Update on Iran

with Jay Solomon, Vali Nasr and David Ignatius
in Current Affairs
on Friday, January 6, 2012 * * * * *

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An update on Iran and the growing concerns over their nuclear program with Vali Nasr of Tufts University, David Ignatius of The Washington Post & Jay Solomon, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal

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Keywords:
politics
World
Iran
Middle East
nuclear

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    1. Gelles  01/13/2012 05:17 AM Report

      Friday am, January 13. It's another Friday the 13th. The luckiest or unluckiest day in a while.

      The CR Show featured Iran and the nuclear chemist killed by motorbike assassins. Tehran accused the Mossad in the fifth murder of scientists working in Iran to enrich nuclear fuel. His name was Ahmadi-Roshan. He was 32 years old.

      If we were in charge in Iran, we might make a deal to quit enriching nuclear fuel and to improve relations with NATO and the West. After all, war is a possibility if we persist in nuclear enrichment and remaining a threat to peace in Persian Gulf.

      Of course we are not in charge there or anywhere else. Our desire for peace may be weak in comparison with their desire to remain in political power. So no-deal may be their answer to this assassination.

      Iran may even the score. attacking where they can -- and continuing to mimic North Korea -- in their quest to hold on to national power and gain regional influence.

      If this is their design, what next? Both sides, whomever they are they are, will be better off with no war now or later. Both will be better off if enrichment of nuclear fuel is stopped now, before it is too late.

      If we were in charge there would be no war. Too bad we are not in charge there or anywhere else.

    2. EthicalHumanist  01/13/2012 12:54 AM Report

      This bloody and corrupt mullah mafia has been a source of trouble since day one. It is composed of a bunch of con artists, psychopaths and mutants. This mullah mafia does NOT represent the innocent people of Iran and is doomed. Please stop calling it "the Iranian " government, it is run by a bunch of Iraqis and Palestinians.

    3. Gelles  01/12/2012 08:31 PM Report

      If Iran shows off its nuclear war-heads and missiles, like North Korea has, a small arms race in the Middle East may follow.

      The Shi'a versus Sunni war may pass the Arab versus Israel war in importance -- relative to the global need for peace.

      What can America do to make peace more likely than nuclear war or accident?

      I am not persuaded to answer the above. Maybe nothing. I believe Tony Blair is trying to make peace not war more probsble. I have not followed his progress. I have assumed Iran is the criminal and its enemies are not.

      Meanwhile, I hope America leads the great nuclear powers in the Northern Hemisphere (especially the USA and Russia) to prevent all evidence of Iranian success at mimicking North Korea.

    4. OBSERVER  01/11/2012 10:47 PM Report

      Dear Charlie: A much needed discussion, but too short, and, not enough EXPERTS!

      It is ALL ABOUT TIMING.

      The Europe in Financial Crises;the Middle East in the State of Explosion, Turkey dealing with domestic political Issues! China IS AGAINST SANCTION, RUSSIA IS AGAINST SANCTION. Iraq in Turmoil; Afghanestan is in cross-road, Pakistan is in domestic tangle! ADD them up And include the REGIME IN IRAN, which does NOT CARE about anything & anyone, EXCEPT ITS SURVIVAL! And, WILL DO ANYTHING TO STAY, The United States IS PLAYING WITH A MATCH!!

      THE REGIME'S ELITES ARE NOW ABROAD WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS,

      BUSINESS AS USUAL! VIA EMBASSIES OR OTHERWISE!! SANCTIONS ARE ONLY HURTING THE IRANIAN PEOPLE WHO, UNTIL NOW, WERE CONSIDERING US AS THEIR ALLIES/REFUGE!

      WITH MORE US THREAD, ORDINARY IRANIANS ARE FRIGHTENED/GETTING READY, PILING UP FOOD, ETC. AND WAITING FOR WAR. AFTER ALL, THE HISTORY HAS PROVEN THAT ALL SANCTIONS RESULT IN WARS! IT IS NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE HORDING DOLLARS, IT IS THE REGIME'S ELITES! AND, THEY DO NOT CARE IF THE DOMESTIC CURRENY BECOMES INSOLVENT! OR THE NATION COLLAPSES DUE TO ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS!

      US IS DOING IT BACKWARD! AFTER ALL IT IS THE ELECTION YEAR, AND, HEADS ARE NOT WORKING WELL!! ONLY PAUL, THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IS SENSING IT RIGHT!

      TThe Story of US rescuing Iranians, helping Iranians,

      and JUST BY reversing ALL THE WRONGDOINGS OF SANCTIONS ON

      ordinary IRANIANS , ON TIME!, it may be possible to STOP THE MADNESS, and, SAVE THE PLANET.

      THANKS MY FRIEND FOR YOUR PROGRAM.

    5. aj617  01/10/2012 09:53 AM Report

      The struggle between modern and primitive forms of thought

      in Iran is reaching a boiling point. The points of view

      of the Muslim fundementalists and the technocrats are

      incompatible, and must be resolved one way or the other.

      Nuclear development necessarily erodes the primitive view point, and though the primitives in control know this

      they believe they can develop it as an instrument of power.

