Kudos to Antiwar.com editor Jason Ditz for catching this, doing some actual journalism, and the ultimate result…

“UPDATE: The Associated Press has pulled the original article by George Jahn and it is being replaced by a more benign article called “Iran to stop enrichment if given nuclear fuel” by Nasser Karimi. (2/9/2010)

In a widely-circulated article which has further fueled Western hysteria about the prospect of an imminent war with Iran, the Associated Press today claimed that Iran’s uranium enrichment program move, an effort to produce medical isotopes which are rapidly running out in the nation, was a secret plot to build nuclear weapons.

The article, entitled “Iran moves closer to nuke warhead capacity,” claims that Iran had informed the IAEA that it “will increase its ability to make nuclear warheads,” an allegation which is not only unsupported by fact but even goes beyond the ample bellicose Western statements quoted in the piece.

In fact the IAEA’s own confirmation of the Iranian statement says simply that Iran is planning to begin efforts for “production of less than 20 percent enriched uranium,” noted by the AP piece as “just below the threshold for high enriched uranium” but actually well short of the 90 percent plus needed for weapons grade material.”

February 10, 2010

Having revealed to the UN on Monday that it has partially completed a second underground uranium enrichment plant, leaders from French President Nicolas Sarkozy to President Obama have condemned Tehran for failing to disclose the existence of the plant, which is not yet operational.

Of course, the harshest condemnation came from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, during his address to the General Assembly, took every opportunity to demand that Iran be dealt with harshly, that it poses a threat to the entire world, and that the time has come to stand up to Iranian “barbarism”.

The fact that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently claimed the Holocaust fiction, as he has in the past, doesn’t help matters. Nor does the fact that Ahmadinejad’s second term was secured through electoral fraud followed by the use of force to quash public protest. Given that, the Iranian people are caught betwixt and between. While Ahmadinejad’s government plays cat and mouse with the UN, and he spews moronic rhetoric about one of the world’s foremost genocides, the people of Iran are largely painted with a single brush by the likes of Mr. Netanyahu, who obviously has no desire to give credence to the fact that they took to the streets in unprecedented numbers in the largest act of public dissent since the Revolution.

Mind you, Netanyahu’s rant was steeped in hypocrisy, something that shouldn’t be overlooked by those eager to condemn Iran. While the world gathered at the UN to address the issues of non-proliferation and nuclear transparency, Israel continues to deny the United Nations access to its “non-existent” nuclear facilities, nor is it willing to address the fact that it possesses a significant nuclear arsenal of thermonuclear weapons numbering in the hundreds. On top of that, it also has undeclared chemical and biological weapons programs as well.

That said, how Mr. Netanyahu can stand before the UN General Assembly and condemn the Iranians is quite beyond me, especially given the fact that Iran does not possess a single nuclear weapon, and has granted the UN access to its facilities, though is guilty of playing silly buggers with the IAEA. At least Tehran can be accused of doing so, whereas the Israelis flat out refuse to allow the IAEA to inspect anything – and they actually possess nuclear weapons, though have denied it for decades.

But that’s irrelevant given that Israel wasn’t openly confronted by the leaders of the world’s foremost powers during their speeches to the General Assembly, who, of course, are more than willing to openly direct their displeasure at Iran.

In response to Tehran’s disclosure of the new facility, President Obama remarked…

“Iran’s decision to build a secret facility represented a “direct challenge to the basic compact” of the global non-proliferation regime, US President Barack Obama said, making a statement in Pittsburgh, where he is hosting a G20 summit.”

Of course, not a word was uttered about the fact that Israel possesses the ability to wipe Iran off the face of the earth with an arsenal of nuclear weapons that the UN has never been allowed to inspect, nor that Israel recently literally leapt out of its proverbial skin when a recent resolution was passed calling for it to become a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

There’s no denying that Mr. Ahmadinejad’s government is committed to the tactic of playing cat and mouse with the IEAE. That said, it’s best to remember that Mr. Netanyahu got up in front of the General Assembly and condemned the Iranians, calling on the UN to act, when his own government recently claimed the UN’s report on war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead to be bias propaganda.

As I’ve stated in the past on numerous occasions, the UN suits Israel’s needs when required and is utterly ignored when it doesn’t. The barrier wall in The West Bank remains, to this day, in direct contravention to a UN resolution that was overwhelming passed in 2003 calling for its construction to be halted. Construction of the barrier wasn’t halted, and, as one might guess, the matter was never referred to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for a legal ruling.

I’ll admit it freely – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a moron. Having said that, he’s not the only one out there.

