Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regularly invokes the “Iranian threat” as a means to divert attention away from Israel’s settler-colonial activity in Palestine. With Operation Protective Edge — a collaborative effort by Israel, the United Nations, the international community and even Palestinian leaders themselves — fading from international consciousness, Iran looms again in diplomatic rhetoric.
According to the Times of Israel, a meeting between U.S. and Israeli national security advisers Susan Rice and Yossi Cohen brought about renewed efforts to thwart Iran’s nuclear program.
“On Iran, the U.S. delegation reaffirmed our commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon … The delegations pledged to continue the unprecedented coordination between the United States and Israel as negotiations continue,” according to the statement, published in full by the White House.
The statement focuses on the alleged Iranian nuclear threat and the imperial onslaught under the guise of fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Further insight can be garnered from the fact that Zionist colonial expansion isn’t among U.S. concerns, despite the Israeli government’s recent approval of the continued expansion of illegal land appropriations and construction in East Jerusalem, indicating the promotion of oblivion when it comes to Palestinian rights, territory and self-determination.
PressTV has reported Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as stating, “Our [nuclear] activities are under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and within the framework of the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty]”.
While Rouhani has expressed the opinion that an agreement can be reached before the next round of nuclear talks among the P5+1 on Nov. 24, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has reiterated the “tough decision” rhetoric usually reserved for countries from which imperialism demands acquiescence, saying: “I hope the Iranians will not get stuck in a tree of their own making, on one demand or another, in order to try to find a way together.”
“Peaceful” solutions and loophole-heavy declarations
As with other negotiations leading to purportedly “peaceful” solutions, the initiative of the P5 +1, a group made up of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — the U.S., United Kingdom, Russia, China and France — plus Germany, will constitute another reflection of the dynamics of impunity, even as Israel continues to exert its regional influence and belligerence by issuing constant threats about pre-emptive strikes on Iran.
The group, which stipulated a framework that expired in July and was extended until Nov. 24, seeks to impose international interference through three major steps: blocking Iran’s path to nuclear weapons; boosting the international community’s ability to disrupt any possible plans for nuclear activity; and creating a system whereby an independent country is rewarded for its compliance by “phased sanctions relief.”
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Israel never joined in concordance with retaining its elusive stance on its nuclear weapon program, is indicative of the usual ambiguous declarations that provide enough loopholes for imperialist forces to maneuver.
While the goals stipulate nuclear disarmament and the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear technology and cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the U.S. continues with its usual imposition on other countries while retaining the right of failure to uphold the premise of the treaty.
Yet imperialist interference in Iran should be considered within a wider context, both with regard to U.S. dominance in the Middle East as well as Israel’s latest colonial massacre in Gaza. Since 2006, the U.N. Security Council has passed six resolutions on Iran’s nuclear program, manipulating international law in a manner that allows for the passing of sanctions to build upon existing punitive measures.
Without Iran’s compliance, the U.N. Security Council is authorized under Resolution 1737 “to adopt further measures as it sees fit.” Despite Iran’s dogged insistence that its nuclear program does not conform to violent aspirations and its research is purely for peaceful endeavors, the P5+1 has insisted upon singling out Iran for constant political oppression. Thus far, the oppression imposed upon Iran has been based upon unfounded speculation and ignores an existing and protected nuclear threat to world peace – Israel.
“Defense” mechanisms and the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S.
While Israel continues to insist upon the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear capabilities – a struggle reverberating in the U.S. through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s nefarious lobbying, the settler-colonial state persists with its strategy of evasion in its quest for stronger military capabilities.
Germany, for example, has continued with its sales of S-Class submarines to Israel. These submarines reportedly have nuclear capabilities which, per Israeli rhetoric, are also constructed as a “defense” against Iran’s alleged nuclear threat to Israel. The nuclear capability of the submarines has also been reported in the Times of Israel, quoting a Der Spiegel report, which claims that Germany purposely concealed the nuclear missile equipment and capabilities.
AIPAC, meanwhile, has published a series of propaganda and unfounded points that, it claims, must all be answered in the affirmative by the U.S. Commencing with a statement that emphasizes Israel’s constant paranoia, the points attempt to convey a distorted image of Iran, with many of the alleged concerns brought forth representing a mirror image of Israel’s own non-compliant and evasive character.
AIPAC’s call for a continuation of the already-existing diplomatic oppression enforced upon Iran reflects Netanyahu’s relentless projection of Iran as a card to be played strategically, in accordance with the regular verbal attacks upon a country which, despite its imposed reputation as a danger to Israel’s stability and existence, is itself surrounded by U.S. military bases – a fact that raises serious questions about the issue of threats to the region.
Iran’s insistence upon the non-recognition of Israel, together with its declarations of providing Hamas with technological assistance to develop far-reaching rockets used during its defense of Gaza during Protective Edge, have shifted the balance of power and resistance by bringing the struggle to the colonized territory claimed by Israel.
As reported by PressTV, Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar said that, “Iran’s assistance to Hamas contributed to the development of the resistance movement’s capabilities in the fight against Israel.”
While the internationalist aspect with regards to resistance is clearly portrayed, the implication is of deeper significance. Military aid to Hamas originated from a country that does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, unlike other countries which have pledged support and recognition of Palestine while insisting upon the two-state conspiracy as a solution.
If the U.S. is ready to offer unprecedented collaboration, the gesture will reflect little more than the continued insistence upon Israel’s supremacy as the entity that safeguards U.S. imperial expansion in the region.