While I’m a cynical guy I’m generally not what you would consider conspiratorial. Yet when news like this sprouts up at an overly convenient time it’s hard to consider it a coincidence:
The US says it has broken up a plot by agents linked to Iran to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington using explosives.
Two men originally from Iran – one a naturalised US citizen – have been charged with counts of conspiracy, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
[…]
The two accused were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran’s Quds Force.
Mr Arbabsiar, who was arrested at New York’s John F Kennedy airport on 29 September, has confessed to his involvement in the alleged plot, Mr Holder said.
Mr Shakuri was said to be in Iran.
US officials said that on 24 May 2011, Mr Arbabsiar made contact with an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who was posing as a Mexican drug cartel member.
Over a series of meetings, it is said that details emerged of a conspiracy involving members of the Iranian government paying $1.5m (£960,000) for the assassination of Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on US soil.
Let’s just link up all the memes in this story. Iran hired a member of a Mexican drug cartel to kill a Saudi ambassador in the United States. Somehow the United States was able to swoop in, stop this supposed plot, and hand Eric Holder the credit by having him announce the miraculous work of the United States government. This single story is so convenient that I honestly don’t believe it’s true.
It’s no secret that the United States government wants to go to war with Iran and is simply looking for an excuse that it can feed the American public. Eric Holder is in some very hot water right now due to his knowledge of operation Fast and Furious, which involved the United States government smuggling guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartels . Finally the drug cartels are becoming more of a problem as their violence spills across the American-Mexican border and we’re looking for an excuse to march in after them (mostly so the government can continue it’s war on drugs).
Basically this story creates propaganda against Iran and the Mexican drug cartels while it boosts the image of Eric Holder and America’s anti-terrorist initiative. I’m sorry but this pill is a little hard to swallow. Hell if you’ve ever seen the movie Wag the Dog this is basically the same idea.
Dear Christopher Burg,
Could you add your thoughts and insights on the imminent development of nuclear weapons by Iran?
I do believe they are developing nuclear weapons simply because it would be idiotic not to. This day an age you’re not a truly recognized state unless you have an arsenal of nuclear warheads at the ready.
With that said I believe the United States government is overblowing the entire situation because they are ignoring a simple fact: if Iran wants nuclear weapons they can get them. It’s probably more productive for the US to let Iran continue in-state development of those weapons (and covertly sabotaging their efforts) because it will take them quite some time to perfect the technology. Their other option is to simply buy them from another nation (Russia, China, Pakistan, take your pick). With so many breakaway Soviet republics holding unknown numbers of nuclear weapons it would actually be far easier for Iran to purchase such weapons as opposed to developing them.
Most people I talk to fear Iran obtaining nuclear weapons not because they would be a threat to the United States (even with warheads they have no functional delivery system that could get the warhead from Iran to the United States) but to Israel. Israel has nuclear weapons already (the United States supplied them) so Iran likely feels as though they’re in an arms race thus urging them to put more money into their nuclear weapons program. Still the fact of the matter is I don’t believe the hatred between Israel and Iran is any of our business. A majority of those who do believe it’s our business seem to think that for religious purposes (at least a majority of the pro-Israel people I’ve talked to). I believe religious ideas aren’t proper reasons to consider when forming foreign policy.
In the end no matter what the United States or other NATO countries do Iran is going to eventually obtain nuclear weapons. They want them because no nuclear armed nation has faced an actual invasion due to the deterrent effect of their nukes. As Iran fears invasion by either the United States of Israel it makes perfect sense that they want nukes and that they will get them no matter what sanctions we place on them (Hell they probably already have an arsenal purchased from former Soviet republics looking for money).