September 25, 2009

No matter how much I mention this subject, constantly reminding everyone about it remains paramount…

“The Israeli government has officially said that it “deplores” the vote by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) member states to call on Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and submit their nuclear facilities to the same oversight as the rest of the world does.

The vote narrowly passed, 49-45, and was generally opposed by Western nations while being supported by UN Security Council permanent members Russia and China, as well as most of the nations in the Middle East.”

How dare the IAEA do such a thing. Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to putting the screws to Iran the IAEA is constantly flogged by Israel and Western powers to ‘get the job done’. It’s here that I’d remind everyone that Iran, which does not possess a nuclear weapon, is a party to the NPT, but thanks to massive pressures placed on the IAEA (by the likes of Israel), its status remains disputed given that it was found to be in non-compliance with its NPT safeguards agreement. Israel, of course, is in complete non-compliance, but that shouldn’t bother anyone in the slightest.

While everyone knows that Israel possesses by far the largest, and only, nuclear arsenal in the region, they have never officially admitted it. The only Israeli to break with the nation’s policy of absolute secrecy was Mordechai Vanunu, and they threw him in prison for 18 years, 11 of which he spent in solitary confinement. And all he did was tell the truth.

Oh, but the hypocrisy gets better…

“The United States ambassador Glyn Davies publicly rejected the resolution, calling it “redundant” and claiming that calling on Israel to join the NPT as every other nation in the Middle East has unfairly singled them out.”

Unfairly singled them out? How so? Because unlike every other nation in the region that is a party to the NPT, Israel is the only one that actually has nuclear weapons? How in the hell is that redundant?

That said, I’m not even going to bother delving into the fact that Israeli intelligence has used numerous American sympathizers to steal classified nuclear secrets in the past.

Shamefully, Canada’s behaviour was no better…

“Canada went one step further, trying to block the vote entirely and condemning it as “unbalanced.”

Wait a minute. Aren’t we the ones that in 2002 urged India to sign the NPT? Yes, we were. Mind you, they didn’t, but that didn’t stop the Bush Administration from entering into a nuclear development agreement with them despite the fact that they’re not a party to the treaty. Just like – say – North Korea isn’t. Or, while we’re on the subject – Israel.

The shit that Israel is allowed to get away with, and the fact that we’re willing to help them get away with it, is utterly mind bending. The UN releases a report detailing Israeli and Palestinian war crimes during Operation Cast Lead and they call it baseless propaganda. It’s ironic when you think about it given that without the existence of the UN, Israel may never have been recognized as a nation in the first place.

September 19, 2009

I’ve mentioned it so many times that it almost seems pointless now. It’s a subject that produces absolutely no debate because those that would defend it have absolutely no leg to stand on. I am, for the millionth time, talking about Israel’s ‘non-existent’ nuclear program.

Every American in their lifetime will personally contribute thousands of dollars by way of taxes to support Israel, whether they know it or not, and no matter the position of the United States on the Palestinian issue, behind closed doors the reality remains that US military support for Israel will continue unabated. That support includes looking the other way when it comes to Israel’s nuclear program (for the most part), despite the fact that the Israelis are in contravention of every major nuclear arms agreement in the world. Mind you, you can’t be in contravention of, for example, the nuclear nonproliferation treaty if you don’t ‘technically’ have a nuclear program, a lie that Israel has propagated for decades, and one that numerous Western nations have supported.

Today, the Israeli Foreign Minister demanded that the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency take “immediate and determined” action against Syria and Iran after the release of two reports in which the recent nuclear conduct of both nations are scrutinized. That said, last month, when US Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller suggested that Israel become a signatory of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, the Israeli government dismissed the suggestion claiming that Iran’s inclusion was proof positive that the NPT is basically useless, and then went so far as to contact the US government for confirmation, unable to believe that the US would even suggest it.

This is where I remind everyone, for the millionth time (again), that Israel has had a nuclear program for the last forty years, has denied its existence from the very beginning, continues to do so despite the fact that it’s believed they possess hundreds of nuclear weapons, jailed the one man that had the guts to tell the world about it, and refuses to allow the IAEA to scrutinize it (because it doesn’t exist, remember). And that’s not including the fact that it also has completely undeclared chemical and biological weapons programs.

The truth of the matter is that no one in the immediate region possesses the same destructive capabilities that Israel does, and that despite the fact that Israel has its own nuclear arsenal, it is still protected by the US nuclear umbrella, which is utterly paradoxical to me given that the Israelis have been caught red handed conducting covert operations within the United States in which they succeeded in stealing US nuclear secrets before those Americans that they had flipped were caught. It’s here that I’ll remind those of you that are American again that in your lifetime you’ll pay thousands in personal taxes that will go towards Israel’s defense.

