13 oct 2013
The Prime Minister of Zionist Regime of Israel has been lecturing the UK government not to restore diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, telling Britain make any possible rapprochement conditional.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who believes his years of Iranophobia attempts are reaching a dead end with the recent diplomatic outreach launched by the government of new Iranian President Rouhani, is conspiring yet another deceit campaign in and around Europe to prevent a possible thaw in the Islamic Republic’s relations with the west.
Worse than the deceit campaign, the Zionist regime’s premier is explicitly telling Europe, Britain in particular, to introduce conditions to Iran if they want to restore bilateral relations.
The premier of the occupying regime has called on the UK government to condition its restoration of full diplomatic ties with Iran on the Islamic Republic ending its calls for the destruction of Israel.
“Iran is calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state and of a member state of the UN,” Netanyahu told the Financial Times. “It seems sensible that Britain would say, ‘Before we reestablish diplomatic relations, abandon this.’”
As part of his fear-mongering campaign against Iran, the premier of the occupying regime has taken with him the regime’s head of National Security Council Yaakov Amidror and Spying Minister Yuval Steinitz to Europe in desperate attempts to force its European allies to keep the pressure on the Iranian nation through illegal, barbaric sanctions ahead of the Geneva talks between Iran and the so-called G5+1 countries comprising Russia, China, the U.S., Britain, France and Germany over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program.
The new Iranian diplomatic approach has made such a storm across the U.S. and Europe, that the premier of the occupying regime felt the need to take his Iranophobia offensive to the streets both across Europe and in the U.S. Last week, Netanyahu bombarded the U.S. media market with some 8 interviews, all of which were directed against Iran as part of his scare-mongering attempts. In Europe too, He arranged multiple interviews with media outlets and newspapers in Britain, France and Germany to further his anti-Iran agenda.
As far as illegal, illegitimate anti-Iran sanctions are concerned, Netanyahu moaned “if the sanctions are relieved, the whole sanctions regime will collapse.
“So they’ll get everything, and we - the collective we - will get nothing. If it falls on me to say something that everybody understands, I’ll say it. And don’t say I didn’t warn you”, boasted the premier of racist regime of Israel.
“At this juncture, we have to say things clearly, and the clear thing is this: Iran should not have centrifuges; it should not have plutonium plants. These things should be completely dismantled”.
Isn’t it ridiculous? The premier of a racist regime, which has been established by force and through occupying the lands of a historic nation, a regime which does not even comply with the smallest rules and regulations adopted by the United Nations, a regime that has been massacring defenseless, innocent women and children in Gaza through its inhumane siege of the Strip, a regime whose armed-to-teeth gangs of troops kill Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on a daily basis, a regime whose jails are full of Palestinian teens who are tortured and abused by wild prison guards, and more importantly, a regime which has stockpiled hundreds of nukes and various weapons of mass destructions in total defiance of the international community, this regime is saying that “Iran should not have centrifuges”, while Iran as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has each and every right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Now it’s with the history to decide whether an implacable, racist regime with unlimited ambitions and aggression should have the ability, with no supervision, to develop nukes in defiance of all international laws and regulations, while at the same time the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose nuclear energy activities are monitored, round-the-clock by the IAEA-installed cameras and inspectors, should not be able to enjoy its basic rights which is entitled to as enshrined by international rules and regulations.
Other reports had it that Netanyahu phoned British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande to urge them not to ease sanctions against Iran.
As far as Britain and the Israeli Prime Minister’s fear-mongering campaign are concerned, the UK foreign secretary William Hague announced recently that his country was in talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran to re-establish bilateral ties severed almost two years ago.
Britain unilaterally cut its bilateral relations with Iran and closed its embassy in Tehran in November 2011 after a group of people, angry with the UK’s anti-Iranian policies, staged a protest in front of the embassy building and inflicted some damages on its gate and walls. Actually, Britons did not allow the then Iranian government to investigate what has happened and rushed to declare a severance of bilateral ties by expelling Iranian diplomats in London and closing the embassy there.
Now, racist regime of Israel is scared of a possible thaw in relations between Tehran and London, which ultimately will add to Netanyahu’s isolation at the international scene.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who believes his years of Iranophobia attempts are reaching a dead end with the recent diplomatic outreach launched by the government of new Iranian President Rouhani, is conspiring yet another deceit campaign in and around Europe to prevent a possible thaw in the Islamic Republic’s relations with the west.
Worse than the deceit campaign, the Zionist regime’s premier is explicitly telling Europe, Britain in particular, to introduce conditions to Iran if they want to restore bilateral relations.
The premier of the occupying regime has called on the UK government to condition its restoration of full diplomatic ties with Iran on the Islamic Republic ending its calls for the destruction of Israel.
“Iran is calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state and of a member state of the UN,” Netanyahu told the Financial Times. “It seems sensible that Britain would say, ‘Before we reestablish diplomatic relations, abandon this.’”
As part of his fear-mongering campaign against Iran, the premier of the occupying regime has taken with him the regime’s head of National Security Council Yaakov Amidror and Spying Minister Yuval Steinitz to Europe in desperate attempts to force its European allies to keep the pressure on the Iranian nation through illegal, barbaric sanctions ahead of the Geneva talks between Iran and the so-called G5+1 countries comprising Russia, China, the U.S., Britain, France and Germany over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program.
The new Iranian diplomatic approach has made such a storm across the U.S. and Europe, that the premier of the occupying regime felt the need to take his Iranophobia offensive to the streets both across Europe and in the U.S. Last week, Netanyahu bombarded the U.S. media market with some 8 interviews, all of which were directed against Iran as part of his scare-mongering attempts. In Europe too, He arranged multiple interviews with media outlets and newspapers in Britain, France and Germany to further his anti-Iran agenda.
As far as illegal, illegitimate anti-Iran sanctions are concerned, Netanyahu moaned “if the sanctions are relieved, the whole sanctions regime will collapse.
