Myth-Making About Nonbelligerent Iran

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

All sovereign independent nations unwilling to subordinate their sovereign rights to US imperial interests are on its target list for transformation into vassal states.

In the oil-rich Middle East, Iran is Washington's main target by both extremist right wings of its war party. It's been this way since its 1979 revolution, ending a generation of US-installed fascist tyranny.

Trump regime hardliners are more hostile towar Iran than their predecessors, waging all-out war by other means on the country, their actions flagrantly illegal, risking possible military confrontation.

Israel is hellbent for eliminating its main regional rival. Along with Trump regime and bipartisan congressional hardliners, supported by establishment media, the US Zionist lobby actively conducts propaganda war on Iran, notably AIPAC.

It operates in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) unaccountably.

The law requires organizations and persons "acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities" — according to the Justice Department.

AIPAC operates illegally as an unregistered Israeli agent, the White House under the GOP and Dems, as well as nearly the entire Congress supporting its hostile to peace activities.

Top US officials show up regularly at its annual conferences, paying fealty to the organization and Israel — ignoring the Jewish state's occupation harshness, persecution of defenseless Palestinians, naked aggression at its discretion, and illegal arsenal of nukes, chemical and biological weapons.

Like US and Israeli hardliners, AIPAC is a lying machine on Iran, falsely calling the Islamic Republic "the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism (and) greatest long-term threat to US and Israeli interests in the Middle East," adding:

"Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons" — the whole world knows it doesn't seek and wants eliminated everywhere.

While maliciously vilifying nonbelligerent Iran by Big Lies and deception, AIPAC is silent about nuclear armed and dangerous Israel, the only regional nation with these weapons and intent to use them at its discretion.

No Iranian "aggression" exists — a US, NATO, Israeli specialty, along with their belligerent partners, supported by AIPAC, operating as a press agent for hostile Jewish state actions.

In waging war on Iran by other means, analyst Ali Harb explained how the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO) "went from (the) US terror list to (the) halls of Congress."

The State Department-designated terrorist organization is now a US imperial tool against the Islamic Republic.

Group members are responsible for killing thousands of Iranians by bombings and assassinations.

Last September, former MEK member Ebrahim Khodabandeh said he belonged to the group for 23 years, explaining its operations as follows, saying:

"Their aim from the start was to gain power in Iran and it has not changed since then. But the MEK is a mind control destructive cult, and all such cults believe that the end justifies the means," adding:

They believe violence can achieve their goals. They transformed themselves from anti-imperialist to "pro-West…and secular…"

"They are only after power, and they adjust themselves to the needs of the time. At the moment, they are" allied with the US against Iran, betraying their country in pursuit of their aims. 

"They were used to start the manufactured nuclear crisis against Iran," said Khodabandeh.

They're "financed by the Saudis and publicized by the Israelis to follow the (anti-Iran) White House agenda." Like the US, NATO, Israel and the Saudis, they support ISIS and other terrorist groups.

Separately on Thursday, Pompeo said the Trump regime "designated 12 entities and individuals based in Iran, Belgium, and China" for sanctions — falsely claiming they're involved in "proliferat(ing) weapons of mass destruction…or delivery systems…"

No such Iranian activities exist. Illegally sanctioning these and other individuals and entities are part of Washington's war on the Islamic Republic by other means.

Pompeo falsely accused Iran of "expan(ding) sensitive nuclear activities…to extort the international community" — a US/Israeli specialty, not how the Islamic Republic operates.

A Final Comment

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said if (illegal) US sanctions on Iran are lifted, Tehran will sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)-related Additional Protocol.

According to the IAEA, it "provides additional tools for verification. (I)t significantly increases the (organization's) ability to verify the peaceful use of all nuclear material in States with comprehensive safeguards agreements."

Iran already fully complies with its NPT and JCPOA commitments, verified multiple times by IAEA monitors.

Signing the Additional Protocol and fully observing its provisions would be an added show of good faith by Iran.

"Lift the (illegal) sanctions and you have the Additional Protocol" signed "(t)omorrow," said Zarif. Iran won't renegotiate the JCPOA, he stressed, equating it to "buying a horse twice."

According to Arms Control Association director Daryl Kimball, Zarif's offer is "substantive…Washington would be foolish not to agree to work with other JCPOA partners and explore (his) offer…"

It would be a longterm Iranian JCPOA commitment, continued IAEA monitoring assuring fulfillment of its obligations — providing added proof of its legitimate nuclear activities with no military component.

Chances for the Trump regime to do the right thing are virtually nil, signaled by its point person for regime change in Iran Brian Hook, falsely saying:

Iran "reject(s) diplomacy. So, for as long as they continue to reject it, our sanctions will intensify."

Years of good faith Iranian diplomacy with the US and West produced the JCPOA nuclear deal.

The Trump regime breached it by illegally pulling out. So did Europe by failing to observe its mandated obligations — while Iran remains in full compliance with the deal.

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