“Netanyahu’s case against diplomatic relations with Iran is built on two false premises: first, the claim based on a false translation that Iran wants to destroy Israel … Second, it is based upon the false claim that Iran is developing nuclear weapons.”–James Fetzer
by Jim Fetzer and Press TV
Press TV has conducted an interview with James Fetzer, a professor with the University of Minnesota, in Madison, Wisconsin, about US President Barack Obama’s apparent change of tone vis-à-vis Iran and his possible willingness to ease Washington’s tensions with Tehran plus Israel’s reaction to that. The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.
Press TV: We saw President Obama’s speech at the UN General Assembly and what he said regarding Iran. Then we again saw what he said on Iran after his meeting with Benyamin Netanyahu.
How are you interpreting this sudden change in tone?
Fetzer: I believe it is a very positive development. Netanyahu’s case against diplomatic relations with Iran is built on two false premises: first, the claim based on a false translation that Iran wants to destroy Israel.
On 25 October 2005, then President Ahmadinejad cited the Ayatollah Khomeini’s observation that this regime occupying Jerusalem must vanish from the pages of time, which was a call for regime change, not the destruction of Israel.
While the loss of his position as prime minister might be a catastrophe for Netanyahu, I believe the world would breathe a sigh of relief.
Second, it is based upon the false claim that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The 16 intelligence agencies of the United States converged in the conclusion in 2007 that Iran was not pursuing a nuclear weapons program – a conclusion they reaffirmed in 2011, which means that the imposition of sanctions upon Iran for the development of a nuclear weapons program by the Obama administration is contradicted by the findings of its own intelligence agencies and represents a form of collective punishment, which was found to be a war crime by the Nuremberg Tribunal.
Press TV: Iran has been saying – and I’m quoting officials here and those involved with the nuclear program – that it’s been allowing IAEA inspections of its nuclear capabilities, nuclear facilities, nuclear activities and that the supervision that the IAEA has on these activities is even beyond what Iran is entitled to based on the NPT.
At the same time, I’d like to have your comment on how Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA plays into this and the fact that the IAEA has not come up with any evidence that Iran is pursuing a weapons program.
And then Israel, which is known to possess nuclear weapons as the only entity in the region that’s known to possess nuclear weapons, how ironic that is when it comes out and says that it wants Iran to stop enriching uranium, to put its entire nuclear program altogether away – that coming from an entity that has weapons of mass destruction itself.
Click here: “Israel’s case against diplomacy with Iran is based upon lies”
Fetzer: Well, of course, all the points you make are impeccable. Iran has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty; Iran has allowed inspectors; Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons. All of that is very evident in the record.
Israel, however, has 200-600 of these little beauties, has never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and will not allow inspectors.
I believe Netanyahu is attempting to refocus attention on Iran because the agreement to remove chemical weapons from Syria reached by the United Nations threatens to cast the spotlight on the fact that Israel also has a huge arsenal of chemical and biological weapons. It possesses these weapons of mass destruction, which it has never disclosed in violation of nuclear, biological and chemical conventions.
And Netanyahu and other hawks in Israel are terrified of the thought that they might actually be held responsible under international law, which they have made a practice of flouting in the past.
Press TV: Regarding what was said by our guest in New York (Alon Ben-Meir, Mideast Director of the World Policy Institute), he was saying that the “charm offensive” by Iran is not enough that in order for mistrust to be resolved between the two sides that action is needed.
But this is also what Iran is asking the US. Iran is saying that we can’t, after three decades of mistrust, expect the United States to say something … you can’t expect Iran to trust them when they say that they want rapprochement with Iran; they are recognizing Iran’s nuclear rights.
Already we’re seeing contradictory remarks being made by Obama on this, even in his remarks. So, what do you think is needed for that confidence building?
Fetzer: Well, it’s necessary to take a hard objective look at the evidence. Iran has never made an effort to overthrow the government of the United States, but in 1953, Kermit Roosevelt and the CIA overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran.
It’s atrocious to suggest the US has reasons to distrust Iran when Iran has every reason to distrust the United States. Iran is a peaceful nation, it hasn’t attacked any other country in over 300 years, has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, allows inspectors, and is perfectly entitled to develop a peaceful nuclear energy program.
Lurking in the background is that fact that Iran has the capacity to provide nuclear fuel rods to developing nations at much lower prices than the American nuclear industry, which would like nothing better than to cut off the competition that Iran represents. The situation is completely hypocritical …
I am hoping that Obama will follow the lead provided by the American people when they objected overwhelmingly – some 90 percent of the American people – to the idea of throwing cruise missiles into Syria, which would not only kill many more Syrians than the administration alleges had died from the use of these gas attacks, which clearly were committed by the rebels and not by the Syrian government, but would be in obvious violation of international law when Obama claims to be upholding international law.
I am reminded of the stories from Vietnam – “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.”
Press TV: Do you think that Israel is actually in favor of relations between Iran and the US, Iran and the West and is working towards that aim?
Fetzer: Israel is trying to defeat any normalization of relationship between Iran and the United States – which would be all for the good.
Israel has committed many terrorist acts and blamed them on others including Iran. In 1992, it attacked its own Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and then again in 1994 attacked its own Jewish community center. I published on this with Adrian Salbuchi. Israeli attacks, Argentina: 1992False Flag attacks in and 1994″, and“ there are many other instances of terrorism committed by Israel, not by Iran.
