There are plenty of problems with coverage of Iran right now. The most important issue to understand is that there is no evidence that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. Since this is the basis for the current “crisis” narrative, it’s important for journalism to try to clearly differentiate what is known and what is speculation.
On that score, Time magazine’s big piece this week on U.S./Israeli relations fails. Massimo Calabresi and Jay Newton-Small write:
Despite their history of distrust, Obama and [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu must cooperate if they are to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Of course, the assumption here is that Iran is actually pursuing a nuclear weapon. And it’s repeated several times in the piece:
Obama has his reasons for preferring diplomacy. A military strike by Israel would, at most, set back Tehran’s nuclear program by a year. It would also unite Iranian hard-liners and likely split the fragile international alliance arrayed against them. The only way to end the Iranian threat permanently is to get the nation to voluntarily give up the pursuit of nuclear weapons.
And:
Netanyahu believes open-ended talks without an absolute freeze of the Iranian program will simply permit Iran to continue its pursuit of nuclear weapons and, administration officials say, Netanyahu explicitly told the President he had not decided whether he would attack Iran unilaterally.
You can spend a lot of time trying to figure out how Iran 2012 and Iraq 2002-03 are different. But on this very straightforward question, they’re very much alike.
Tit for tat. Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei has said many times that if Israel stop its nuclear program and destroy its 240-400 nuclear bombs – no country in the Middle East would pursue for a nuclear bomb as deterrant.
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/israel-behind-us-iran-nuclear-conflict/
Hey, this “weapons of mass destruction” mantra worked on Americans the first time with Iraq, so why not try it again with Iran? (God, I hope we are not collectively that stupid!)
… and it angers to no end me to discover that we taxpayers subsidize the Israeli apartheid against Palestine to the tune of $ 7 million PER DAY! For what?? And Egypt’s dictatorship too?! How the hell can anyone be proud of Obama’s business-as-usual attitude with this sickening, racist, waste of our tax dollars I will never know.
No surprise that TIME is running warmongering stories against Iran. It’s essentially a neocon, D.C. Establishment rag.
Pay TIME no mind.
I’m sorry Kathleen, but yes the dumbed down hoi polloi in this country are that stupid.
I think a strike by this country ,or Israel against Irans nuclear program would be a disaster with questionable returns for the US and the world.I can only say that to realize that Obama and the leader of Israel have even contemplated such a thing- shows you how seriously they must take Irans threats.These threats exist outside any action, or inaction by America and her partners.They are part of a religious fanaticism based on an end of the world scenario,the destruction of the Jews and the great Satan, and the coming of the twelfth Imam.The Iranian leaders believe this is their sacred quest toward eternal glory.Scary stuff if you believe this insanity.So to have our press try to decide on a sane foreign policy ideal ,and the cause and effect of the problems with Iran may be playing a different game than that played by the ayatollah.It may be that Obamas intel has shown him the level of this danger.Lets all hope Iran will allow inspections and retreat from this path.
Rehmat…First I would not believe anything that whole squad of loonies says.And remember they consider it fine to lie to those they consider their enemies.Israel does have the bomb.They have never threatened anyone with it.No matter the level of attack against them they have not used it.Not when attacked from all sides and from terrorist action within.Im truly afraid Iran would use it in a mass suicide toward their religious fanatical goals.They are in a word ….NUTS.I compare it to a man on your street with a permit to carry who has never done anything to threaten anyone.Next to him is a man who seems deranged.he threatens death and destruction upon you and your family.He wants a gun too
MICHEAL you words could easily be transposed to
‘These threats exist outside any action, or inaction by Iran and her partners.They are part of a religious fanaticism based on an end of the world scenario,the destruction of the Goyim and the great Satan, and the coming of Christ . Western leaders believe this is their sacred quest toward eternal glory.Scary stuff if you believe this insanity.So to have our press try to decide on a sane foreign policy ideal ,and the cause and effect of the problems with Isreal may be playing a different game than that played by Obama/netanyu.It may be that Obamas intel has shown him the level of this danger.Lets all hope Israel will allow inspections and retreat from this path.
The fact is that the religious right is rabidly calling for the annihilation of the Iranian nation and this is tapped into by the rabid neo cons and is carried into the MSM, congress, Senate by people who are holden to greed and the rape of the rest of the world, the middle classes and the poor and used to their own ends.
Which side are you on MICHEAL. what are you really about MICHEAL.
Although I’m no hawk who wants to rush into an ill-advised (per Meir Dagan and Uzi Arad) strike on Iran, I can’t help but presume that a weapon is the ultimate goal of Iran’s program. To me it’s more of a question of whether this weapon is intended as a deterrent to precisely the kind of aggresive antagonism that we’re seeing in this ‘pre-emptive’ propaganda. The only solution that I can see that will give any kind of constructive authority to international cooperation in the region is to end the ‘strategy of ambiguity’, and for Israel to beome a signatory to the NPT and allow the IAEA to at least verify if not interfere with their facilities. Under such an obvious hypocrisy, it will be impossible to claim that Iran’s intentions are any less nefarious. For the record, I support the eventual ban and eradication of ALL nuclear weaponry.
Peter ,
There is NO way that You or Myself being in the position to defend Our Nation as Leaders could Possibly allow NOT to develope nuclear weapons .
