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Home > Publications > Iran Update > Issue 2.25 | ||
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One must take the words of Ahmedinejad very seriously. The tendency is to label him as a madman, which only serves to trivialize him and to have us dismiss him and his threats as empty, which we do at our peril. As we recall how Hitler justified the hatred and destruction of the Jews by painting them as a menace and a threat, so does Ahmedinejad, calling Israel an agent of the United States while blaming all of Iran’s ills on the West. His call for the destruction of the state of Israel, a UN member state, is an avowed policy, and in adopting this policy, he is guilty of incitement to genocide, an act clearly stipulated by the Genocide Convention as prohibited, which he patently ignores. The news each day of the unrelenting rocket attacks, some landing near Ashkelon, and of the renewed attempts of suicide bombers make it clear that Iran’s foreign policy objective is being facilitated through the arming and training of Hamas and Hezbollah. Since Hamas made the breach in the wall separating Gaza from Egypt, more and more terrorists have entered Gaza in order to join the fight against Israel. All this, while Iran develops nuclear weapons and expands its arsenal of long range missiles with which to deliver them.
As Iran ignores the UN Charter’s prohibition of threatening another country, it continues to ignore Security Council resolutions to stop its nuclear program. Iran has lied to the UN and to other states about its nuclear activity, and has threatened Israel, its neighbors, and the West. Ahmedinejad said Iran would not back down “one iota” in the nuclear dispute, despite a third round of UN sanctions. At rallies celebrating the 29th anniversary of the revolution that toppled the Shah, crowds gathered to hear anti-American invective and to burn effigies representing Uncle Sam. Ahmendinejad held the first-ever state-sponsored conference on Holocaust denial. Iranian Jews are subject to discrimination and many doors remain closed to them, as well as to most other religious minorities in Iran. Anti-Semitism is not officially promoted in Iran but the campaign against Israel and Zionism is growing as Jews and Israel are portrayed as demonized caricatures in the press. The existence of the Iranian Jews is a fragile one. Their brothers in Sderot are under attack by Iranian proxies. It would be prudent to take the Iranian dictator at his word as we remember events of 75 years ago and to heed the wise and determined words of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier who said last week:“The memory of the genocide committed by the Germans serves to keep us alert and fight anti-Semitism and racial hatred around the world.” French Defense Minister Says Iran Still Pursuing Nuclear Arms - French Defense Minister Herve Morin cast doubt on reports that Iran had halted its suspected nuclear weapons drive during a visit to Washington. “Coordinated information from a number of intelligence service leads us to believe that Iran has not given up its wish to pursue its (nuclear) program,” and is “continuing to develop” it, he said. A US diplomat called UN sanctions ‘long overdue’. Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador, Bernard Poletti, as relations chill. Poletti took advantage of he summons to also protest Ahmedinejad’s implication made in a speech in Bushehr that Israel would be destroyed. Iran Testing Advanced Centrifuges at Natanz Plant, Building Second Power Plant - Senior diplomats say Iran recently began testing an advanced centrifuge at its Natanz nuclear complex, a move that could lead to Tehran enriching uranium much faster and gaining ability to build nuclear bombs. US Intelligence Chief Corrects Impression Given By NIE on Iran - Admiral Michael McConell, director of US national intelligence, told the Senate intelligence committee that the November NIE report had concluded that Tehran had ceased only efforts to covertly enrich uranium and design nuclear warheads. “The only thing that they’ve halted was nuclear weapons design, which is probably the least significant part of the program,” he said. The earliest Iran would be technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium for a weapon is late 2009. Israel’s Mossad said that Iran may develop a nuclear weapon within three years and continues to provide rockets to regional groups, increasing the threat to Israel on all fronts. IAEA Director sees Progress with Iran Inquiry; Russia says UN resolution sends ‘clear signals’ to Iran - The head of the UN nuclear watchdog said that he was making progress in finishing an inquiry into Iran’s nuclear past ahead of his next report awaited by those powers mulling new sanctions. He said he hopes that Iran will still allow broader IAEA inspections. Russia said that the Security Council sanctions document anticipates a certain widening of the sanctions regime. Meanwhile, South Africa protested the plan to sanction Iran. Iran Tests Rocket, Plans to Launch Satellite – Iran launched a rocket on February 3rd designed to send its first homemade research satellite into orbit in the next year, state television said, a move likely to add to Western concerns about Tehran’s nuclear plans. The technology used for launching satellites could also be used for launching weapons. The White House called the launch “unfortunate”. Russia also voiced concern at the Iranian rocket test. France said the rocket is in fact a missile. Weapons Trader Allegedly Tied to China, Iran; Sino–Iran Trade Volume exceeds US$20bn – A weapons trader wanted by multiple federal agencies for allegedly selling sensitive technology to Iran - and who was arrested late last month – reportedly travels regularly