“So they’ll get everything, and we - the collective we - will get nothing. If it falls on me to say something that everybody understands, I’ll say it. And don’t say I didn’t warn you”, boasted the premier of racist regime of Israel.
“At this juncture, we have to say things clearly, and the clear thing is this: Iran should not have centrifuges; it should not have plutonium plants. These things should be completely dismantled”.
Isn’t it ridiculous? The premier of a racist regime, which has been established by force and through occupying the lands of a historic nation, a regime which does not even comply with the smallest rules and regulations adopted by the United Nations, a regime that has been massacring defenseless, innocent women and children in Gaza through its inhumane siege of the Strip, a regime whose armed-to-teeth gangs of troops kill Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on a daily basis, a regime whose jails are full of Palestinian teens who are tortured and abused by wild prison guards, and more importantly, a regime which has stockpiled hundreds of nukes and various weapons of mass destructions in total defiance of the international community, this regime is saying that “Iran should not have centrifuges”, while Iran as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has each and every right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Now it’s with the history to decide whether an implacable, racist regime with unlimited ambitions and aggression should have the ability, with no supervision, to develop nukes in defiance of all international laws and regulations, while at the same time the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose nuclear energy activities are monitored, round-the-clock by the IAEA-installed cameras and inspectors, should not be able to enjoy its basic rights which is entitled to as enshrined by international rules and regulations.
Other reports had it that Netanyahu phoned British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande to urge them not to ease sanctions against Iran.
As far as Britain and the Israeli Prime Minister’s fear-mongering campaign are concerned, the UK foreign secretary William Hague announced recently that his country was in talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran to re-establish bilateral ties severed almost two years ago.
Britain unilaterally cut its bilateral relations with Iran and closed its embassy in Tehran in November 2011 after a group of people, angry with the UK’s anti-Iranian policies, staged a protest in front of the embassy building and inflicted some damages on its gate and walls. Actually, Britons did not allow the then Iranian government to investigate what has happened and rushed to declare a severance of bilateral ties by expelling Iranian diplomats in London and closing the embassy there.
Now, racist regime of Israel is scared of a possible thaw in relations between Tehran and London, which ultimately will add to Netanyahu’s isolation at the international scene.
11 oct 2013
Israeli Air Force F-15I fighter jet conducts an aerial refueling at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel on December 28, 2010.
As Iran and the six major world powers prepare to hold a fresh round of talks over the country’s nuclear energy program, Israel has held a “special long-range flight exercise” in its latest act of provocation against Tehran.
The Israeli military said Thursday that the Air Force fighter squadrons conducted war games this week testing their capability to carry out missions in long ranges from base.
The forces practiced air-to-air refueling planes and dogfights against foreign combat planes.
Tel Aviv also posted footage of the drill online as Iran and the five permanent UN Security Council members - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany prepare to hold negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 15 and 16.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly session earlier this month, Netanyahu threatened unilateral military action against Iran to dismantle the Islamic Republic’s civilian nuclear facilities.
He repeated his baseless accusation that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, saying, “If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.”
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Tehran has also promised a crushing response to any act of aggression against the country.
As Iran and the six major world powers prepare to hold a fresh round of talks over the country’s nuclear energy program, Israel has held a “special long-range flight exercise” in its latest act of provocation against Tehran.
The Israeli military said Thursday that the Air Force fighter squadrons conducted war games this week testing their capability to carry out missions in long ranges from base.
The forces practiced air-to-air refueling planes and dogfights against foreign combat planes.
Tel Aviv also posted footage of the drill online as Iran and the five permanent UN Security Council members - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany prepare to hold negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 15 and 16.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly session earlier this month, Netanyahu threatened unilateral military action against Iran to dismantle the Islamic Republic’s civilian nuclear facilities.
He repeated his baseless accusation that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, saying, “If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.”
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Tehran has also promised a crushing response to any act of aggression against the country.
5 oct 2013
President Hassan Rouhani
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Saturday criticized some aspects of President Hassan Rouhani’s UN visit in which he spoke to his US counterpart but expressed broad backing.
“We support the diplomatic initiative of the government and attach importance to its activities in this trip,” Khamenei said in remarks reported by his website.
He added, however, that “some of what happened in the New York trip was not appropriate”.
“We are pessimistic towards the Americans and do not put any trust in them. The American government is untrustworthy, supercilious and unreasonable, and breaks its promises,” he said.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Saturday criticized some aspects of President Hassan Rouhani’s UN visit in which he spoke to his US counterpart but expressed broad backing.
“We support the diplomatic initiative of the government and attach importance to its activities in this trip,” Khamenei said in remarks reported by his website.
He added, however, that “some of what happened in the New York trip was not appropriate”.
“We are pessimistic towards the Americans and do not put any trust in them. The American government is untrustworthy, supercilious and unreasonable, and breaks its promises,” he said.
Israel is an integral element of the US imperialistic policy to reinforce Washington’s hegemonic agenda across the Middle East, a political analyst says, Press TV reports.
In a Friday article on Press TV, Finian Cunningham argued that Israel is not merely an entity that pressures Washington through Zionist lobby groups and bribes US Congress, “but, more fundamentally, Israel serves to project American imperialist interests and power in the Middle East.”
“The affront to international law and human rights that the Israeli regime incarnates, the conflict and wars that it fuels, all these violations are an integral part of how US imperialism asserts hegemony across the Middle East region and beyond,” Cunningham wrote.
He pointed to Saudi Arabia and other Arab authoritarian regimes as other parts of the US’ “anti-democratic architecture that guarantees Washington’s domination in the oil-rich Middle East.”
“That domination depends not just on the flow of oil and massive weapons sales from conflicts, but more crucially on the flow of petrodollars to prop up the bankrupt American Federal Reserve,” the analyst pointed out.
He also pointed to the decades-long US animosity toward Iran as part of Washington’s imperialistic agenda that serves the capitalistic interests of the White House, adding, “American imperialism is hostile to any nation that pursues a path of independent economic and political development. Iran is top of that list.”