To state other way is to say that we are not able to either Learn from history , or to apply common sense Defence ( can win a war with lesser weapons , specially against a vastly more Numerous army ).
Therefore to say and predict that Iran already has nukes is a triviality .
But the interesting angle is When they will decide to emply them :
a) before the Attack ( like North Korea did ) in order to Prevent the attack … or
b) during the attack , to Surprise the enemy besides Leaving the Disclosure for the Last possible moment …
Having two nuclear guns at its head is no wonder that the West truly Pushed Iran into aquireing nukes , a no-brainer … that even makes you think if it was done in Purpose …
See a world with Real Leaders at TheRecipeForaNation.WordPress.com , future shocking .
We must act swiftly and decisively in economically strangling Iran, and threatening to kill its citizens from the air, unless we want them to one day, maybe soon,
attain the awesome mightiness of North Korea.
North Korea now bestrides the planet like some evil Colossus, unstoppable, destroying everything in its path, wiping countries off the map like they were squished flies…
eyeespy….One problem with you twist of words.Ask Western leaders if they believe what you stated ,and they would disregard those words as nonsense.Ask the same question of AH ma needs a job (as was asked of him during his trip here) and he will not back down from espousing those beliefs.Israel has been endlessly invaded and attacked,by her neighbors.She developed the bomb as protection that is true.She has never threatened her neighbors with its use.She will not I would think give it up as she is still surrounded by enemies.That is the hard truth.Iran has no fear of invasion by this country or Israel.Anyone who says or believes so is an idiot.Her fear is not being able to accomplish her greatest wish.The destruction of Israel and the jewish people and the destruction of the great Satan.
micheal e…Western Leaders are known around he world as LIARS. Where have you been. The secret cabal of ultra capitalists run the wag. Whatever strings they pull, their marionettes dance to the tune. What are you getting by supporting their lies obliquely strutting as a hitler-ian truth.
The western attitude that Iran cannot get the bomb, is as churlish as a child saying that the other child cant have a sweet, or think about having a sweet, or blah blah blah.
Who are you WASPS to tell another entity that they cannot use their brains to reach the highest of heights. ARE you people crazy. This is not the past when you chained humanity and made them slaves at your feet. THIS IS NOW.
Intelligent people know Aminajab did not say Iran would wipe Israel of the face of the map. But i have heard the Israeli’s say on numerous occasions they gonna bomb Iranian nuclear sites, which pretty much means they are willing to wipe Iran of the face of the map. You WASPS are always intent on throwing down your deadly WMD’s on black and brown people and your masters will not hesitate to wipe you off the face of the map when you either wake up or find you are no really part of the chosen few. Israel continuously attacks her neighbors and steals land off them. Stealing land caused the Arabs to try to defend their integrity when the illegal state of Israel that was imposed by the WASPS moved diametrically opposite to the fine words the WASPS dribbled from the Balfour crap into today’s road map.
The funny thing about it all is that today the world watches the false jews the Ashkenazis playing at pretending to be semites. We would all laugh heartily if it wasn’t so bloody tragic for the real semites, their cousins and second cousins.
eyeeespy…Word of advice my fine comedian.Don’t stand up on an airplane yelling this bunk… followed by allahu akbar.Sounds a might …familiar.Your flight will end sadly I fear.Sounds like you are carrying a lot of hate there partner.My advice(medical advice)is to take a chill pill.Look around you at the beautiful country you live in breath deep,and take your girl out to a nice dinner.You need to calm down.
The US, Britain, France, Germany – do have problem with Iran’s nuclear program – because Tel Aviv says so. And Israeli leaders have admitted that Iran, even if have a nuclear bomb, will never use it on Israel because it would not like to kill Israel’s 20% Arab population. Plus, Israel has its own 400 nuclear bombs and protection from 13,000 nuclear bombs in the hands of the US, Britain and France.
What the Zionist entity is affraid is that a Iran with “nuclear capability” will make more difficult for Israel to defeat Hizbullah or Hamas.
On January 17, 2012 â┚¬“ Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, head of the Israel Occupation Force (IOF) planning department, told reporters in Jerusalem that once Iran poseses nuclear arsenal, it will make hard for Israel to defeat Hamas and Hizbullah.
â┚¬Ã‚ÂIf we are forced to do things in Gaza or in Lebanon â┚¬“ under the Iranian nuclear umbrella it might be different,â┚¬Ã‚ said Amir Eshel.
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/israel-nuclear-iran-makes-hard-to-defeat-hamas-and-hizbullah/
Well of course no one in their right mind would actually support Hizbullah or Hamas right Rehmat?Your not doing that ,are you?
Israel is afraid that Iran is insane and could be armed with the bomb.She is also afraid they would give it to any one of the terrorist factions she supports.A bomb detonated in Tel aviv or New york by a single terrorist group of say 4 men,might make it hard to have any support for a thermonuclear response strike on iran.You can see that right?Now say israel or new york is gone.We track the bombs birth and sale to Iran and her leaders.Two weeks have gone by.Would you Rehmat ok the Israeli response strike?A complete annihilation of Iran,turning her into a sea of glass.Or would you rather we did it?Or would you………….tell us to suck it up and live with it because it was all our fault anyway.You ask a lot partner.