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FOREVER WARS – Part 8: Iran
FOREVER WARS – Part 8: Iran

The South African

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • The South African

FOREVER WARS – Part 8: Iran

So the ancient timeless agitation between Israel and the Arab world has reignited – again. Is Iran, the last of the seven countries on General Wesley Clarke's 'memo', finally about to fall? Or, is Israel about to be blown off the map? Tel Aviv awoke to a terrifying Tuesday this week as Iran unleashed a barrage of back-to-back missile strikes on the Israeli city, killing at least 24 and wounding hundreds, in what Tehran called a 'campaign of revenge.' Iran also struck the port city of Haifa (which receives a third of Israel's imports) on day 5 of the tit-for-tat attacks between the two Middle Eastern countries. Iran's counterstrike is retaliation to Israel's airstrike on more than 100 nuclear, military and infrastructure targets across Iran last Friday – including its main nuclear facility in Natanz – that killed several top Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists. Israel's attack came two days before Iran was set to resume talks with the US over Iran's nuclear programme. On Monday, 16 June, Israel bombed Iran's State TV broadcaster IRIB with an airstrike, captured live on camera. The talks between the United States and Iran, scheduled for last Sunday in Oman, have been cancelled. Let's recap. Back in 2007, ex-NATO commander Clarke told the world, in an interview with Democracy Now , that, 10 days after 9/11, he was shown a classified memo by a colleague at the Pentagon outlining how the US was going to knock out seven Middle East and North Africa countries in five years. Lest we forget, those seven countries were: Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, Syria…and Iran. (As I pointed out in part one of this series, it was actually 8 countries – if you include Afghanistan.) All but one of those countries have been bombed, invaded, destabilised or overthrown by the West – and Israel. And…here we are. Last domino on the Middle-Eastern map, Iran, is now too in the crosshairs of the US-NATO-Israel axis of evil. The axis may be way over schedule, and no doubt over budget, but they are right on course. And what is the big gripe with Iran? Well, apart from the usual, stock-standard, Western Arabiophobic racism? According to Israel – and their loyal slavish pit bull, the US – Iran is in the process of creating a nuclear weapon. We've heard the words countless times before. Israel, specifically Netanyahu, has said it over and over, ad nauseam; 'Iran CANNOT have a nuclear weapon!' And Trump just basically parrots his puppetmaster, Bibi. In fact, do you know how many times, and for how long, Benjamin Netanyahu has been crying wolf, going on and on about Iran building an atomic bomb? Believe it or not…since at least 1992. Some say as early as 1984. Here are just a few dates and quotes from when Bibi tried to terrorise the world with Iran's phantom nuke: 1992: 'Iran is 3-5 years from nuclear capacity.' 2003: 'Iran's nuke programme is a global threat.' 2010: 'Iran could produce a bomb within a year.' 2021: 'Iran closer than ever to nuclear weapons.' 2024: 'Iran dangerously close to nuclear bomb.' 2025: 'Iran days away from enrichening uranium for a bomb.' That's right, according to Bedlam Bibi, Iran has been right on the cusp of building a nuke…for decades. Unfortunately, these fear-mongering, propaganda lies are regurgitated by the Western echo chamber mainstream media, particularly in the US. By the way, this is the same Netanyahu who said we could restore peace to the Middle East if we could just get rid of Iraq's Saddam…if we could just get rid of Libya's Gaddafi….if we could just get rid of Syria's Assad. Well, all that happened, and…do we have peace in the region? And now, Bibi is saying…if we could just remove the Iranian regime, there would finally be peace in the Arab world. Are we learning yet…? So, let me get this straight. Everyone else in the world can have nukes…but not Iran? Russia and the US have more than 5000 nuclear missiles each. France and the UK have more than 200 each. China, India, Pakistan and North Korea have nearly 1000 between them. And we have the nations of Italy, Turkey, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands 'hosting' more than 100 nukes collectively. Yet, Iran is not even allowed to have… one? What's that all about…? Just more of that Western Arabiophobic racism? Here's the thing though…there's no substantial proof that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. And it's not just me – and the Iranians – saying it. On 25 March this year, Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, appeared in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee where she made it clear that US intelligence has determined Iran is not building a nuclear weapon. In her opening statements, she said: 'The IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.' She also said the IC was closely monitoring if Tehran decided to reauthorise its nuclear weapons programme. However, you know who doesn't give a toss what Gabbard or the IC think? Their boss, President Donald J. Trump. In a brief interview on Airforce One on Tuesday, a reporter reminded Trump what Gabbard said to the Senate Committee about Iran not having a nuclear weapon. Trump responded, 'I don't care what she said, I think they were very close to having one.' (Nice. Way to go, throwing your DNI under the bus there, Big Don.) That's because Trump doesn't care what his cabinet, staff, advisors, voter base or the American people think or want. He only cares what Benjamin Netanyahu wants. Because, as we've well established, Trump is Bibi's patsy, Bibi's b**ch. It's clear now that Trump was never about America First or MAGA, he was always about MIGA. If Israel and the US thought ratcheting up tensions with Iran was somehow going to spur the Iranian people to turn against the 'regime' in Tehran and overthrow the Ayatollah and his government, they were dead wrong. All the airstrikes did was coalesce and galvanise the Iranian people, against their common foe. As one article put it, Israel is making the case for a nuclear-armed Iran. In fact, a video has gone viral of an Iranian woman at a rally in Tehran, without a hijab, shouting and calling for Iran to acquire a nuke – the very thing Israel and the US are trying to prevent. 