“We categorically deny any nuclear-related testing at Parchin.” Hossein Mousavian, Iranian delegate to IAEA
“A prominent international expert said on Wednesday that new satellite images showed the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran may be a site for research, testing and production of nuclear weapons.” (Reuters)
Even though a NIE (National Intelligence Estimate), which was released yesterday, expounded the many doomsday scenarios for violence-ridden Iraq, the Bush Administration is still busy establishing the groundwork for America’s next Middle East crusade. The allegations of an Iranian “nuclear bomb” facility are tantamount to an act of war; or so it is surmised among Bush loyalists.
As yet, we have no corroborating evidence that the photos show what they are “alleged” to show, but Hossein Mousavian, Iran’s chief delegate to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) board told Reuters that, “This is a lie…but we are ready to cooperate with the IAEA if they want to go”(inspect the site) This familiar tactic was employed by Colin Powell prior to the Iraq war when he produced myriad hazy photographs of chemical weapons plants to the UN, all of which proved to be entirely bogus.
It also reminds us of Rumsfeld’s comments before the invasion that, “We know where they are. (the WMD) They are up in the region around Tikrit.” Again, the claims proved to be baseless, but were instrumental in marshalling public support for the war. Rumsfeld knows that these charges won’t elicit support for an invasion, nor are they intended to. The DOD (Dept of Defense) is simply trying to run an “end sweep” around the IAEA, the UN Security Council and the US intelligence agencies (CIA, FBI) who are trying to slow the rush to war. (The FBI has already established that top level actors in the DOD are passing on “classified information” to Israel with the conspicuous goal of initiating hostilities against Iran)
Satellite technology falls entirely within the purview of the Defense Dept.(not the CIA)
What does that suggest?
For the last year and a half the IAEA has been unable to prove that Iran is not in compliance with the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) even though they found “trace elements” of enriched uranium on centrifuges purchased from Pakistan. Just this week Mohammed El Baradei, head of the nuclear watchdog agency, said that there was “no hard evidence to prove the US belief that Tehran was using its nuclear power program as a front to build weapons.” This means that there is no justifiable reason for bringing the issue before the Security Council for “punitive action”.
The Bush Administration’s approach to Iran is complex. On the one hand they are going through the predictable steps of building a case for war and bringing that case before the Security Council. This approach depends on the unlikely prospect that the UN will endorse a “trigger mechanism” that will allow the US to attack Iran if it is not in compliance with its treaty obligations.
On the other hand, the DOD is taking the “straight route” to war. They have produced the photographs as proof of wrongdoing (as well as suggesting Iranian involvement in the Iraqi resistance) and it is entirely possible that they will use that as justification for a “preemptive” attack.
Both paths lead inevitably to war; one merely demonstrates a modicum of deference to international institutions.
Rumsfeld’s satellite photography represents a serious escalation in the march towards war. However unreliable the photos may be, their purpose is to vindicate aggression against Iran. The Bush Administration won’t waste time trying to enlist the support of the American people, the Congress or the world body. They will simply make a “plausible” case for a threat to “national security” and, then, move forward.
The idle chatter about an “October surprise” appears to be coming true.
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