Target Iran – Prelude to WW3

by Erick San Juan

The signs are all over. The drumbeat is getting louder. Different voices from the remnants of the followers of the previous neocons-dominated Bush-Cheney administration is echoing the call for an attack on Iran. Even the US President himself, Barack Obama, in his January State of the Union address warned Iran that it will face growing consequences if it will still refuse to cooperate with the international community on its nuclear program.

Among the consequences is the imposition of sanctions, (the US is pressuring the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to approve the fourth round of more crippling sanctions) that may lead to what the US and its allies demand for a regime change in the process. The only real holdout for these sanctions to take effect is the vote of the People’s Republic of China, which in January held it’s council’s revolving presidency.

One may wonder what did Iran do to deserve these punishments from the community of nations? In fact, Iran never attacked a single nation for over 200 years and yet the US kept accusing the Islamic Republic as a threat to the Middle East countries particularly in the Persian Gulf region.

Moreover, as Iran allegedly develops its nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment, the threat extends to the United States of America, and consequently to the rest of the world. Never mentioned is the fact that, as a signatory to the U.N.’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy is enshrined in international law. Just a few months ago, the U.N’s International Atomic Energy Chief, Mohammed El Baradai, the person responsible for monitoring compliance with that treaty, stated that “Nobody is sitting in Iran today developing nuclear weapons. Tehran doesn’t have an ongoing nuclear weapons program. But somehow, everyone in the West is talking about how Iran’s nuclear program is the greatest threat to the world.” (Interview with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Sept. 2009)

Disregarding the report of the former IAEA chief that no nuclear weapons program is being undertaken by the Islamic Republic, the US has started its massive military build-up of the Persian Gulf area. According to a Feb. 1 Reuters report, “The United States has expanded land- and sea-based missile defense systems in and around the Gulf to counter what it sees as Iran’s growing missile threat …. The deployments include expanded land-based Patriot defensive missile installations in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain, as well as navy ships with missile defense systems in and around the Mediterranean, officials said… The chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said last month that the Pentagon must have military options ready to counter Iran should Obama call for them.”

As if the Middle East region is not enough, the mighty US even extended its reach by allowing a $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan. The U.S. Defense Department wants to sell Taiwan the most advanced Patriot anti-missile system, which is built by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Co. I would like to reiterate that such massive military build-up in this part of the Asian region could be a pretext, disguised as joint military exercises for counter terrorism and against sea pirates.

Moreover, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came home with sweaty palms from his mid-February visit to Israel. He has been worrying aloud that Israel will mousetrap the U.S. into war with Iran. This is of particular concern because Mullen has had considerable experience in putting the brakes on such Israeli plans in the past. This time, he appears convinced that the Israeli leaders did not take his warnings seriously – notwithstanding the unusually strong language he put into play. He insisted publicly that an attack on Iran would be “a big, big, big problem for all of us, and I worry a great deal about the unintended consequences.” (Mullen Wary of Israeli Attack on Iran by Ray McGovern, informationclearinghouse.com)

I believe the good admiral rightly assessed the probable outcome of such scenario and things are about to spin out of control. Whether there will be war does not depend on Mullen or even Obama. It depends mostly on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And Mullen does well to be worried. (Ibid)

Amidst the growing tensions and provocations for a war on Iran, there are also groups calling for peaceful means to end this myth of a growing Iranian nuclear weapons threat to the world. We hope that their voices be heard so that the entire humanity will not be faced with the impending Third World War.