'These b*st*rds have been driving us crazy for 400 years', she said. 'These scoundrels spent a year and a half killing half a million people. Now, an attack (on us). We want an atomic bomb!' The crowd around her cheered her on. 'The Strait of Hormuz? Close it already,' she snapped. I don't have to tell you what happens to oil and petrol prices if that happens. If Iran does shut down the Strait, economists estimate it could push the oil price (currently around $75 per barrel) up to $130 p/barrel. Some speculators are talking $300 per barrel. Which means they won't have to forcibly lock you down again…because you won't be able to afford to drive anywhere. Trump's actions on Iran – and Israel – has split the MAGA base, down the middle. While the usual warmongering neocons – like senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton – to name a few, are salivating at the prospect of destroying yet ANOTHER Middle-Eastern country, anti-war voices are coming out of the MAGA camp in droves. Here's what some experts, analysts, commentators and many from the MAGA base are saying on X about Trump's recent double-play against Iran: Conservative commentator and staunch Trump supporter, Tucker Carlson wrote; 'The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers.' He asked, 'Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who's calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran.' Carlson was also just in an interview with former Trump advisor, Steve Bannon. Both men were devout in their opposition to Trump attacking Iran. Republican representative for Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, has been amongst the most vocal voices on Capitol Hill against a war with Iran. 'Anyone slobbering for the US to become fully involved in the Israel-Iran war is not America First or MAGA. Wishing for murder of innocent people is disgusting. We are sick and tired of foreign wars. All of them,' she posted. 'Real America First/MAGA wants world peace for all people. I don't want to see Israel, Iran or Gaza bombed. This position is NOT antisemitic. It's rational, sane, and what many Americans voted for in 2024,' she added. Comedian and podcaster, Dave Smith, posted; 'It's genuinely hard to imagine a worse decision than going to war with Iran. They pose absolutely no threat to us and the war would be a substantially larger catastrophe than Iraq. If you wanted to destroy the USA, another disastrous war in the Middle East would be the move.' Republican representatie for Kentucky, Thomas Massie, posted; 'This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.' 'I'm introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolutionm,' he added. Other military and political analysts were more direct and brutal in their take on Trump's buckling to Bibi's push for (more) war. In an interview with Judge Napolitano, ex-CIA analyst Larry Johnson said: 'Donald Trump now has established himself in the last 48 hours as a liar.' He added: 'You know what this is? This is Saddam Hussein – Part 2.' In another interview with Napolitano, military and intelligence analyst, Scott Ritter, said: 'What the president just did here is undermine American legitimacy, and credibility, and shows that America is incapable of serious diplomatic engagement. What this proves is that Donald Trump – the most pro-war president out there – is a duplicitous, two-faced liar.' In an interview with Carlson, military analyst Douglas Macgregor said: 'The way Donald Trump handled Zelensky is the way he has got to handle Netanyahu. If he doesn't, Netanyahu will drag him into the abyss…because Bibi wants this war with Iran – come hell or high water.' Meanwhile, the US has reportedly dispatched a second aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, among other 'substantial military assets' to the Middle East as the Israel-Iran conflict ramps up. On Monday 16 June, Trump posted this on his Truth Social; 'Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again!' Then he added: 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' That last line has sparked a mass exodus out of the city – of 10 million people. He followed that up in the past 24 hours with an apparent threat aimed at Ayatollah Khamenei when he posted: 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out, at least not for now. (Did he just borrow a line from Juju?) But our patience is wearing thin.' Finally, he delivered an ultimatum to Iran: 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' As the tit-for-tat strikes between the two countries continues into the sixth day, Israel has just announced that they've killed another Iranian military commander who was appointed only 4 days ago. Well, here we go again, folks. Like we've seen so many times before; left or right, Republican or Democrat. No matter who's in the Oval Office, the wars never end and the bombs keep dropping. Are we learning yet..? I think journo-activist, Caitlin Johnstone, said it best when she recently posted on X: 'There is absolutely no excuse for buying into the war propaganda about Iran after what we all saw with Iraq.' 'If you're a grown adult with internet access still swallowing this load of bull in the year 2025, you're either stupid…or evil,' she added. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.

Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, saying US intervention would cause 'irreparable damage'
Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, saying US intervention would cause 'irreparable damage'

Korea Herald

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Korea Herald

Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, saying US intervention would cause 'irreparable damage'

DUBAI (AP) — Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected US calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage' to them, in an official statement read by a state TV anchor. The remarks from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has only been seen once since the strikes began, came after US President Donald Trump demanded 'unconditional surrender" in a social media post and warned Khamenei that the US knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, 'at least not for now.' Trump initially distanced himself from Israel's surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire. The US has also sent more military aircraft and warships to the region. Khamenei dismissed the 'threatening and absurd statements' by Trump. 'Wise individuals who know Iran, its people, and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender,' he said. 'Americans should know that any military involvement by the US will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.' State TV said a video of Khamenei giving the address would be aired later. Iran followed a similar sequence in releasing an earlier statement from the supreme leader, perhaps as a security measure. His location is not known. An Iranian official had earlier warned Wednesday that US intervention would risk 'all-out war.' US Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran's weapons. The US has threatened a massive response to any attack. Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Trump's demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear program. The latest Israeli strikes hit a facility used to make uranium centrifuges and another that made missile components, the Israeli military said. It said it had intercepted 10 missiles overnight as Iran's retaliatory barrages diminish. The UN nuclear watchdog said Israel had struck two centrifuge production facilities in and near Tehran. The Israeli military said it also carried out strikes in western Iran, hitting missile storage sites and a loaded missile launcher. Israeli strikes have hit several nuclear and military sites, killing top generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded. Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones in retaliatory strikes that have killed at least 24 people in Israel and wounded hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage, and air raid sirens have repeatedly forced Israelis to run for shelter . Iran has fired fewer missiles as the conflict has worn on. It has not explained the decline, but Israel has targeted launchers and other infrastructure related to the missiles. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel. The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures during 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini , crosschecks local reports against a network of sources it has developed in Iran. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded. Shops have been closed across Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught. A major explosion could be heard around 5 a.m. in Tehran Wednesday morning, following other explosions earlier in the predawn darkness. Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrikes have intensified. At least one strike appeared to target Tehran's eastern neighborhood of Hakimiyeh, where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has an academy. Israel says it launched the strikes to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after talks between the United States and Iran over a diplomatic resolution had made little visible progress over two months but were still ongoing. Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 percent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent. US intelligence agencies have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb. Israel is the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons but has never publicly acknowledged them. Iran's ambassador to Geneva, Ali Bahreini, told reporters that Iran "will continue to produce the enriched uranium as far as we need for peaceful purposes.' He rejected any talk of a setback to Iran's nuclear research and development from the Israeli strikes, saying, 'Our scientists will continue their work.' Israelis began returning on flights for the first time since the country's international airport shut down at the start of the conflict. Two flights from Larnaca, Cyprus, landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday morning, said Lisa Dvir, an airport spokesperson. Israel closed its airspace to commercial flights because of the ballistic missile attacks, leaving tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad. The conflict has disrupted flight patterns across the region.

Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, saying U.S. intervention would cause ‘irreparable damage'
Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, saying U.S. intervention would cause ‘irreparable damage'

Los Angeles Times

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Los Angeles Times

Iran's leader rejects call to surrender, saying U.S. intervention would cause ‘irreparable damage'

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage' to them, in an official statement read by a state TV anchor. The remarks from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has only been seen once since the strikes began, came after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' in a social media post and warned Khamenei that the U.S. knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, 'at least not for now.' Trump initially distanced himself from Israel's surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire. The U.S. has also sent more military aircraft and warships to the region. Khamenei dismissed the 'threatening and absurd statements' by Trump. 'Wise individuals who know Iran, its people, and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender,' he said. 'Americans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them.' State TV said a video of Khamenei giving the address would be aired later. Iran followed a similar sequence in releasing an earlier statement from the supreme leader, perhaps as a security measure. His location is not known. An Iranian official had earlier warned Wednesday that U.S. intervention would risk 'all-out war.' Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran's weapons. The U.S. has threatened a massive response to any attack. Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Trump's demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear program. The latest Israeli strikes hit a facility used to make uranium centrifuges and another that made missile components, the Israeli military said. It said it had intercepted 10 missiles overnight as Iran's retaliatory barrages diminish. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Israel had struck two centrifuge production facilities in and near Tehran. The Israeli military said it also carried out strikes in western Iran, hitting missile storage sites and a loaded missile launcher. Israeli strikes have hit several nuclear and military sites, killing top generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded. Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones in retaliatory strikes that have killed at least 24 people in Israel and wounded hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage, and air raid sirens have repeatedly forced Israelis to run for shelter. Iran has fired fewer missiles as the conflict has worn on. It has not explained the decline, but Israel has targeted launchers and other infrastructure related to the missiles. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists said it had identified 239 of those killed in Israeli strikes as civilians and 126 as security personnel. The group, which also provided detailed casualty figures during 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports against a network of sources it has developed in Iran. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded. Shops have been closed across Tehran, including in its famed Grand Bazaar, as people wait in gas lines and pack roads leading out of the city to escape the onslaught. A major explosion could be heard around 5 a.m. in Tehran Wednesday morning, following other explosions earlier in the predawn darkness. Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrikes have intensified. At least one strike appeared to target Tehran's eastern neighborhood of Hakimiyeh, where the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has an academy. Israel says it launched the strikes to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after talks between the United States and Iran over a diplomatic resolution had made little visible progress over two months but were still ongoing. Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. U.S. intelligence agencies have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb. Israel is the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons but has never publicly acknowledged them. Iran's ambassador to Geneva, Ali Bahreini, told reporters that Iran 'will continue to produce the enriched uranium as far as we need for peaceful purposes.' He rejected any talk of a setback to Iran's nuclear research and development from the Israeli strikes, saying, 'Our scientists will continue their work.' Israelis began returning on flights for the first time since the country's international airport shut down at the start of the conflict. Two flights from Larnaca, Cyprus, landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday morning, said Lisa Dvir, an airport spokesperson. Israel closed its airspace to commercial flights because of the ballistic missile attacks, leaving tens of thousands of Israelis stranded abroad. The conflict has disrupted flight patterns across the region. Krauss, Gambrell and Frankel write for the Associated Press. Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Iran, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva, contributed.

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