I read
this via Israeli paper Ha'aretz:
Presenting an annual assessment to the Knesset panel, [Mossad Chief Meir] Dagan noted that Iran's chances of attaining the necessary technology depends on whether its plans will be thwarted by other countries or whether it will be able to advance the uranium enrichment process.
"There exists a strategic Iranian decision to reach nuclear independence and the capability to produce bombs," Dagan stressed.
Is it true? Should the U.S. sanctions continued to be impose to isolate this country? Is Iran on the path to developing a deadly arsenal to unleash against the free world? It sure seems like it.
After all, even though they
say they are in compliance with nuclear non-proliferation policies, they are
not signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and refuse to sign it even today.
Furthermore, they categorically refuse any and all International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of their so-called "civilian" nuclear energy sites. Their ambassador to Washington, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi:
"We won't allow any intrusive inspections of our sites -- no state does that, and neither will we," Qazi said.
"We are mindful of our own sovereign independence and sites. Those are off-limits. That doesn't mean we can't work out modalities which can provide the necessary information. Within those parameters, we will cooperate with the IAEA, and I think we'll be able to work out something where they can verify or ascertain whatever informationthey need."
Not only do they refuse to let the IAEA in to inspect their so-called "peaceful" sites, the country is home to a known terrorist who openly sold nuclear weapons technology on the black market, including to such pariah states as Libya. After he was caught, he was "arrested" but given a full pardon by his government and praised as a hero. Despite the massive damage his black-market dealings have caused, the Iranian government refuses to let him be interviewed, not even by the IAEA or another neutral body.
They say they need their "nuclear energy" for peaceful purposes but they are in the process of constructing their third power plant with the help of China, a country with which they have extensive ties. China has made significant inroads with Iran in terms of military cooperation as well, including the building of naval warships and many arms deals.
The country is dangerously unstable too. It is home to over 12,000 religious schools where the most fanatical brands of Islam are taught. Despite what the government says, the schools have refused to expel foreign students - the very kinds of people who go off to all corners of the globe to further their "jihads".
Despite what the government's official line is, Iran continues to be a hotbed of terrorism. From this week alone:
Talking to Spanish Defence Minister Jose Bono, who called on him at Prime Minister's House, the prime minister stressed the need to step up cooperation at the local, regional and international levels to combat terrorism. He said it was unfortunate to link terrorism with any particular faith or religion. "There is a need to identify and address the root causes of terrorism in order to rid the world of this menace," he said.
Well they keep talking about terrorism but the government semi-secretly sponsors terrorist organizations which have killed over 29,000 civilians in the last few years. Not to mention that state-controlled intelligence agency actively funded and trained the Taliban in Afghanistan, which is still committing terrorist attacks today.
And if that weren't enough, the country isn't even close to being a democracy. An Army general took over the country in a coup five years ago and has since refused not only to hold elections, but to even resign his post in the military.
Oh shoot... wait a minute. None of the above statements are about Iran at all.. they're about Pakistan. You know, the nation George Bush called a major ally, a nation which receives advanced weaponry from the U.S.
Not only that, but despite Pakistan's non-cooperation with the IAEA and refusal to sign the NPT and their harboring of World Terrorist AQ Khan, the Bush administration has actually eased sanctions against the import of nuclear material and the technology to build further bombs.
Is Iran a country full of saints? Not even close. But there's just no possible way that it even measures up to the danger that Pakistan poses - a country with an active insurgency in Balochistan, a mini war ongoing in its western tribal regions, its porous border with Afghanistan that still is a "safe haven" for Al-Qaeda, and a sagging economy and multiple natural disasters to cope with.
Plus Pakistan is run by a dictator, has legalized rape of women and continues to finance and support terrorist groups in Kashmir. Is this really who we want building up a nuclear arsenal?
Yet all the saber-rattling is against Iran.... well in this crazy old world, I guess little makes sense at all. Because you're either with us or against us right? And Pakistan is "with" us and Iran is not.
This is crossposted from Flogging the Simian
Peace