      By the use of sanctions we are indeed encouraging them to

      "double down" on both nuclear power and nuclear weapons,

      and they are showing a healthy nationalistic beligerence.

      These should be seen as positive trends that accelerate

      change. I would not worry about a nuclear conflagration

      occuring - nuclear war is not only obsolete but in all

      likelyhood impossible. If the Iranians want to start

      a conventional war, that might really be a good thing

      from the standpoint of resolving deep and longstanding

      contradictions. Maybe the US should help them make the

      leap by parking its aircraft carriers in neat tight rows

      somewhere.

    6. Ricardo_Amaral  01/09/2012 10:51 PM Report

      Charlie, I understand that you and your guests have to go through the motions as usual about this subject.

      These guys need a new routine, and new material since this one is becoming very stale.

      The US and Iran were supposed to be attacking Iran for the last 7 years – and Iran it is always 6 months away from getting their nukes.

      I am surprised that after all these years these guys still are able to go to your program and give the same old story with a straight face.

      And they expect the rest of the world to play along.....

      *****

      Noam Chomsky: Iran is NO Threat (2011,University College London) – October 18, 2011

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rutrNbkrhIA&feature=player_embedded

      *****

      Reality check: the cash flow of Iran from oil revenues will not be affected a bit from these new sanctions in 2012 and beyond.

      Pepe Escobar: US, Iran... 2012 will be hardcore – January 4, 2012

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sILTGpeIIug&feature=player_embedded

      *****

      The United States is planning to attack Iran with Nuclear Weapons

      http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67053&perpage=6&pagenumber=58

      January 6, 2012

      SouthAmerica: It seems to me that they are re-running some old episodes of the hit TV comedy series “Israel and the USA are going to attack Iran...”

      Iran escalates the rhetoric and they can laugh all the way to the bank to the tune of many extra billions in oil revenues. And as the entire world watches the price of oil skyrocketing in global markets...

      The fools from Israel and the United States fall for the old routine every time.

      Forget the new sanctions, South Korea, China, Brazil and many other countries still will be doing normal business with Iran.

      It's laughable that the mainstream media after all this time still are taking seriously our hit TV comedy series “Israel and the USA are going to attack Iran...”

      Hah, hah, hah.....

      *****

      Here is a reality check for the United States and Israel:

      In a nutshell: This is a very good diversion - to stage a major military crisis in the Hormuz Strait to take the attention away from the real problem: the bank runs in Europe, and a collapsing banking system.

      *****

      The United States is planning to attack Iran with Nuclear Weapons

      http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67053&perpage=6&pagenumber=55

      November 8, 2011

      SouthAmerica: Here is another episode of our hit comedy series: Israel is going to attack Iran

      The boogeyman is coming to get you – and Israel will attack Iran....

      Israel is going to attack which country?

      Hah, hah, hah....

      The United States is also planning to attack Iran.....

      Hah, hah, hah....

      Sure they are – they have been attacking Iran for the last 7 years – and Iran it is always 6 months away from getting their nukes.

      Today when the US mainstream media mentions this old story about Israel or the United States getting ready to attack Iran all we can do is laugh very hard about these delusional people.

      Israel is getting ready to attack Iran has become nothing more than a laughable TV comedy series.

      Israel and the United States foreign policy it is more discredit than the old saying “the Russians are coming...”

      I understand that in the new world of the 21st century Israel is becoming completely irrelevant since in China, and in India nobody gives a shit about Israel and its history and very old fairy tales.

      We have been laughing here on ET for a long time about this TV comedy series, and I hope the new audience will have a good laugh and get entertained as much as we have:

      Here watch this video and you also can have a few laughs:

      .

    7. connectites  01/09/2012 07:28 PM Report

      Why does Vali Nasr sound as though he's (covertly) representing the Iranian govt?

    8. ShalomFreedman  01/09/2012 12:25 PM Report

      This was an interesting if very incomplete discussion. I would have expected that David Ignatius would have outlined the White House thinking as to where the sanctions are leading to. Clearly Vali Nasr believes that they are accelerating rather than stopping the Iranian nuclear program. No one considered the military option and what it might entail. And no one really outlined how the Middle East will be transformed should Iran acquire nuclear weapons.

    9. REMant  01/09/2012 11:29 AM Report

      Well, the man is right, this IS like Roosevelt and Japan, and as I remarked some months ago, it was his economic out. I suspect the current president and some on Wall St are perfectly aware of this. The odd thing is that he is pretending at the same time to curtail the military budget. It may be a ruse. After all, FDR kept saying "I hate war." And Obama can fairly well count on many in the GOP to try to block any defense cuts. But he also is seeking re-election and to define his place in history. Obviously rescuing the economy hasn't filled the bill, nor social innovations, but fighting for democracy, motherhood, Israel and the American Way might be seen as a good substitute. Taking advantage of the nuclear situation, in essence they have declared war against the Shiites, like Bush did Saddam, egged on no doubt by the same Jews and Saudis. They may find themselves fighting Syria, Iraq and the Russians as well as Iran. The Sunnis and Jews have indeed been energized, but I would think because their own weakness has been pointed out to them. In a very real sense this entire push would seem to be intended stifle the "Arab Spring," not promote it.