America's obsession with Iran

Niloufar Parsi
by Niloufar Parsi
24-Oct-2009
 

Naom Chomsky's recent comment on the US approach to Iran in an interview with Jon Snow, 14 October 2009:

If someone was watching this from Mars, they’d collapse in ridicule.
The United States is telling Iran to stop its aggressive militarism? I
mean we occupy two countries on their border, US spending on arms is
approximately equal to the rest of the world combined, we’re
threatening them with attack and violation of the UN Charter and on and
on. Iran hasn’t invaded anyone for, probably, centuries, except for two
Arab islands that the Shah conquered with the support of the United
States.

Are there any Marsians here? I have felt like a Marsian for a while because the whole thing seems just rediculous. the biggest military bully just will not stop threatening Iran, as if we did not have enough problems of our own to sort out with a rabid theocracy, a region burning with fundamentalist fire, and an existential threat from a dangerous, nuclear-armed Israel.

what should a 'good' iranian do?

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ex programmer craig

NP

by ex programmer craig on

After this guy advocates Iranians should commit massive war crimes and raise terrorism to a whole new level, that's all you have to say to "tuth seeker"? And you so freely call Americans on this website who are trying to find a way to resolve differences peacefully "warmongers"?

I think that's interesting. Don't you thing that's interesting, Niloufar Parsi?


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by timothyfloyd on

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Niloufar Parsi

truthseeker

by Niloufar Parsi on

in truth we seek peace. there is too much war going on.


Niloufar Parsi

timothyfloyd

by Niloufar Parsi on

you mean iran is the country with over 150 military bases and over 10,000 nuclear warheads all over the world, and not the US? iran invaded afghanistan and iraq after being attacked by saudis (allegedly, and without any due process for legal avenues), and not the US? iran has surrounded the US with its military? what do you mean? do you even know?

Peace


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by timothyfloyd on

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John

No offense Craig

by John on

... but you are digressing from what this thread is about.  Obviously you dislike any opinion that differs from what your Republican Party cheerleading Fox News talking heads tell you is the truth, but since you've turned away from the original discussion of America's illegal wars and its hypocritical criticism of Iran (the item was about Noam Chomsky's comments, not mine) and have attempted to rephrase the discussion around Iran's nuclear program, I assume that you no longer disagree with our contention that America is currently, and has been for at least the last fifty years, the greatest perpetrator of violence against humanity, and that you are now just practicing obfuscation.

Whether or not I receive replies from you is irrelevant to me, but since you seem to be responding to me in clusters of two or three comments I'm guessing that you not responding is just an idle threat.

In any case, I am curious to know what it is that you think is wrong with the formatting, because I really don't see anything.  Maybe it's your tinfoil hat that is causing interference; it can't be mine because I neither own nor wear one.


truthseeker

what should a 'good' iranian do? i'll tell ya!

by truthseeker on

arm yourself to the teeth, guns knives, rockets, guns and ski masks and more guns, rock an ak and a suicide vest (only use if you are going to be taken prisoner as you don't want that - abu ghraib!) make every able body iranian man woman and child battle ready. (everyone fights no exceptions!) train yourselves up with hardcore s.a.s styled real trainning. look to history and other media!fight back with everything you have and then some. show amerikkka and the rest of the western block cruasders no quarter no mercy send them all home in body bags. when they come for you, which they are! don't let them do to you what they did to your brothers in iraq.

stay united as one people, do right by each other share with each what you have. but most of don't attack israel as that what the wicked west wants that why they"failed" in iraq. be strong and never given up! not ever! resistance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! allah akbar!!!!!!!!!

good luck!


Niloufar Parsi

kharmagas

by Niloufar Parsi on

don't i know it :)

but i guess u r one of those 'been there done that' types around!


kharmagas

right on Sag Koochooloo!

by kharmagas on

Sag jAn... see, some sense of humor doesn't hurt.

BTW Nilou, sorry I didn't reply to you explicitly yesterday. Here is my view, I wish Iran can weather all these pressures despite my disagreements with IRI's internal policies, ...., I know it is an indirect/short answer to your question, but hope it is acceptable. As you know I am a lazy writer.


capt_ayhab

Craig

by capt_ayhab on

All of your so called mathematical computations only make sense for the audience of Faux News and no one else.

before going through such mind boggling calculations ! You have one thing to prove, and that Iran is after nuclear weapon. So far not one has been able to prove that.

The only so called evidence comes form fabricated laptop contents of presumably Iranian dissident which was given to Mossad. The content of which is in total doubt even by US security establishment and IAEA.

Read More Here

-YT 


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by sag koochooloo on

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kharmagas

Harfe HesAb, Sag Koochooloo

by kharmagas on

Harfe hesAb! ...... now don't say I called you Zionist again (kalle manA dard niAr dobAreh)!


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by sag koochooloo on

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ex programmer craig

John 2

by ex programmer craig on

Gonna use your tactic and just editorialize in my alleged replies to you until you get that little issue resolved. I'm sure you won't mind!

What do you think of this?

//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8325660.stm

So Iran's counter offer is that they get to keep enriching their own uranium, and buy enriched uranium from China.

For the purposes of my examples, Iran currently has "1" enriched uranium.