Cunningham also referred to the recent signs of an improvement in the Iran-US relationship and noted, “The ignominious history of American aggression towards Iran will require some earnest practical measures to build confidence in Washington’s purported sincerity. The immediate canceling of illegal US sanctions would be a good place to start, one where the onus is firmly on Washington, not Tehran.”
On September 26, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his American counterpart John Kerry held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 68th meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York.
A day later, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his American counterpart held a landmark phone conversation mainly focusing on Iran’s nuclear energy program. It was the first direct communication between an Iranian and a US president since the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution more than three decades ago.
In a Friday article on Press TV, Finian Cunningham argued that Israel is not merely an entity that pressures Washington through Zionist lobby groups and bribes US Congress, “but, more fundamentally, Israel serves to project American imperialist interests and power in the Middle East.”
“The affront to international law and human rights that the Israeli regime incarnates, the conflict and wars that it fuels, all these violations are an integral part of how US imperialism asserts hegemony across the Middle East region and beyond,” Cunningham wrote.
He pointed to Saudi Arabia and other Arab authoritarian regimes as other parts of the US’ “anti-democratic architecture that guarantees Washington’s domination in the oil-rich Middle East.”
“That domination depends not just on the flow of oil and massive weapons sales from conflicts, but more crucially on the flow of petrodollars to prop up the bankrupt American Federal Reserve,” the analyst pointed out.
He also pointed to the decades-long US animosity toward Iran as part of Washington’s imperialistic agenda that serves the capitalistic interests of the White House, adding, “American imperialism is hostile to any nation that pursues a path of independent economic and political development. Iran is top of that list.”
Cunningham also referred to the recent signs of an improvement in the Iran-US relationship and noted, “The ignominious history of American aggression towards Iran will require some earnest practical measures to build confidence in Washington’s purported sincerity. The immediate canceling of illegal US sanctions would be a good place to start, one where the onus is firmly on Washington, not Tehran.”
On September 26, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his American counterpart John Kerry held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 68th meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York.
A day later, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his American counterpart held a landmark phone conversation mainly focusing on Iran’s nuclear energy program. It was the first direct communication between an Iranian and a US president since the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution more than three decades ago.
4 oct 2013
A majority of Israelis would support unilateral military action against Iran, according to a poll published Friday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was ready to act alone.
Some 65.6 percent of 500 Jewish Israelis surveyed by the pro-government Israel HaYom newspaper said they would support military strikes to halt Iran's nuclear program, and 84 percent believed the Islamic republic had no intention of reining in its alleged drive to build a bomb.
Israel and many Western countries accuse Tehran of trying to develop a nuclear warhead, a charge Iran denies.
Netanyahu in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday said Israel was ready to act alone to stop Iran making a bomb, in a warning against rushing into deals with Tehran's new leaders.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," Netanyahu told a UN summit, in an attack on overtures made by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.
Israel has repeatedly advocated military force and has threatened unilateral strikes against the Islamic republic.
A nuclear-armed Iran would be a bigger threat than North Korea, Netanyahu added, in an alarmist speech designed to counter Rouhani's recent diplomatic offensive, which has included a direct phone call with US President Barack Obama.
"As dangerous as a nuclear-armed North Korea is, it pales in comparison to the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran," he said.
"A nuclear-armed Iran in the Middle East wouldn't be another North Korea -- it would be another 50 North Koreas."
North Korea, which like Iran faces wide-ranging UN sanctions over its nuclear program, is believed to have several nuclear bombs and to have shared technology with Iran.
Some 51.4 percent of respondents in HaYom survey said Netanyahu had given a "good speech" at the UN, with only 10.9 percent disagreeing.
HaYom conducted the opinion poll on Wednesday. The margin of error was 4.4 percent.
Some 65.6 percent of 500 Jewish Israelis surveyed by the pro-government Israel HaYom newspaper said they would support military strikes to halt Iran's nuclear program, and 84 percent believed the Islamic republic had no intention of reining in its alleged drive to build a bomb.
Israel and many Western countries accuse Tehran of trying to develop a nuclear warhead, a charge Iran denies.
Netanyahu in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday said Israel was ready to act alone to stop Iran making a bomb, in a warning against rushing into deals with Tehran's new leaders.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," Netanyahu told a UN summit, in an attack on overtures made by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.
Israel has repeatedly advocated military force and has threatened unilateral strikes against the Islamic republic.
A nuclear-armed Iran would be a bigger threat than North Korea, Netanyahu added, in an alarmist speech designed to counter Rouhani's recent diplomatic offensive, which has included a direct phone call with US President Barack Obama.
"As dangerous as a nuclear-armed North Korea is, it pales in comparison to the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran," he said.
"A nuclear-armed Iran in the Middle East wouldn't be another North Korea -- it would be another 50 North Koreas."
North Korea, which like Iran faces wide-ranging UN sanctions over its nuclear program, is believed to have several nuclear bombs and to have shared technology with Iran.
Some 51.4 percent of respondents in HaYom survey said Netanyahu had given a "good speech" at the UN, with only 10.9 percent disagreeing.
HaYom conducted the opinion poll on Wednesday. The margin of error was 4.4 percent.
3 oct 2013
The United States will not take Iran at its word over pledges of openness on a believed nuclear weapons program, Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday, after Israel threatened to act against Tehran.
The top US diplomat said the new mood of co-operation that was on display around the United Nations General Assembly in New York had to be backed up by quantifiable deeds.
"I assure (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the people of Israel that nothing that we do is going to be based on trust," Kerry told reporters in Tokyo.
"This is going to be based on a series of steps to guarantee to all of us that we have certainty on what's happening."
Kerry, in Tokyo for talks on the US-Japan security alliance, was speaking after Netanyahu told a UN summit Israel was ready to go it alone to stop Iran from making a atomic bomb.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," he said after days of overtures by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which included a number of US television interviews.
Western negotiators are to hold new talks with Iranian representatives in Geneva this month in a first test of the overtures.
International sanctions over what the West says is a nuclear weapons program have badly hit Iran's economy and its leaders have made it clear they are looking for relief.
