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Stephen Lendman
Activist Post
AIPAC’s a blight on humanity. It’s an unregistered foreign agent. It operates illegally. It does so destructively. It promotes war. It deplores peace. It represents the worst of Israeli interests.
It controls US administrations and Congress. Edward Said called it “the most powerful and feared lobby in Washington.”
In a matter of hours, he said, it can mobilize virtually unanimous Senate support for Israel. Deferentially, US politicians bow to its will. They do so disgracefully.
On June 14, Iranians elected Hassan Rohani. He’s Iran’s new president. He’s head of state. He’s a distinguished leader. He combines diplomacy, politics and scholarship.
He urges peace and reconciliation. He called for dialogue. He wants sanctions lifted.
“The only way for interaction with Iran is dialogue on an equal footing, confidence-building, and mutual respect as well as reducing antagonism and aggression,” he said.
If you want the right response, don’t speak with Iran in the language of sanctions, speak in the language of respect.
It doesn’t matter. AIPAC wants financial, economic and political war on Iran continued. It wants destructive hot war. US/Israeli policy remains hardline.
At issue isn’t who leads Iran. It’s sovereign Iranian independence. America’s price for peace is subservience. It wants what it won’t get.
Iranians had a generation of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi harshness. He replaced democratic rule. America installed him. Iranians have long memories.
They won’t tolerate back to the future. They want none of it. They struggled too hard for change. They deplore US/Israeli imperialism. It threatens humanity’s survival.
On July 31, House members passed the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act. They did so overwhelmingly. They approved more sanctions.
They did it ahead of President-Elect Hassan Rohani’s August 4 inauguration. They acted disgracefully. In September, Senate members will address the measure. They’ll do it after summer recess.
Passage is virtually certain. So is Obama’s support. Rogue governance runs America. Police state laws pass with disturbing regularity. So do lawless sanctions. They target nonbelligerent countries like Iran.
New ones challenge Iran’s oil industry. What effect they’ll have remains to be seen. Major countries like China, India, and others remain important buyers.
Iran’s automotive, mining, construction and engineering sectors are also targeted. Nations maintaining commercial ties with Iran will be penalized. They’ll be denied US market access. Whether things unfold this way remains to be seen.
According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araghchi:
New sanctions “won’t do a thing to solve the nuclear issue. If anything, it will make Iran’s resolve in securing its rights stronger.”
Israeli Lobby pressure urged them. AIPAC said they “send a strong message.” America and Israel want war on Iran.
They want pro-Western puppet governance replacing sovereign Iranian independence. They want its resources plundered.
They want Iranians exploited as serfs. They want unchallenged regional dominance. War is the operative strategy to achieve it.
Permanent war is official US policy. It’s longstanding. It prevents peace. War profiteers benefit hugely.
Philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662) once said: “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when the do it from religious conviction.”
America’s infested with fanatical Christian fascists. They partner with influential US/Israeli Zionist zealots. They threaten humanity.
On August 4, Haaretz headlined “Senators storm to back letter urging Obama to press Iran,” saying:
An AIPAC-backed letter urging US President Barack Obama to exert greater pressure on Iran to end its suspected nuclear weapons program garnered the signatures of 76 senators.
Fact check
Iran scrupulously observes NPT provisions. Washington violates them egregiously. Israel’s an undeclared nuclear power. It refuses to sign NPT.
No Iranian nuclear weapons program exists. America has 16 intelligence agencies. Annual assessments say Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful.
No evidence suggests otherwise. Claiming it is red herring cover. It reflects longstanding regime change plans.
In dealing with Iran, the AIPAC-backed letter demands four “necessary strategic elements:”
(1) an explicit and continuing message that we will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapons capability;
(2) a sincere demonstration of openness to negotiations;
(3) the maintenance and toughening of sanctions; and
(4) a convincing threat of the use of force that Iran will believe. We must be prepared to act, and Iran must see that we are prepared.
A more conciliatory letter’s getting less attention. It stops short of what’s needed. It counters American hostility, saber-rattling, and rage for war. It’s message is give peace a chance.
It’s a hopeful sign. A bipartisan group of 131 congressional members wrote Obama.
