US Plans for War with Iran
An article by Seymour Hersh, which will be published in the April 17 edition of the New Yorker, reveals that US plans to attack Iran may be much further than we may think. There are several things the article reveals, while quoting senior US government officials, one of which is the possibility of using nuclear weapons to take out underground Iranian facilities.
It seems like any diplomatic effort the US is pushing to resolve the problems with Iran are just to buy some time to finalize the plans for war, and to be able to say later on that “we tried the diplomatic options, but they didn’t work.” As noted in the article:
A discouraged former I.A.E.A. official told me in late March that, at this point, “there’s nothing the Iranians could do that would result in a positive outcome. American diplomacy does not allow for it. Even if they announce a stoppage of enrichment, nobody will believe them. It’s a dead end.”
And:
“As the President has indicated, we are pursuing a diplomatic solution”; the Defense Department also said that Iran was being dealt with through “diplomatic channels” but wouldn’t elaborate on that; the C.I.A. said that there were “inaccuracies” in this account but would not specify them.)
Inaccuracies? Ya don’t say…
Anyway, it’s a long article, but it’s a good read. It has already been mentioned by Reuters. There’s also a reaction from the Iranians, accusing the US of psychological war. And in a reaction by the Foreign Ministry of Iran:
Replying to a question about the issue of US possible attack on Iran’s nuclear installations, he named it as a psychological warfare and said that it is rooted in the rage and helplessness of the U.S. administration.
I also came across an article by Congressman Ron Paul, titled “Iran: The Next Neocon Target.” It’s a very good read and provides some historical background between the US and Iran. US hypocrisy, similar to the case with Iraq, is once again very clear. Sadly, it doesn’t look like a lot of people in the US are going to be interested in what Dr. Ron Paul has to say.
The issues with Iran may very well be another opportunity for Bush, who’s support has dropped as low as 33% recently, to stage another “Pearl Harbor style catalyzing event” to guarantee him instant support for anything he wants to do for the rest of his term, similar to the days following 9/11. In the New Yorker article I mentioned at the beginning, it is already suggested that:
…the President believes that he must do “what no Democrat or Republican, if elected in the future, would have the courage to do,” and “that saving Iran is going to be his legacy.”
See that? And then there’s more:
He added, “People think Bush has been focussed on Saddam Hussein since 9/11,” but, “in my view, if you had to name one nation that was his focus all the way along, it was Iran.”
Yes, maybe that’s why Bin Laden is still a free man, and Iraq is such a huge mess today. Can’t have all those old boring issues keep you from invading the next country!
The world is very, very broken.
Update April 10 2006: There’s an interview with Hersh, the writer of the New Yorker article, on CNN revealing even more disturbing stuff. Read it here.
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