In the end, the entire argument rests on a single assertion – that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, every member of the Expediency Council, every member of the military (which is directly under the command of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who appoints all of the commanders of the armed forces personally), every member of the Guardian Council, and every member of the Assembly of Experts are all complete and utter lunatics. Because despite the misconception that President Ahmadinejad runs the country, the reality is that he doesn’t.

One thing that is important to remember is that Iranians know only too well the devastating affects of weapons of mass destruction. During the Iran-Iraq war over 100,000 Iranian troops and civilians were victims of Iraqi chemical weapons – the targeting of which was made possible by the assistance of US satellite coverage, and the production of which was made possible by the US and the UK through dummy corporations. Not since World War One had chemical weapons been used to such an extent. In fact, Iranian casualties due to chemical attacks were equal to one quarter of all chemical related deaths during the entire First World War, which, when put into perspective regarding the size of the forces involved in both conflicts, is astounding.

All of that said, Israel remains an international anomaly – a nation that can get away with just about anything without eliciting a serious response from the global community – from the recent invasion of Gaza to the 2006 invasion of Lebanon. Sure, foreign governments hum and haw, the UN ineffectually makes demands, but none of it alters the resolve of those within Israel that know full well that they have a golden ticket and that they’re free to use it.

June 8, 2009

The US Ambassador to the IAEA, Gregory Schulte, has claimed that “growing evidence” exists of clandestine Syrian nuclear activities. Ironically, this comes only 24-hours after the United States lifted its four-year diplomatic embargo against the Syrian government.

According to a report by Reuters, Shulte was quoted as saying…

“We must understand why such material — material not previously declared to the IAEA — existed in Syria and this can only happen if Syria provides the cooperation requested.”

Likewise, the EU added that it was concerned at the possibility that Syria has not declared all of its nuclear instillations.

Call me a stickler for ‘the rules’, and perhaps a broken record, but what exactly makes it excusable for the United States and the European Union to use the IAEA to condemn Syria while not demanding that Israel disclose its program, one that it has refused for decades to admit exists despite the fact that it is estimated to include some 300 nuclear weapons? Not only that, but that Israeli intelligence used US operatives to steal US nuclear secrets – acts of espionage that have never resulted in the United States demanding that those Israelis involved be extradited for prosecution. To date, two Americans have been prosecuted for their role in such operations. One of them is in prison and, to this day, the Israeli government continues to lobby for his release after gifting him Israeli citizenship.

When one looks at this situation objectively the only conclusion that can be drawn is that a nuclear double standard exists. Are the Israelis any less militaristic than the Syrians? True, the Syrians conducted what could, in loose terms, be called an invasion of Northern Lebanon in 2006. Then again, the Israelis invaded Southern Lebanon in 2006 causing significant damage, not to mention dropping cluster bombs that, to this day, litter parts of the region endangering the lives of civilians – an undertaking that is illegal under international law. There is also the invasion of Gaza to consider. While many claim Operation Cast Lead justified by Hamas rocket attacks, the IDF employed phosphorous ordinance in civilian areas, another breach of international law.

Of course, just like the nuclear issue, the Israelis will not be held accountable for their conduct in Gaza, just as they weren’t with regards to Lebanon in 2006. They will, after a little bluster here and there, get another free pass. The growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank will continue, and after a brief reprieve to placate the US, it may very well fully reinstate its economic blockade of Gaza.

In the end, the Israelis possessing a completely undeclared and uninspected nuclear capability = okay. Others in the region, even if inspected = not so much. The reason is simple – the existence of an Israeli arsenal ensures Israeli dominance in the region. There is also the rationale that Middle Eastern nations are, simply put, too ignorant to be trusted given their support of various militant groups – something I find astounding given America’s history of supporting corrupt regimes and even gifting them nuclear technology – such as Iran in the 70’s, which was anything but democratic or free. Of course, 9/11 has all but buried such historical hypocrisies leaving the world fixated on the ominous possibility that a Muslim nation would have absolutely no qualms about either using a nuclear weapon or somehow gifting it to a third party – another fine example of Western elitist thinking. After all, they’re too ignorant, radical, and unstable to be trusted. Mind you, it’s better that we not indulge in exploring the root causes of radicalism and instability, as that might lead somewhere altogether unpleasant that could just knock us off our high horses.

In the end, if you look at it from the position of the Iranians or the Syrians, perhaps they’re just taking a page from Israel’s playbook. If Israel has never had to disclose its nuclear capabilities, why should they?

Oh, that’s right, they’re ‘nuts’. Because as we’re all aware, nuclear weapons aren’t crazy enough to begin with.

March 5, 2009 9 Comments