We hold these Truths to be self-evident...
President Obama is using the same aggressive rhetoric we saw prior to invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, with media repeating the quickly-verifiable lie that Iran's President threatened to "wipe Israel off the map." Previously, Senator Lieberman, Secretary of State Clinton, and former UN Ambassador John Bolton resumed rhetoric of a United States attack upon Iran. There are two general justifications they speak of to justify war: Iran's "nuclear program" and their threat to Israel.
Both claims are false (again, verify here and here), which follows a history of US lies regarding wars.
The following is edited from my brief, “War with Afghanistan and Iraq, rhetoric for war with Iran.” The focus of this article is to explore the vicious and unlawful history of US intervention in Iran’s government. It's from my brief: War with Iraq and Afghanistan, rhetoric for war with Iran.
In 1953, the United States CIA led by one of President Theodore Roosevelt’s grandsons, initiated a coup in Iran (Operation Ajax [8]) to remove the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. The Iranian government was understandably dissatisfied with the terms of its contract with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company that allowed British interests to claim 85% of the oil profit from Iran.[9] Iran voted to nationalize the oil industry in 1951 after the British declined to renegotiate the terms. The US-led coup was successful, and the royal monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi,[10] became virtual dictator. Fearing popular reprisal, Pahlavi’s government was supported by the CIA in creating the Iranian SAVAK, a vicious secret police for the Shah’s dictatorial government.[11] We can only assume that the oil revenue sharing agreement with the Shah was acceptable to the US and UK.
Under the Eisenhower administration, the US cooperated with the Shah’s government for the development of Iranian nuclear energy through the “Atoms for Peace” program.[12] President Ford agreed to US full cooperation to help Iran build about two dozen nuclear energy plants. When the Iranian people overthrew the Shah’s government in 1979, the US stopped cooperating. The US backed Iraq in their invasion of Iran in 1980 and throughout the war until 1988, seeking a more US-friendly Iranian government. The US provided Saddam Hussein with the chemical and biological weapons the W. Bush administration later used as justification for invading Iraq.[13] Since 1979, the US has worked to prevent Iran having a nuclear energy program, even under the legal provisions of the NPT, and reneged on a multi-billion dollar contract to deliver nuclear fuel to Iran without refunding Iran’s money.[14]
The previous three paragraphs are plain vanilla history in conservatively-known content. Neither our government’s political leaders from either party or our major media give the US public the context of history to evaluate the Bush/Obama administrations' statements advocating war with Iran. Their use of the term “nuclear program” is misleading. We could also call it fraud, as it deliberately misinforms.[15] Objectively, the US actions are in violation of NPT and the UN Charter in threatening war.[16] Our mainstream media does not communicate these facts to the public.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Seymour Hersh, has reported since 2005 that government insiders have disclosed to him that the CIA is presently engaged in covert operations similar to 1953 to overthrow the Iranian government.[17] Hersh, claiming inside White House sources, reported one idea from Vice President Dick Cheney was for the US Navy to build four or five boats that looked like Iranian Naval PT boats, man and arm them with US Navy Seals, then have the Navy Seals attack a US Navy ship off Iran’s coast. The incident would be filmed and used as propaganda to enflame US public opinion for war with Iran.[18] Hersh is the reporter who insiders trusted to report the My Lai Massacre and its cover-up in the Vietnam War, and the Abu Ghraib Torture Scandal in the current Iraq war. Scott Ritter, US former weapons inspector and officer for US Marine Intelligence calls any covert planning and actions by their correct legal name: Acts of War. Ritter states the obvious: the US would never allow Iran to take these actions without calling them Acts of War.[19]
Recently and disturbingly, was the US Air Force admission that they “mistakenly” transported six live nuclear warheads attached to ready-to-launch cruise missiles to the US military base that is the jump-off for US supplies to Middle East Operations. This could be a veiled threat of nuclear war against Iran rather than explained by the long chain of continuous “mistakes” required for such an event to occur.[20] Nuclear weapons are protected by detailed protocol and lethal force; they go nowhere by mistake and had a 50 year perfect record for their handling.
We properly wonder why the Bush/Obama administrations are using Iran’s “nuclear program” as rhetoric linking Iran with atomic weapons, and the call for US war against Iran. In academic analysis, “why” is a subjective question that cannot be answered in full objective confidence. All we can do is discuss related facts to build broad-scale constructions of circumstances, and then construct hypotheses that match those facts. The hypothesis I invite you to embrace as containing all the facts is that current false propaganda is repetitive of recent history of US unlawful interest to control Iran’s resources.
The policy response I am among recommending is Truth and Reconciliation. For a documentary that includes the US overthrow of the democratically elected government in Iran, watch Bill Moyers’ documentary below, The Secret Government: A Constitution in Crisis. For a 24-minute version click here, transcript here. Bill Moyers was the Press Secretary of President Johnson, and has won over 30 Emmys as well as almost all other awards for his journalism.
Please share this article with all who say they want competent policy with Iran. If you appreciate my work, please subscribe by clicking under the article title. Please use my archive of work to help build a brighter future.
[8] Future of Freedom. Hornberger, J.G. An Anti-democracy Foreign Policy: Iran. Jan. 31, 2005: http://www.fff.org/comment/com0501i.asp , Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax .
[9] Democracy Now: http://www.democracynow.org/2003/8/25/50_years_after_the_cias_first , Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Iranian_Oil_Company .
[10] New York Times. Risen, J. April 16, 2000. The CIA in Iran: http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/041600iran-cia-index.html , Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi .
[11] Federation of American Scientists. Pike J. Ministry of Security: SAVAK. Jan. 16, 2000: http://www.fas.org/irp/world/iran/savak/index.html ,Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAVAK .
[12] World Nuclear University. President Eisenhower’s speech to the UN General Assembly. Dec. 8, 1953: http://world-nuclear-university.org/html/atoms_for_peace/ , Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_program_of_Iran .
[13] Iran Chamber Society. King, J. Arming Iraq: A Chronology of US Involvement. March, 2003: http://www.iranchamber.com/history/articles/arming_iraq.php , Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_iraq_war .
[14] Antiwar. Prather, G. ElBaradei Isn’t Perfect. Dec. 27, 2005: http://www.antiwar.com/prather/?articleid=8308 , and background: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_program_of_Iran#After_the_1979_Revolution .
[15] Legal Dictionary: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/fraud , Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraud .
[16] Foley, B. “Limiting War by Process: Congress, the UN and Iran. Jurist Legal News and Research. May 25, 2006. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2006/05/limiting-war-by-process-congress-un.php .
[17] Hersh, S. Preparing the Battlefield: The Bush Administration Steps up its Secret Moves Against Iran. July 7, 2008: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_hersh and interviews on Preparing the Battlefield: http://www.911blogger.com/node/16388 , http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1812 .
[18] Prison Planet. Watson, S. Media blackout on Cheney Iran false flag story. Aug. 2, 2008: http://www.prisonplanet.com/media-blackout-on-cheney-iran-false-flag-story.html .
[19] Truthdig.com. Ritter, S. Acts of war. July 29, 2008: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080729_acts_of_war/ .
[20] Analyses: Project Camelot. Carter, J. What Really Happened at Minot AFB. : http://www.projectcamelot.org/jack_carter.html , Information Liberation. Lindorff, D. The Air Force Report on the Minot-Barksdale Nuclear Missile Flight. Nov. 2, 2007: http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=24191 , and Rense. Twietmeyer, T. Missteps in the Bunker: Damage Control? Sept. 25, 2007: http://www.rense.com/general78/dmge.htm ..
Comments
This is a fantastic post. I was not aware of even half of this.
Thank you for the time and effort you obviously put into researching and writing this article.
You're welcome, Beatrice. Yes, most Americans are unaware of this history. This is one of hundreds of entry-points to reveal our political "leaders" and five corporations of the "mainstream" media are in collusion to manipulate public opinion through propaganda. Specifically, the leadership of the Reps and Dems lie through comission ("wipe Israel off the earth") and omission (not revealing US destruction of Iran's government).
I recommend wanttoknow.info for more information on other areas of research.
As you become aware of the larger picture, and understand that these coups, overthrows-of-dictators, install of democracys,etc.; occur on a WORLWIDE basis you see this is just business as usual as Banksters Control, Take and Acquire. Iran, besides possessing huge oil reserves and geo-strategic position, is one of the "rogue" States controlling their own currency. Like Iraq with WMD, the sheeple can be told anything to sell them on another "war".
Yesterday the United Arab Emirates Ambassador said his country supports a US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries are scared to death of Iran going nuclear. President Obama risks losing all the Middle East allies because if he allows Iran to go nuclear, these folks will have no choice but to ally themselves with Iran. I don't deny what took place in the 1950's but what exactly do you propose to do? Just let them go nuclear, test fire a missile, and then try to negotiate with them? If you can't negotiate with them pre-nuke, how is it going to go afterwards? Iran is not some innocent, peaceful nation either, they totally interfere in the affairs of Lebanon as well as Syria and Yemen and probably a whole bunch of other things we don't even know about. It's ok to condemn what the US has done in the past but at the same time you should propose what you would do about the situation....sit there and let them go nuclear?
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“Stephen”: what I propose is full criminal investigation and prosecution of US War Criminals who lied to attack Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, and are lying to attack Iran. I also propose all IP addresses of such people as you be investigated as potential propagandists being paid to undermine rule of law and advocate for US mass-murder. Because these wars have killed over 5,000 American soldiers, that makes propagandists complicit in treason. The penalty for treason is death. As I write, I recommend Truth and Reconciliation to encourage candidates like “Stephen” to return to being Americans rather than traitors. Those that refuse should be fully prosecuted under the law for their murderous acts.
There’s no evidence of Iran “going nuclear” and all evidence showing they are not going nuclear. If they have a hidden program, it’s because of fear of the US unlawful wars now targeting the same death the US brought upon Iraq.
Readers and Stephen:
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“Stephen” is a fascist war-mongering lying propagandist. He attempts to speak for the entire Middle East while lying about Iran’s IAEA documentation of all their nuclear material fully accounted for legal energy and medical use.
“Stephen” wants to BS public opinion to allow the US to unlawfully attack, destroy, and kill with US taxpayer dollars and under our flag and honor.
Readers: time to choose your future with fear and death under “Stephen” or rule of law under unalienable rights with the Founding Fathers and true Americans who respect the US Constitution.
This article should be on the internet. 7-09-2011
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