to China. According to statistics from Iran, trade between China and Iran soared more than 38% this year. Ahmedinejad: Accept Israel’s ‘Imminent Collapse’ – “Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end,” he said in a televised speech. Iran Wants OPEC to Discuss Output Cut in March – Iran and Venezuela said OPEC may need to curb oil output to defend prices against a drop in demand should the US slip into recession. Saudi Arabia, a US ally, may prefer to nurse the West through an economic slowdown that could eat into crude oil demand. Rise in Iran-made Bombs in Baghdad District - Attacks using Iranian-made roadside bombs in a key part of Baghdad rose in January to the highest level in a year, the US military recently said. The Iranian military also manufactures weapons designated exclusively for Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, according to an article in Yediot Aharanot. John Bolton, “Our Politicized Intelligence Services,” Wall Street Journal, February 5, 2008 - Beyond its misleading first sentence, the NIE report makes clear that Iran’s nuclear efforts and capabilities are continuing and growing. With so much at stake now, the testimony to be given before the Senate by Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell is especially significant. http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120217061766442685.html New York Sun Editorial,”Correcting the CIA,” February7, 2008 - What a difference two months make. At a Senate hearing, Michael McConnell, director of national intelligence, said that Iran is developing both the long range ballistic missiles and he nuclear fuel for a potential weapon. What had halted, it turns out, was work to design the actual warhead and secret enrichment activity. Joshua Teitelbaum, “Has the Shiite Crescent Disappeared? Saudi Arabia and the US Alliance against Iran,” Tel Aviv University, January 27, 2008 “As the Enrichment Machines Spin On,” Editorial, The Economist, January 31, 2008 - If you are locked eyeball to eyeball with an adversary as wily as Iran, it does not make much sense to do something that emboldens your opponent, and sows defeatism among your friends. That is clearly what the NIE report achieved. Todd Berman, “Iranians Plant Their Flag in Wilds of Nicaragua,” Special to the NY Sun, February 7, 2008 – Iran is establishing a presence in various South American countries. The only question is whether Iran could deploy its terrorist agents to hit American interests or allies in South America. It’s been done before, under the cover of Iran’s embassies, to Jewish targets in Argentina and Americans in Iraq. “Has Iran Won? ,” Editorial, The Economist, January 31, 2008 Adam Zagorin, “Still Trying to Squeeze Iran,” Time, February 1, 2008 Uzi Rubin,”The Global Range of Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, June 2006 – Once Iran learns how to put 300kg into earth orbit, it could adapt the satellite launcher into an ICBM that could drop more than 300kg of explosives anywhere in the world. (See above article on Iran’s plans to launch satellite). A Frail Economy Raises Pressure On Iran’s Rulers – Mounting domestic challenges, with inflation growing and the economy weakening, have deepened tensions between President Ahmedinejad and the religious establishment he ultimately answers to. Iranian citizens wonder why an oil-rich country has such a poor economy. Iran Bars Grandson of Khomeini from Election; Mass disqualification of candidates - An Iranian hardline watchdog body has banned a grandson of the country’s late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini from running for parliament next month. Among the many hopefuls barred is Ali Eshragi, grandson of Khomeini, who said that his neighbors told him that they were questioned about his private life. Iran’s former President Khatami is ‘furious’ over what he calls the mass disqualifications of candidates a ‘catastrophe’. Reformists say that they may be unable to compete for more than 10% of seats. Shutting Down “Zanan”, Premier Iranian Magazine - Ahmedinejad and his crowd are increasingly nervous about losing next month’s parliamentary elections and next year’s presidential vote. Their cowardly solution is to keep potential rivals off the ballot and silence anyone who can give Iran’s people a voice. Chinese Banks Cut Back Business with Iran – Although China has become an increasingly important trading partner with Iran, particularly in the energy sector, China’s banking system has cut its cooperation with Iranian banks for several months. UN and US pressures seem to be the cause. Congressmen Steve Rothman (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill) say World Bank Undermines UN Sanctions Policy – They say the global lending institution has transferred at least $50M in US and allied taxpayer funding to Iran in recent months. Iran Says Gulf Shields its Banks from US Pressure - The governor of Iran’s central bank said that US allies such as Bahrain and the UAE are helping shield Iran’s banking system from Washington’s “financial terrorism.” This boast is contrary to reports from Gulf states that tell of fewer contacts with Iranian banks. Probe of Citgo Ties with Iran – Cong. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) is asking the Bush administration to investigate whether the energy company owned by the Venezuelan government, Citgo, benefits illegally from President Chavez’s affinity for doing business with Iran. US-Backed Russian Institutes Help Iran Build Reactor – The Energy Department is subsidizing two Russian nuclear institutes that are building important parts of a reactor in Iran whose construction the US spent years trying to stop, according to a committee of the US House of Representatives. |
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