The United States of America is applauding itself for its strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. This is despite evidence that the Middle Eastern country was not developing nuclear weapons.
Even if Iran was developing such armaments, why do the two states want to deter this? Additionally, the US which is the only nation in the world that has used two nuclear bombs, killing hundreds of thousands of people has appointed itself as the arbiter of which countries should or should not have them.
Civil nuclear engineer expert Hugo Kruger said that the official position of the intelligence agencies, the CIA, Mossad, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is that Iran does not have a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programme.
“Iran however has a civilian nuclear programme and a policy of strategic ambiguity. It does enrich uranium, but there is no serious bomb programme under construction. There is a long history around this going back to the Iran-Iraq war when Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons on Iran.
“As a consequence, when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power, he put fatwa (religious ruling), against WMDs, that is to say chemical and nuclear weapons,” said Kruger.
More than a decade ago, Khomeini asserted that Iran would not be building nuclear weapons.
“Nuclear weapons neither ensure security, nor do they consolidate political power, rather they are a threat to both security and political power.
“The events that took place in the 1990s showed that the possession of such weapons could not even safeguard a regime like the former Soviet Union. And today we see certain countries which are exposed to waves of deadly insecurity despite possessing atomic bombs,” Khomeini said.
Kruger pointed out that Israel is hypocritical as it is reported to have between 100 and 200 nuclear weapons, and Benjamin Netanyahu is related, for example, to the Uranium Smuggling Mafia (smugglers of uranium and plutonium).
This is according to the FBI’s declassified Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy files.
“As for Israel, I do not believe that they have done anything significant, the real nuclear technology is in the head of Iranians, and they have domesticated it. Meaning even if they bomb the place to ashes, the people will be able to rebuild it, because they have human capital,” Kruger said.
For political analyst, Siyabonga Ntombela, Israel and the US don’t think Iran should have nuclear weapons because it poses existential threat for both countries.
“No country deserves to be bombed especially if they have not used the nuclear weapons at all. The US claims to promote democratic ideals and it is in such times that those beliefs are put to the test. International diplomatic engagements must ensue to ensure minimum casualties and unnecessary loss of lives,” Ntombela argued.
Ntombela went on to say that the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (an international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology), must be understood and executed in an open and fearless manner for all countries, both with and without nuclear capability.
“Israel has nuclear (weapons), why does it have it and other surrounding states do not have? Is it for self-preservation? Possibly but how do other states who would like to be safe view this double standard.”
Trump also appears to have undermined his own intelligence intel. In March, the US’ Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, reported before Congress that the Middle Eastern country was far from the capability of building a nuclear bomb.
“The Intelligence Community (IC) continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khomeinei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003… Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons,” Gabbard said.
Yet, when talking to the media, Trump, who campaigned as an anti-war candidate, declared that Gabbard was wrong. “Then my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?… She’s wrong.”
In a turn of events, Gabbard changed her tune on social media posting: “America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree.”
In response, Iran’s representative to the UN Security Council, Amir Saeid, accused the US of warmongering.
“Iran reserves the right to defend itself against blatant US aggression,” he said.
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