Kerry on Thursday moved to reassure Israel, saying no-one in the US administration would be won over solely by the change in tone since Iran's new leader came to power, a period that has been marked by a huge upswing in diplomacy from the pariah state.
"We're going to look very, very carefully at this. We hope it could work because we think the world will be better off, the Middle East will be better off, Iran will be better off, Israel will be better off, if there is a way to achieve a verified, certainty to the elimination of a nuclear programme for weapons purposes in Iran," Kerry said.
'Reaching out'
"The test we face now over these next weeks and months, not a long period of time, over a short period of time, is to determine whether or not that is in fact what Iran intends."
Kerry praised Rouhani for "reaching out" and said there were voices in the Iranian administration who wanted to go down "different roads", but he said US President Barack Obama was clear that he wanted results, and not just rhetoric.
"The president has said, and I have said, that it's not words that will make a difference, it's actions.
"The actions clearly are going to have to be sufficient that the world will understand that not only will they not be able to be on the road to get a weapon but there's no ability to suddenly break up that," he said.
Last year Netanyahu used a cartoon drawing of a bomb to illustrate his warning at the UN that Iran was close to being able to build a deployable nuclear weapon.
There were no similar theatrics this time, but Iran hit back, warning Netanyahu that military action against it would be a "miscalculation".
After a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani, who took office in June on a pledge to repair strained relations with the international community, dismissed Netanyahu's comments as bluster.
"We don't expect anything else from the Zionist regime," Rouhani told reporters.
Israel is "upset and angry because it sees that its blunted sword is being replaced with logic as the governing force in the world, and because the Iranian nation's message of peace is being heard better," the moderate cleric said.
Rouhani's UN charm offensive culminated in a landmark 15-minute phone call with Obama, the first president-to-president contact between the two countries in more than three decades.
The top US diplomat said the new mood of co-operation that was on display around the United Nations General Assembly in New York had to be backed up by quantifiable deeds.
"I assure (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the people of Israel that nothing that we do is going to be based on trust," Kerry told reporters in Tokyo.
"This is going to be based on a series of steps to guarantee to all of us that we have certainty on what's happening."
Kerry, in Tokyo for talks on the US-Japan security alliance, was speaking after Netanyahu told a UN summit Israel was ready to go it alone to stop Iran from making a atomic bomb.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," he said after days of overtures by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which included a number of US television interviews.
Western negotiators are to hold new talks with Iranian representatives in Geneva this month in a first test of the overtures.
International sanctions over what the West says is a nuclear weapons program have badly hit Iran's economy and its leaders have made it clear they are looking for relief.
Kerry on Thursday moved to reassure Israel, saying no-one in the US administration would be won over solely by the change in tone since Iran's new leader came to power, a period that has been marked by a huge upswing in diplomacy from the pariah state.
"We're going to look very, very carefully at this. We hope it could work because we think the world will be better off, the Middle East will be better off, Iran will be better off, Israel will be better off, if there is a way to achieve a verified, certainty to the elimination of a nuclear programme for weapons purposes in Iran," Kerry said.
'Reaching out'
"The test we face now over these next weeks and months, not a long period of time, over a short period of time, is to determine whether or not that is in fact what Iran intends."
Kerry praised Rouhani for "reaching out" and said there were voices in the Iranian administration who wanted to go down "different roads", but he said US President Barack Obama was clear that he wanted results, and not just rhetoric.
"The president has said, and I have said, that it's not words that will make a difference, it's actions.
"The actions clearly are going to have to be sufficient that the world will understand that not only will they not be able to be on the road to get a weapon but there's no ability to suddenly break up that," he said.
Last year Netanyahu used a cartoon drawing of a bomb to illustrate his warning at the UN that Iran was close to being able to build a deployable nuclear weapon.
There were no similar theatrics this time, but Iran hit back, warning Netanyahu that military action against it would be a "miscalculation".
After a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani, who took office in June on a pledge to repair strained relations with the international community, dismissed Netanyahu's comments as bluster.
"We don't expect anything else from the Zionist regime," Rouhani told reporters.
Israel is "upset and angry because it sees that its blunted sword is being replaced with logic as the governing force in the world, and because the Iranian nation's message of peace is being heard better," the moderate cleric said.
Rouhani's UN charm offensive culminated in a landmark 15-minute phone call with Obama, the first president-to-president contact between the two countries in more than three decades.
By Daoud Kuttab
It is a well-known tactic. Avoid difficult issues and concentrate on the easier ones.
This seems to have been the tactic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in avoiding the Palestinian-Israeli issue while focusing almost entirely on Iran and its newly elected president.
Analyzing Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly, this obsession with Iran and Hassan Rouhani becomes clear. In his 3,124 word speech Netanyahu mentioned the words Iran and Iranian 70 times, while only mentioning the words Jew and Jewish a mere 15 times.
On the other hand, Netanyahu used the word Rouhani 25 times, while the word Israel was used only 24 times. The word security appeared in Netanyahu’s speech eight times, while reference to peace was made only four times.
Israel's prime minister outdid even his hawkish anti-Iran speech of last year, when his red line drawn on a cartoon picture of a bomb gave cartoonists and satirists a lot to work with.
While the US and the rest of the world are trying to give the newly elected Iranian president the benefit of the doubt, Israel's leader appears to ratchet up his rhetoric, even more than when the hawkish Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was president of Iran.
A comparative word count analysis makes this point very clear. In 2012, Netanyahu used the word Iran or Iranian 52 times, compared to the 68 times this year, and the word peace 11 times, compared to only four last year.
The problem, then, is one of credibility. Netanyahu's argument is that there is no substantial difference between the two Iranian leaders.
One is a wolf in wolf clothing, a reference to Ahmadinejad, and the other, Rouhani, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
What Israel's official seems to forget is that it is his credibility, more than Rouhani's, which will be questioned. Crying wolf too often boomerangs on the caller.
World opinion is rather skeptical of the flimsy evidence being thrown around at the UN.