On July 29, Americans for Peace Now (APN) headlined “Tell your Senators TODAY: Sign the Feinstein letter on diplomacy with Iran.”
It urges Obama “to seize the opportunity presented by the upcoming inauguration of Iran’s new president, Dr. Hassan Rouhani, by reinvigorating diplomatic efforts to secure a verifiable agreement that ensures that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.”
AIPAC’s hardline. It controls US policy. It lied saying Rohani “signaled no willingness to halt Iran’s illicit nuclear program.”
None exists. Don’t expect AIPAC to explain. Don’t expect political Washington to do it. Don’t expect media scoundrels to do their job. They lie for power. They support the worst of US/Israeli policies.
AIPAC claims Iranians elected Rohani for sanctions relief. He’s their best hope to achieve it, they believe.
“(E)ven as Rohani has promised better relations with the West, he has also strongly backed the continuation of Iran’s nuclear program,” said AIPAC.
More fundamentally, there is no indication that Supreme Leader Khamenei will limit his absolute control over Iran’s nuclear policy.
Even if Rohani wished to change the country’s policy, he may have no ability to do so.
Iman Khamenei is clear and unequivocal. He deplores nuclear weapons. He calls them “useless, harmful and dangerous.”
He supports “nuclear energy for all.” He wants “nuclear weapons for none.”
He wants them abolished. He wants existing stockpiles destroyed. He wants a nuclear-free Middle East. He wants it globally.
Western powers know, he says, “we are not seeking nuclear weapons because the Islamic Republic of Iran considers possession of nuclear weapons a sin.”
(Iran) wants to prove to the world that possessing (them) does not bring power….
The alleged Iranian threat is fake. It’s fabricated. It’s pretext for US/Israeli imperial aims. AIPAC promotes them. It lied saying Western powers spent years negotiating with Iran “with nothing to show for the effort.”
Iran negotiates in good faith. Israeli Lobby pressure subverts resolving longstanding differences responsibly. AIPAC knows Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful.
Claiming otherwise is red herring deception. It wants Iranian sovereignty destroyed. It promotes Israeli regional dominance. It wants its main rival removed.
It wants war against a nonbelligerent country. Longstanding US/Israeli plans are ready to wage it. Whether they’ll be implemented remains to be seen.
Doing so is madness. It risks embroiling the entire region. Global war could follow. Warrior states perhaps don’t care. Dominance is the only currency. Millions of lost lives is a small price to pay.
A Final Comment
Below are the texts of both congressional letters to Obama.
Dear Mr President:
With the election of Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian people signaled their clear dissatisfaction with Iran’s government and its policies.
We hope such a surprising and convincing electoral outcome will persuade Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to abandon Iran’s nuclear weapons quest.
But until we see a significant slowdown of Iran’s nuclear activities, we believe our nation must toughen sanctions and reinforce the credibility of our option to use military force at the same time as we fully explore a diplomatic solution to our dispute with Iran.
We deeply sympathize with the plight of the Iranian people, who have suffered under the Khamenei regime.
We note that President-elect Rouhani has pledged re-engagement with the P5+1 and promised to bring transparency to Iran’s nuclear program.
At the same time, Iran has used negotiations in the past to stall for time, and in any event, Khamenei is the ultimate decision-maker for Iran’s nuclear program.
Moreover, Iran today continues its large-scale installation of advanced centrifuges. This will soon put it in the position to be able to rapidly produce weapons-grade uranium, bringing Tehran to the brink of a nuclear weapons capability.
Accordingly, Mr. President, we urge you to bring a renewed sense of urgency to the process.
We need to understand quickly whether Tehran is at last ready to negotiate seriously. Iran needs to understand that the time for diplomacy is nearing its end.
We implore you to demand immediate serious moves on Iran’s part. Iran should move quickly toward compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions demanding it suspend enrichment.
Iran must cease installing centrifuges, agree to the removal of 20 percent enriched uranium from Iran, and cease work on the heavy water reactor being built in Arak.
We believe there are four strategic elements necessary to achieve resolution of this issue: an explicit and continuing message that we will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, a sincere demonstration of openness to negotiations, the maintenance and toughening of sanctions, and a convincing threat of the use of force that Iran will believe.
We must be prepared to act, and Iran must see that we are prepared.
