Kees,

Just what is the accepted pragmatic line ?

Iam intrigued by the following quotation from your article

"Just for those who have missed something over the past years and decades: the fascist Iranian regime has killed tens of thousands of its opponents, it has thousands of political prisoners, most of whom suffer torture, is hostile to women and homosexuals"

You seem so attached to the United states as a model nation deserving of respect that you have failed to take into account the USA record of killing Millions of people to whom they are opposed , torturing and rendering thousands of innocent people whom they suspect of being opposed to them.

The actions of American imperialism has created the need for Latin American Countries to seek allies with countries like Iran because they are all in the same boat, needing to distance themselves from relationships with America who only seek to plunder their resources,force so called Free Trade Agreements on them and as in Honduras, stand by whilst a military coup removes an elected President to instal a regime more to America's liking.

For a Journalist you have a decided bias and compromise all the basic ethics of that profession.You also appear to display a strong Anti Muslim attitude which does you no credit

"Nuclear weapons for Iran will lead to a nuclear arms race in the highly volatile Middle East"

Should read...

Nuclear weapons in Israel HAVE led to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

i'm no fan of Ahmadinejad, or of the repressive iranian state. but western warmongers have told so many lies about iran (and iraq, and venezuela, and ...), i don't take a single word of what kees says on faith. if it's not reasonably documented, i give it absolutely no weight whatsoever.

i also eagerly await kees's next article: america's dubious friends.

I'm with bushbasher.

The Iranian regime is revolting, and its Latin friends not much less so, but the West's atrocities in South America and the Middle East don't leave enough credibility to indulge in criticism.

And mikk's on the money, too. If Israel didn't have nukes, they would be far less desirable for the region's other fascists.

Yep, though we can relate to her social distatefulness, we might give Iran her due, she has never tried to occupy another country since her Persian days.

Certainly we cannot say the same for America, only too anxious to occupy Iran not long after WW2 with the excuse that a victorious Stalin was about to move in waving the Hammer and Sickle.

So America moved in telling lies about a bogey Shah with US oil companies not far behind.

Then the Iranian Ayatolla later moving in ordering the US Embassy to be held in prison for more than a year, and regarded by us WW2 veterans as a deserved kick up the US backside for upsetting generous codes of forgiveness such as the Marshall Plan.

But America stayed determined as she backed Saddam's Iraq to attack Iran in 1981, Donald Rumsfeld acting as war rep'.

But after nearly 8 years, Iraq was ready to quit, with Donald Rumsfeld shamefacedly quiet.

Still, there was America's little favourite, Israel, about ready to roar, years back the US having virtually ordered the UN to keep quiet while Israel went militarily atomic.

The above is enough to say that though Iran does not hold pride of place in today's world, it could be said that there is little doubt that much of it is because she happens to be Islamic.

But surely to goodness a large nation like Iran is allowed to show pride in being Islamic, even if so many Westerners do tend to regard Islamic nations as second rate

Which country has 3 wars in action based on lies? Why is Iran under threat? It only is in the process of developing one and has not the means to deliver it very far.Israel it is estimated has between 100-200 nukes and the means to deliver them.Shouldn't there be sanctions against them?

Iran is an easy target and it has lots of oil.They also need Iran like Afghanistan to get gas and oil pipe lines to the sea.Iran is not a threat.It would not dare launch and attack since the USA could remove it from the planet many times over.