In the 10 years since America's misguided war on Iraq, one of the most painful images in people's memory is that of respected US Secretary of State Colin Powell attempting to illustrate the claim - now proven wrong - that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Netanyahu's efforts will require a smoking gun to counter Iranian claims that its nuclear power will be for civilian use, and not military, as the Israelis claim.
While Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, Israel, which is known to possess an arsenal of nuclear warheads and which refuses, unlike Iran, to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, is hardly the party that can complain.
Even if the Israeli leader convinces a few of his point that Iran is in fact trying to develop a nuclear bomb, he will have a harder time to prove that this bomb presents a threat to the state of Israel.
Arab and international demands that the entire Middle East be a region free of weapons of mass destruction have actually moved a major step forward recently, when the Syrians agreed to rid themselves of all their chemical weapons.
Israel's previous argument was that Iran is a rogue country and that its main aim is to destroy Israel. This argument was made easier by the often boisterous rhetoric of its previous leaders.
Now Israel and its apologists were deprived of this weapon, which makes them insist on the wolf in sheep's clothing simile even though the US and other Western leaders are now talking to the Iranians.
Security strategists have regularly argued that Israel cannot effectively attack Iran on its own. An active US role is a requirement for any possible military adventure against Iran. This scenario, however, has receded after the White House showed clear hesitation in intervening militarily in Syria.
So if Netanyahu's credibility is on the line, and if the US and other Western allies are willing to give Rouhani's peaceful claims a chance to get proven, what is the purpose of the continued Israeli attacks against Iran?
A look at Netanyahu's record, ever since he was the Israeli ambassador to the UN, shows a tendency to exaggerate regional issues to keep world opinion away from the one issue that Israel is refusing to budge on, the question of Palestine.
Ironically, one of the key arguments deployed in Israel is that Iran plans to waste time in negotiations while developing its nuclear military capability.
Few in Israel were willing to look in the mirror and see how, since the Madrid conference and the Oslo Accords, Israel has used this exact time-wasting tactic in order to expand illegal Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land while offering token, dead-end negotiations.
Before leaving for the UN, Netanyahu promised to speak the truth at this forum. What we saw was yet another speech that deviates from Israel’s occupation and colonial policies and focuses on what is quickly becoming a non-argument in world circles.
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
It is a well-known tactic. Avoid difficult issues and concentrate on the easier ones.
This seems to have been the tactic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in avoiding the Palestinian-Israeli issue while focusing almost entirely on Iran and its newly elected president.
Analyzing Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly, this obsession with Iran and Hassan Rouhani becomes clear. In his 3,124 word speech Netanyahu mentioned the words Iran and Iranian 70 times, while only mentioning the words Jew and Jewish a mere 15 times.
On the other hand, Netanyahu used the word Rouhani 25 times, while the word Israel was used only 24 times. The word security appeared in Netanyahu’s speech eight times, while reference to peace was made only four times.
Israel's prime minister outdid even his hawkish anti-Iran speech of last year, when his red line drawn on a cartoon picture of a bomb gave cartoonists and satirists a lot to work with.
While the US and the rest of the world are trying to give the newly elected Iranian president the benefit of the doubt, Israel's leader appears to ratchet up his rhetoric, even more than when the hawkish Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was president of Iran.
A comparative word count analysis makes this point very clear. In 2012, Netanyahu used the word Iran or Iranian 52 times, compared to the 68 times this year, and the word peace 11 times, compared to only four last year.
The problem, then, is one of credibility. Netanyahu's argument is that there is no substantial difference between the two Iranian leaders.
One is a wolf in wolf clothing, a reference to Ahmadinejad, and the other, Rouhani, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
What Israel's official seems to forget is that it is his credibility, more than Rouhani's, which will be questioned. Crying wolf too often boomerangs on the caller.
World opinion is rather skeptical of the flimsy evidence being thrown around at the UN.
In the 10 years since America's misguided war on Iraq, one of the most painful images in people's memory is that of respected US Secretary of State Colin Powell attempting to illustrate the claim - now proven wrong - that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Netanyahu's efforts will require a smoking gun to counter Iranian claims that its nuclear power will be for civilian use, and not military, as the Israelis claim.
While Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, Israel, which is known to possess an arsenal of nuclear warheads and which refuses, unlike Iran, to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, is hardly the party that can complain.
Even if the Israeli leader convinces a few of his point that Iran is in fact trying to develop a nuclear bomb, he will have a harder time to prove that this bomb presents a threat to the state of Israel.
Arab and international demands that the entire Middle East be a region free of weapons of mass destruction have actually moved a major step forward recently, when the Syrians agreed to rid themselves of all their chemical weapons.
Israel's previous argument was that Iran is a rogue country and that its main aim is to destroy Israel. This argument was made easier by the often boisterous rhetoric of its previous leaders.
Now Israel and its apologists were deprived of this weapon, which makes them insist on the wolf in sheep's clothing simile even though the US and other Western leaders are now talking to the Iranians.
Security strategists have regularly argued that Israel cannot effectively attack Iran on its own. An active US role is a requirement for any possible military adventure against Iran. This scenario, however, has receded after the White House showed clear hesitation in intervening militarily in Syria.
So if Netanyahu's credibility is on the line, and if the US and other Western allies are willing to give Rouhani's peaceful claims a chance to get proven, what is the purpose of the continued Israeli attacks against Iran?
A look at Netanyahu's record, ever since he was the Israeli ambassador to the UN, shows a tendency to exaggerate regional issues to keep world opinion away from the one issue that Israel is refusing to budge on, the question of Palestine.
Ironically, one of the key arguments deployed in Israel is that Iran plans to waste time in negotiations while developing its nuclear military capability.
Few in Israel were willing to look in the mirror and see how, since the Madrid conference and the Oslo Accords, Israel has used this exact time-wasting tactic in order to expand illegal Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land while offering token, dead-end negotiations.
Before leaving for the UN, Netanyahu promised to speak the truth at this forum. What we saw was yet another speech that deviates from Israel’s occupation and colonial policies and focuses on what is quickly becoming a non-argument in world circles.