Mr. President, we share your conviction that Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
We want you to know that you will have our support in doing all you can to resolve on an urgent basis this most pressing challenge to international security.
Sincerely,
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Lindsey Graham
Senator Robert P. Casey Jr.
Senator Roy Blunt
Senator Tim Kaine
Senator Kelly Ayotte
List of Cosigners (76)
1. Graham
2. Menendez
3. Ayotte
4. Blunt
5. Kaine
6. Casey
7. Boozman
8. Crapo
9. Flake
10. Ron Johnson
11. Burr
12. Manchin
13. Roberts
14. Grassley
15. Moran
16. Cornyn
17. Inhofe
18. Hoeven
19. Isakson
20. Begich
21. Coons
22. Cardin
23. Hatch
24. Wicker
25. Murray
26. Hagan
27. Mikulski
28. Fischer
29. Lee
30. Thune
31. Risch
32. Collins
33. Portman
34. Schatz
35. Stabenow
36. Cruz
37. Rubio
38. Schumer
39. Markey
40. Donnelly
41. Nelson
42. Heller
43. Pryor
44. Coats
45. Gillibrand
46. Bennet
47. Vitter
48. Chambliss
49. Enzi
50. McCaskill
51. Barrasso
52. Toomey
53. McConnell
54. Brown
55. Warner
56. Reed
57. Blumenthal
58. Hirono
59. Cochran
60. Shaheen
61. Whitehouse
62. Scott
63. King
64. Cantwell
65. Merkley
66. Klobuchar
67. Johanns
68. Franken
69. Sessions
70. Landrieu
71. Alexander
72. McCain
73. Chiesa
74. Heitkamp
75. Murphy
76. Warren
Dear Mr. President:
We urge you to seize the opportunity presented by the upcoming inauguration of Iran’s new president, Dr. Hassan Rouhani, by reinvigorating diplomatic efforts to secure a verifiable agreement that ensures that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.
With economic and political difficulties facing the Iranian people, the election of Dr. Rouhani is a clear demonstration of their desire to step away from the policies of his predecessor.
Dr. Rouhani campaigned on the notion of repairing Iran’s relationship with the West.
He criticized the Ahmadinejad government’s posture in nuclear negotiations, and he strongly and appropriately condemned Ahmadinejad’s abhorrent comments directed at Israel as hate rhetoric.
Rouhani has also publicly warned that developing a nuclear arsenal would not provide Iran with security dividends, and has indicated Iran’s readiness to increase transparency of its nuclear program.
These events, taken together, provide an opening for negotiation.
As a result, we believe the US should reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to determine whether Dr. Rouhani is truly willing to engage the diplomatic community.
Doing so is the only way to reach a verifiable agreement, including limits on Iran’s enrichment and other sensitive nuclear activities and greater cooperation with the IAEA, that ensures that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons.
We believe that the United States should make it clear that existing bilateral and multilateral sanctions against Iran can only be lifted through progress at the negotiating table, and only if Iran takes proportionate steps that would sufficiently demonstrate its commitment to foregoing nuclear weapons.
While a comprehensive resolution to nuclear impasse may prove elusive in the near term, presenting Iran with intermediate measures to make progress could be the best approach for determining whether the Iranian government is serious.
Our nation’s nation’s security and the stability of the Middle East depend upon the resolution of this longstanding dispute.
As you examine America’s options on Iran over the next several months, we stand ready to work with your administration toward a peaceful settlement.
Note:
Israel is the region’s only nuclear power. Its arsenal is well known. It’s a longstanding open secret.
Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful. No evidence suggests otherwise.
Western leaders know what they won’t acknowledge publicly.
Iran is the world’s most heavily inspected nation. Its nuclear activities are monitored round-the-clock. It’s fully cooperative.
America and Israel prohibit nuclear inspections. They’ve got much to hide.
Iran’s nonbelligerent. It hasn’t attacked another country in centuries. It threatens none now.
Ahmadinejad was often misquoted. Western and Israeli leaders put their words in his mouth. They did so maliciously. They’re doing it to Rohani.
Iran prioritizes peace. Achieving it depends on Washington. It requires breaking free from Israeli Lobby pressure. Doing so remains a distant hope.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at [email protected]. His new book is titled How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War. 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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