producing plutonium for a nuclear warhead). If that’s ancient history to some, then consider Operation Orchard. Executed by F-151s, F-161s and Special Forces, the Israeli Air Force crossed into Syrian airspace, and wiped out a secret nuclear facility, killing ten North Korean workers in the raid. The date of operation – September 6th, 2007. If that’s a distant memory, then here’s something more recent. It is considered to be the largest, costliest, and the most complex development in malware history. The success of the cyber worm, Stuxnet, required in-depth information on the industry it was assigned to attack and needed teams of experts to operate the program. The Natanz nuclear facility in Iran was a sitting duck to the wrath of the highly sophisticated Stuxnet, and the attack resulted in the destruction of more than 1,000 centrifuges. The date of operation was approximated to be around January 2010. Since then, there have been several high profile assassinations of scientists and military generals associated with the nuclear program in Iran. Despite the success of clandestine engagements, there’s only so much a State can do covertly to preserve its existence.

Iran - Nuclear Facilities / thelosangelespost.org
Iran - Nuclear Facilities / thelosangelespost.org

In the end it is easy to classify Iran as public enemy number one but we need to be mindful of the fact that this strife is against the Iranian government and not against the Iranian people. This must not be seen or be classified as a collision against Islam. Let’s not forget the voter fraud that sparked the ‘Persian Awakening’ or the ‘Green Revolution’ in 2009. The 4 million strong uprising was expectedly crushed with brute force by the Iranian authority and the crackdown solidified Ahmadinejad’s presidency. The Arab Spring created a new wave of demonstrations against the Iranian regime but unfortunately it is lacking the same gravitas as the ‘rebellion’ in Syria. Currently, any Iranian who musters the courage to come out to the streets and question the government’s authority is rewarded with imprisonment, accompanied with torture, rape and the probability of execution.

‘The Case Against Iran’s Nuclear Program’ will analyze the diplomatic complexity in dealing with the current Iranian Government, it’s rise to power, and provide a list of possible scenarios and solutions to tackle the current nuclear crisis. The series will explore the history of the Persian Empire, the economic backgrounds, the hatred against Israel and the West, the rise of Shia Islam and the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the current nuclear program and the State sponsored terrorist activities, UN sanctions and resolutions, and the Green Revolution.

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Part II of The Case Against Iran’s Nuclear Program will highlight the history of the once great Persian Empire and dissect the current anti-Western sentiments by locating its source. Send in your thoughts, comments, and feedback on the current events in Iran and I look forward to hearing from you.

Visit Bevin Kurian’s official website at http://www.BevinKurian.com to read more of his views and analysis on Current Affairs and Human Rights. Follow him @BevinKurian to receive other updates. Thank You for your time.

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