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Israel was "upset and angry" with signs of an emerging new relationship between the Islamic republic and the West.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a UN summit his country was ready to act alone to halt Iran's alleged efforts to build a nuclear bomb.
"We don't expect anything else from the Zionist regime," Rouhani told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Israel is "upset and angry because it sees that its blunted sword is being replaced with logic as the governing force in the world, and because the Iranian nation's message of peace is being heard better," the moderate cleric said.
Iran's new president was referring to his outreach last week on a visit to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he offered constructive dialogue with the West in a bid to ease tensions.
In his UN speech, Rouhani said Iran would never seek a nuclear weapon and was ready to negotiate with world powers on ending a decade-long showdown over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
His charm offensive culminated in a landmark 15-minute phone call with US President Barack Obama.
But Netanyahu told the same UN forum that sanctions hurting Iran's economy must be strengthened as the Tehran regime was hell-bent on building a nuclear bomb.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," he said.
Iran's armed forces chief of staff Hassan Firouzabadi on Wednesday rejected the Israeli threat of military action as an "act of desperation" by a "warmonger."
Firouzabadi, a hardline military figure, also appeared to back Rouhani's diplomatic initiative.
"Islamic Iran will be the winner in this case for its revolutionary stance of heroic flexibility," he said referring to remarks by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that such tactics were sometimes necessary in dealing with foes.
Khamenei is the ultimate authority in the Islamic republic and has final say on all key affairs, including foreign policy and the disputed nuclear program.
Iran and world powers are expected to meet in Geneva in mid-October to restart nuclear negotiations, with Tehran seeking to lift harsh US and EU economic sanctions.
Firouzabadi said Netanyahu's remarks had only served to "increase the threat against the Zionists."
"Netanyahu has etched his name on the board of the United Nations as a warmonger," he added.
On Wednesday, Rouhani expressed hope for the talks.
"I think if the Geneva talks are successful, the efforts of many hardliners and those who want to go to extremes or even those after war will be halted," he said.
"I hope the talks will be successful."
Rouhani has come under criticism at home for opening up to the West, despite enjoying the apparent support of Khamenei in his overtures and of the conservative-dominated parliament.
General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, said Monday that Rouhani should not have taken Obama's telephone call.
Rouhani took office after a surprise June election victory following a campaign in which he pledged to repair strained relations with the international community, in particular with the West, and to shore up Iran's ailing economy hard hit by sanctions.
He has demanded the West recognize Iran's rights to uranium enrichment, while also warning that time for resolving the standoff will not be unlimited -- in an allusion to hardline voices within the regime against compromise with the West.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a UN summit his country was ready to act alone to halt Iran's alleged efforts to build a nuclear bomb.
"We don't expect anything else from the Zionist regime," Rouhani told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Israel is "upset and angry because it sees that its blunted sword is being replaced with logic as the governing force in the world, and because the Iranian nation's message of peace is being heard better," the moderate cleric said.
Iran's new president was referring to his outreach last week on a visit to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he offered constructive dialogue with the West in a bid to ease tensions.
In his UN speech, Rouhani said Iran would never seek a nuclear weapon and was ready to negotiate with world powers on ending a decade-long showdown over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
His charm offensive culminated in a landmark 15-minute phone call with US President Barack Obama.
But Netanyahu told the same UN forum that sanctions hurting Iran's economy must be strengthened as the Tehran regime was hell-bent on building a nuclear bomb.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," he said.
Iran's armed forces chief of staff Hassan Firouzabadi on Wednesday rejected the Israeli threat of military action as an "act of desperation" by a "warmonger."
Firouzabadi, a hardline military figure, also appeared to back Rouhani's diplomatic initiative.
"Islamic Iran will be the winner in this case for its revolutionary stance of heroic flexibility," he said referring to remarks by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that such tactics were sometimes necessary in dealing with foes.
Khamenei is the ultimate authority in the Islamic republic and has final say on all key affairs, including foreign policy and the disputed nuclear program.
Iran and world powers are expected to meet in Geneva in mid-October to restart nuclear negotiations, with Tehran seeking to lift harsh US and EU economic sanctions.
Firouzabadi said Netanyahu's remarks had only served to "increase the threat against the Zionists."
"Netanyahu has etched his name on the board of the United Nations as a warmonger," he added.
On Wednesday, Rouhani expressed hope for the talks.
"I think if the Geneva talks are successful, the efforts of many hardliners and those who want to go to extremes or even those after war will be halted," he said.
"I hope the talks will be successful."
Rouhani has come under criticism at home for opening up to the West, despite enjoying the apparent support of Khamenei in his overtures and of the conservative-dominated parliament.
General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, said Monday that Rouhani should not have taken Obama's telephone call.
Rouhani took office after a surprise June election victory following a campaign in which he pledged to repair strained relations with the international community, in particular with the West, and to shore up Iran's ailing economy hard hit by sanctions.
He has demanded the West recognize Iran's rights to uranium enrichment, while also warning that time for resolving the standoff will not be unlimited -- in an allusion to hardline voices within the regime against compromise with the West.
2 oct 2013
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
Iran’s top general on Wednesday rejected Israel’s threat of military strikes as an act of "desperation" after Tehran’s charm offensive to repair ties with the West.
"Today the choice of military option is rusted, old and blunt. It is put on a broken table that lacks stability," said armed forces chief-of-staff Hassan Firouzabadi, quoted by Fars news agency.
"Such remarks stem out of desperation," he said, slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "warmonger".
Benjamin Netanyahu told a UN summit Tuesday that Israel was ready to act alone to halt Iranian efforts to build a nuclear bomb, a charge Tehran vehemently denies.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," Netanyahu said in an attack on overtures made by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran's new president has vowed to engage the international community in constructive dialogue, ease tensions with the West and increase transparency on the Islamic state’s nuclear activities.
Firouzabadi, a hardline military figure, appeared to back Rouhani's diplomatic initiative, which has been well received in the West.
