An important article by a writer well placed to represent an Iranian perspective. Nationalism is indeed a common and respectable denominator.

Israel repeatedly says Israel has the right to defend itself - Iran does as well. The West's problem, though, is that a nuclear armed Iran holds many risks for the West and Iran's neighbourhood, while a nuclear Israel has been a stabilising constant for 40 years.

Pete
see http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/iranian-googling-and-amateur-sigint.html

Pete,

any defender of democracy would reject the notion that oppression leads to stability. Most of us would maintain oppression only leads to temporary stability.

I doubt very much you could say Israel, with it's land-stealing and oppressive occupation, is heading for or leading the mid east to a period of sustained stability... especially in light of the democratising 'Arab Spring'.

40 years is nothing in terms of the history of the ancient Persians and Hebrews. However it is for Arabs, Israelis and Iranians.

The contest needs discussion in those terms and I agree the writer's perspective is highly relevant and enlightening.

Hi Ali Omedi

Thank you for bringing me up to date on what is happening in Iran. I loved the place.
I was working in Iran at Pahlavi University In Shiraz in 1967/8 and toured on most weekends to Issfahan ,Tehran, Yazd, Bashier, Masshed, Percepolis, to the Black Sea.

Our favourite trip was over the Zagross mountains to the Persian Gulf, and see the Backtarrii tribes migration from the summer pastures in the high mountains and down to the Persian gulf to pasture their animals.

I strongly support nuclear power generation for Iran and strong inspections by the IAEA to ensure that they do not build nuclear weapons. This is needed because most of Iranians we met said “what do we do when the oil runs out.”

They where right and a lot of Iran’s oil has been extracted in the last 42 years. No wonder they want nuclear power in 2012. Iran’s export deal with China in 2011 will enabled the products they need at a low price. When China builds their first thorium nuclear reactors Iran’s oil exports could remove them the clutches of the US ?.

In 1978 I remember a public meeting in Shiraz when a US diplomat told the local elite that the US wanted to exploit the oil at the bottom of the Persian Gulf and Iran should oppose the proposed 10 mile territorial limit. From the floor I strongly opposed that that diplomat and after the meeting, as I walked home a group of students tapped me on the shoulder. They thanked me for opposing the US policy because it was unsafe for them to speak out.

I already knew how dangerous for them it was to oppose the diplomat . Indeed their Vice Chancellor was also the Shah’s minister in charge of Iran’s secret police.

I agree with the Iranian students who want nuclear power but not nuclear weapons.

Just a few sobering words.The CIA has stated on numerous occasions that Iran is not refining Uranium to a weapons grade ore.The nuclear wars have already started,when are they classified as being too big?

Iran has serious defensive weapons and now both Russia and China are backing Iran if it is attacked,the stakes are as high as they can get.

There is much evidence of the USA using depleted Uranium in the Middle East.Since the first Gulf War male sperm counts in Israel have fallen by 40%.Prof Chris Busby has found evidence in Fallujah,Iraq of Uranium being refined to weapons grade.He suspects some type of min-nuke or at the outside a neutron bomb.This evidence was found in the hair of Iraqi women who have suffered enormous and severe birth defects.

Now the US seem to think that this new nuke technology and the defensive missile shield ,gives them an edge over their enemies.

In 1961 Russia exploded the largest Nuke ever.Originally it was 100 mega tonnes but they scaled it down to 50 mega tonnes for radiation safety purposes.It was 1400 times larger than Hiroshima or 10 ten times all the explosives used in WW2.It's mushroom cloud was 64 km high.It caused 3rd degree burns in a 100 km radius and broke windows 900 km away.

Now how much more advanced must both Russia and USA be today, some 51 years after this event? Missile shields may stop them arriving directly on our heads but the radiation would be enormous.

Fukushima is 2.5 -3 times worse than Chernobyl.We won't know the damage for decades to come.Our genetic integrity is already under threat.Over population may be the least of our worries in the near future,since we may lack enough viable genetic material to pass on to the next generation.Perhaps the other mammals look forward to our extinction.

Hi imajulianutter

Taking your points in turn:

I think the Arab Spring has militarily weakened the Arab regimes effected, causing division in their armies and increassing nervousness amongst their dictators. This has placed Israel (untouched by the Arab Spring) in relatively stonger political, diplomatic and military position to dictate Isreal's definition of stability.

I'm talking power politics from the "barrel" of and not Israel's oppressive and undemocratic treatment of Sunni Arabs in Palestine, Lebanon and elsewhere.

The Middle East strruggles are not just Israel versus Muslims but at least four sided. The Shiite Persians, centred in Iran, have a hatred of Sunni Arabs extending back longer than 1,000 years.

Putting Israel aside - in this OLO article http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=9915 I discussed the dangers of Sunni Arab Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Eqypt developing their own dual purpose nuclear facilities partly in response to the increasing Iranian nuclear threat.

A nuclear arms race of three more Middle Eastern countries triggered by Iran is not in anyone's including Iran's interests.

Regards

Peter Coates

The sad part Peter Coates is that if Ali Omidi had written something on racism,gay marriage or Hollywood,there would have 40 posts here by now.It is like Media Pavlov's Dogs.If you don't hit the right buttons,there is no reponse.The masses are totally conditioned by the Corporate Media and this is why the West is in such a mess intellectually/economically.Fortunately Pres Putin is a man of intellect who can smell the reality.

This is an extremely important topic and the masses are oblivious to the players,the truth and the dire ramifications for us all.

The Truth Movement is proposing an Iranian invasion War protest on Saturday 23rd March 12 noon at the Sydney Town Hall.If you want to stop a very possible WW3 be there.Will keep you updated.