US-made Crisis: Countdown to Iran War?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, waves to the crowd in a rally marking the 32nd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, at the Azadi (Freedom)Square, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011, while the Azadi monument tower is seen in background. , a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

US-made crisis: countdown to Iran war?

Mon Nov 28, 2011 4:35PM GMT
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An American analyst believes belligerent US rhetoric and regional military moves targeting Syria and Iran indicate that imperialism's manufactured "nuclear crisis" is a cynical pretext for war.

In an article published on the Global Research website on Monday, Tom Burghardt explained about US hostile measures in its three-decade covert war against Iran, mentioning the recent report by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano as an excuse to justify possible military action against Tehran.

He said despite the fact that the "agency continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material at [Iran's] nuclear facilities," Amano still claims that the IAEA "is unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.”

The analyst added that far from being an independent nuclear watchdog, the IAEA under Amano's stewardship has been transformed into "highly-politicized and pliable organization" eager to do Washington's bidding.

Burghardt pointed to a 2009 State Department cable released by Wikileaks, according to which, Yukiya Amano thanked the US for having supported his candidacy and took pains to emphasize his support for the strategic US objectives for the agency.

The IAEA report, according to Burghardt, was followed by a new wave of sanctions imposed by the US and its European allies against Iran's financial and oil sectors to further strangle the country's economy.

“Despite, or possibly because no credible evidence exists that Iran is building a nuclear bomb as a hedge against regime change, belligerent rhetoric and regional military moves targeting Syria and Iran simultaneously are danger signs that imperialism's manufactured 'nuclear crisis' is a cynical pretext for war,” he concluded.

Burghardt noted that there are indications that Washington might envisage the option of an initial (US-backed) attack by Israel rather than an outright US-led military operation directed against Iran.

"The Israeli attack…would be presented to public opinion as a unilateral decision by Tel Aviv. It would then be used by Washington to justify, in the eyes of world opinion a military intervention of the US and NATO with a view to 'defending Israel', rather than attacking Iran,” he said.