"Islamic Iran will be the winner in this case for its revolutionary stance of heroic flexibility," he said referring to remarks in mid-September by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that such tactics were sometimes necessary in dealing with foes.
Khamenei is the ultimate authority in the Islamic republic, and has final say on all key affairs, including foreign policy and the controversial nuclear program.
Firouzabadi said Netanyahu's remarks had only served to "increase the threat against the Zionists."
"Netanyahu has etched his name on the board of the United Nations as a warmonger," he added.
Iran’s top general on Wednesday rejected Israel’s threat of military strikes as an act of "desperation" after Tehran’s charm offensive to repair ties with the West.
"Today the choice of military option is rusted, old and blunt. It is put on a broken table that lacks stability," said armed forces chief-of-staff Hassan Firouzabadi, quoted by Fars news agency.
"Such remarks stem out of desperation," he said, slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "warmonger".
Benjamin Netanyahu told a UN summit Tuesday that Israel was ready to act alone to halt Iranian efforts to build a nuclear bomb, a charge Tehran vehemently denies.
"Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," Netanyahu said in an attack on overtures made by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran's new president has vowed to engage the international community in constructive dialogue, ease tensions with the West and increase transparency on the Islamic state’s nuclear activities.
Firouzabadi, a hardline military figure, appeared to back Rouhani's diplomatic initiative, which has been well received in the West.
"Islamic Iran will be the winner in this case for its revolutionary stance of heroic flexibility," he said referring to remarks in mid-September by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that such tactics were sometimes necessary in dealing with foes.
Khamenei is the ultimate authority in the Islamic republic, and has final say on all key affairs, including foreign policy and the controversial nuclear program.
Firouzabadi said Netanyahu's remarks had only served to "increase the threat against the Zionists."
"Netanyahu has etched his name on the board of the United Nations as a warmonger," he added.
|
A political commentator says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the UN was meant to make sure that peace will not have a chance to “break out” in the Middle East, Press TV reports.
In a Tuesday interview with Press TV, E. Michael Jones, from Culture Wars online magazine, described as “unacceptable” the conditions outlined by Netanyahu during his UN speech for what he called a diplomatic solution on Iran’s nuclear issue. “There is a great fear among the Israeli lobby right now that peace might break out as a result of Obama’s phone conversation with President Rouhani and his statement to Netanyahu that they are going to pursue this overture and see where it leads,” said the analyst. |
“Everybody wants peace now, nobody wants another war. The only people that want the war are Israel,” he said, adding, “The tide is flowing in a different direction and now they all come across as kind of petulant angry warmongers that the tide is just leaving behind.”
On October 1, Netanyahu told the 68th session of the UN General Assembly that Iran must dismantle its entire nuclear program, repeating his baseless accusation that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The Israeli premier claimed that the regime “will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.”
Tehran has categorically rejected the allegations leveled by the US, Israel and some of their allies against its nuclear energy program, maintaining that its nuclear energy program is only for peaceful purposes.
Netanyahu’s salvo of threats and accusations against Iran comes as Israel, which is the sole possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East with 200-400 warheads, has refused to acknowledge that it possesses nuclear weapons and, unlike Iran, is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
On October 1, Netanyahu told the 68th session of the UN General Assembly that Iran must dismantle its entire nuclear program, repeating his baseless accusation that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The Israeli premier claimed that the regime “will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.”
Tehran has categorically rejected the allegations leveled by the US, Israel and some of their allies against its nuclear energy program, maintaining that its nuclear energy program is only for peaceful purposes.
Netanyahu’s salvo of threats and accusations against Iran comes as Israel, which is the sole possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East with 200-400 warheads, has refused to acknowledge that it possesses nuclear weapons and, unlike Iran, is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“I would hope that these words of Obama’s are really just sort of empty words that he is feeding the Zionist lobby to try to keep them happy,” the political commentator stated.
“I think it is a disgrace to the presidency and to the United States of America that a criminal against humanity on the scale of Netanyahu, who has blood all over his hands in so many ways, who is actually a prime suspect in the controlled demolition of World Trade Center in September 11, 2001… he immediately went on television and said that… it is very good. That was his reaction to September 11… and then he caught himself and said well actually I meant it was just good for Israel,” he said.
“But he was basically celebrating 9/11 just like the dancing Israelis who were caught at celebrating the success of the demolition of the Twin Towers in New York.
“Now it is just a disgrace that somebody like that can come to the United States and try to dictate to the American president how he should conduct his foreign policy. And more and more Americans are being outraged by this and were hoping that some day we will have a president with the intestinal fortitude to stand up against these Israeli mass murderers and big liars.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Barrett said, “The Israeli lobby does not just have a lot of clout in Congress. It owns Congress. It’s outright and about half of the money that is contributed to federal candidates in the US comes from Zionists and it has very strong strings attached.”
“This has been going on ever since we heard from President John F. Kennedy who confided to his close friend Gore Vidal that he had been approached by Israeli lobby people who told him that if he would let them run his foreign policy, they would take care of all of his financial needs from then on. And the same thing has been going on ever since. Kennedy rejected the deal and that's one of the reasons he was killed.”
“I think it is a disgrace to the presidency and to the United States of America that a criminal against humanity on the scale of Netanyahu, who has blood all over his hands in so many ways, who is actually a prime suspect in the controlled demolition of World Trade Center in September 11, 2001… he immediately went on television and said that… it is very good. That was his reaction to September 11… and then he caught himself and said well actually I meant it was just good for Israel,” he said.
“But he was basically celebrating 9/11 just like the dancing Israelis who were caught at celebrating the success of the demolition of the Twin Towers in New York.
“Now it is just a disgrace that somebody like that can come to the United States and try to dictate to the American president how he should conduct his foreign policy. And more and more Americans are being outraged by this and were hoping that some day we will have a president with the intestinal fortitude to stand up against these Israeli mass murderers and big liars.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Barrett said, “The Israeli lobby does not just have a lot of clout in Congress. It owns Congress. It’s outright and about half of the money that is contributed to federal candidates in the US comes from Zionists and it has very strong strings attached.”
“This has been going on ever since we heard from President John F. Kennedy who confided to his close friend Gore Vidal that he had been approached by Israeli lobby people who told him that if he would let them run his foreign policy, they would take care of all of his financial needs from then on. And the same thing has been going on ever since. Kennedy rejected the deal and that's one of the reasons he was killed.”
1 oct 2013
The Iranian foreign minister has accused the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of lying about Iran's nuclear ambitions by dismissing Tehran's statements as "charm offensive".
"We have seen nothing from Netanyahu but lies and actions to deceive and scare, and international public opinion will not let these lies go unanswered," Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Iranian television on Tuesday.
Zarif was speaking from the United Nations, where Netanyahu was set to address the General Assembly later on Tuesday, the same forum where last year he used a cartoon bomb as a prop to underline how close he believed Iran was to producing a nuclear warhead.
"For 22 years, the Zionist regime has been lying by repeating endlessly that Iran will have the atomic bomb in six months," Zarif said. "After all these years, the world must understand the reality of these lies and not allow them to be repeated."
Netanyahu headed to the United States determined to use his UN address and a White House meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday to expose what he regards as "sweet talk" from Iran about wanting to allay Western concerns about its nuclear programme.
At the White House meeting, Netanyahu said it was vital that "Iran fully dismantles its military nuclear programme".
He urged Obama to keep US sanctions in place throughout negotiations between Iran and the major powers over its nuclear programme.
Zarif said that "Netanyahu was the most isolated man at the UN" as he prepared to give his General Assembly speech.
This article was originally publsihed on Al-Jazeera
"We have seen nothing from Netanyahu but lies and actions to deceive and scare, and international public opinion will not let these lies go unanswered," Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Iranian television on Tuesday.
Zarif was speaking from the United Nations, where Netanyahu was set to address the General Assembly later on Tuesday, the same forum where last year he used a cartoon bomb as a prop to underline how close he believed Iran was to producing a nuclear warhead.
"For 22 years, the Zionist regime has been lying by repeating endlessly that Iran will have the atomic bomb in six months," Zarif said. "After all these years, the world must understand the reality of these lies and not allow them to be repeated."
Netanyahu headed to the United States determined to use his UN address and a White House meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday to expose what he regards as "sweet talk" from Iran about wanting to allay Western concerns about its nuclear programme.
At the White House meeting, Netanyahu said it was vital that "Iran fully dismantles its military nuclear programme".
He urged Obama to keep US sanctions in place throughout negotiations between Iran and the major powers over its nuclear programme.
Zarif said that "Netanyahu was the most isolated man at the UN" as he prepared to give his General Assembly speech.
This article was originally publsihed on Al-Jazeera
The Israeli regime and its lobby in the United States are worried about the likelihood of normalization of ties between Tehran and Washington, a political analyst says.
“The Tel Aviv regime and the pro-Israel lobby in the United States are clearly worried about the diplomatic impact of [Iran President Hassan] Rouhani’s UN visit and the qualitative steps forward which were taken by both the US and Iran toward dialog and negotiation,” Kaveh L. Afrasiabi wrote in a Monday article for Press TV.
In his speech to the 68th session of the UN General Assembly on September 24, President Rouhani reaffirmed Iran’s determination to engage in transparent nuclear talks with world powers and interact with the international community based on mutual respect.
He also held numerous meetings with the heads of state and officials from different countries on the sidelines of the event.
Later on Friday, Rouhani and his US counterpart Barack Obama had a landmark phone conversation mainly focusing on Iran’s nuclear energy program. It was the first direct communication between an Iranian and a US president since the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution more than three decades ago.
The two presidents also tasked their foreign ministers to follow up the matters of mutual concern, including issues regarding Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
Afrasiabi pointed to Israel’s efforts to push the US to intensify pressure on Iran due to Tel Aviv’s repeated allegations against Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
“Such accusations have been circulating for over a decade and the world community is less and less inclined to give much credence to the incessant Israeli propaganda against Iran, which serves Israel’s twin objectives of sustaining generous Western financial and military support on the one hand, and, on the other, deflecting attention from the Palestinian issue,” the analyst pointed out.
In his Tuesday speech to the UN General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a global action aimed at fully dismantling Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the unsubstantiated claim as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions against Tehran.
The bans come on top of four rounds of US-instigated UN Security Council sanctions against Iran under the same pretext.
Iran has categorically rejected the allegation, stressing that as a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
“The Tel Aviv regime and the pro-Israel lobby in the United States are clearly worried about the diplomatic impact of [Iran President Hassan] Rouhani’s UN visit and the qualitative steps forward which were taken by both the US and Iran toward dialog and negotiation,” Kaveh L. Afrasiabi wrote in a Monday article for Press TV.
In his speech to the 68th session of the UN General Assembly on September 24, President Rouhani reaffirmed Iran’s determination to engage in transparent nuclear talks with world powers and interact with the international community based on mutual respect.
He also held numerous meetings with the heads of state and officials from different countries on the sidelines of the event.
Later on Friday, Rouhani and his US counterpart Barack Obama had a landmark phone conversation mainly focusing on Iran’s nuclear energy program. It was the first direct communication between an Iranian and a US president since the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution more than three decades ago.
The two presidents also tasked their foreign ministers to follow up the matters of mutual concern, including issues regarding Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
Afrasiabi pointed to Israel’s efforts to push the US to intensify pressure on Iran due to Tel Aviv’s repeated allegations against Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
“Such accusations have been circulating for over a decade and the world community is less and less inclined to give much credence to the incessant Israeli propaganda against Iran, which serves Israel’s twin objectives of sustaining generous Western financial and military support on the one hand, and, on the other, deflecting attention from the Palestinian issue,” the analyst pointed out.
In his Tuesday speech to the UN General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a global action aimed at fully dismantling Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the unsubstantiated claim as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions against Tehran.
The bans come on top of four rounds of US-instigated UN Security Council sanctions against Iran under the same pretext.
Iran has categorically rejected the allegation, stressing that as a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.