Old deal:

1 enrched uranium - 1 enriched uranium = 0 enriched uranium

New deal:

1 enriched uranium + 1 enriched uranium = 2 enriched uranium

Now what's not to like about that deal!? Especially if IRI gets normalized relations with the west too! Sweet!

Do you think they are trying to be funny? Or do they really think westerners are so stupid?

And you probably won't notice it, but I oversimplified that. The original offer was that the Europeans would enrich Iran's uranium in such a way that it can fuel nuclear reactors, but can't be used for nuclear weapons.

So in original deal, Iran gets 1 nuclear fuel, not 0 enriched uranium.

In new deal, Iran gets 2 nuclear weapons (presumably the uranium bought from China could be further enriched to weapons grade material, and taht's why they want to buy it from China and not France).

IRI benefits greatly from this deal, and the west shoots itself in the head. You think the west will go for it? You wanna explain to me why this blatant and insulting show of bad faith is the West's fault?


ex programmer craig

John

by ex programmer craig on

Maybe the tinfoil hat is creating some kind of feedback loop... is there any way you can remove it long enough to post your comments? I'll use my connections with the CIA and  Mossad to get them to lay off with the satellite that is trying to transmit to the chip in your brain stem. Promise!


ex programmer craig

John

by ex programmer craig on

Did you just declare divine victory? lol. Met my match? I knew people with better debating skills tahn you when I was in 6th grade. And that's not sarcasm.

Anyway, I told you to change whatever you are doing that screws up the formatting of comments if you want any more replies from me. Is that done?

 


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by Shepesh on

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John

Craig - misinformed as usual - Part 2

by John on

Did I manage to get your goat Craig?  It seems so, and all it took was 10 minutes of typing on the Iranian.com feedback form, not 6 hours on a word processor as you imply.  Some of us are quite capable of thinking for ourselves and typing spontaneously.

I find it amusing that you criticize my comments and demand that the moderators remove them at the same time that you call me a "big oaf", with "fat peanut butter fingers" who manages to type "about 1 complete word per minute" and is a "leftist formatting fungus" and an "asshat".  Sticks and stones Craig.  Your inane attempts at insulting me is so puerile and harmless.

Sorry Craig, but you've met your match.  I am none of those things, but what I am is someone more aware of the chicanery and machinations of the American government than you are.  You've been hoodwinked by your own leaders man!  Everything that I wrote is true and factual, and your vehement response is just proof that you are ignorant of what your own government has perpetrated and is continuing to perpetrate against some sovereign nations.  Do you not believe that the US has assassinated and launched coups for at least fifty years?  Whether you believe it not, it is true.  Maybe you should stop watching Fox News and get your information from reliable sources instead.

Oh, by the way Craig, this response to your vitriol took me all of 5 minutes to type.  No research, no word processor, no BS; just 100% honest opinion and independent thinking (some of us do have brains).  Try it some time, you may enjoy the experience.  I hope that the three words that I put in bold face haven't confused you.  Oh, and the reason why my responses to your idiocy takes half a day or longer is because I actually have a life and a job.  Two more things that you might enjoy if you were to sample them.


capt_ayhab

Ms. Parsi

by capt_ayhab on

Excellent post.

The obsession must be due to LOVE, Knowing that there is only a hairline difference between love and HATE.

Regards

-YT 


Niloufar Parsi

mostafa khan

by Niloufar Parsi on

great comment! i hope you will give us some idea on how we can make a forward looking contribution here.

Peace


Niloufar Parsi

vildemose

by Niloufar Parsi on

I agree that iran is not and never was a threat to the US, and this makes the whole US attitude toward iran rather 'obsessive'. i would even suggest that the obama approach may be tied to the economic woes of the US, and her realisation that the end of empire is near. empires often drive themselves bankrupt through excessive military adventurism.  the military industrial complex is as much a cause of US weakness in that sense.

as for israel, i think iran is a real threat to israel's power projection in the region, and that israel's loss of power to iran is inevitable. 

as for iran's 'ludicrous defensive strategy makes all kinds of enemies long and short
term all across the world by interfering in other countries affairs
', well, yes and no. iran's strategy has to some extend been ludicrous in that it has been carried out way too confrontationally and guided by some cosmic fundamentalist cause, leading to illusions of having a monopoly on the 'truth' and the 'gateway to heaven'. this, however, is similar to US and israeli misconceptions. and 'interfering in other countries affairs' is surely not specific to iran. 

Peace


ex programmer craig

Moderators pt 2

by ex programmer craig on

If that's not good enough, can I get John deleted for needing to spend 6 hours using an external word processor to come up with a 4 paragraph comment that wasn't even any good? Although I do admit I'm enjoying picturing some big oaf pounding away at his keyboard with his fat peanut butter fingers and managing to get about 1 complete word in per minute, I don't like to think that's the kind of guy I'm debating and I'm sure nobody else does either!


ex programmer craig

Moderators

by ex programmer craig on

Can I get John's comment deleted based on the fact that he sabotages Iranian.com with some kind of leftist formatting fungus? That must be against some policy or other? And why not just delete his whole account... I feel confident stating that nobody will miss him. I took an informal poll of all the gangs and everyone gave John a thumbs down.


ex programmer craig

John

by ex programmer craig on


Afghanistan is a tribal country that is impossible to attack
successfully....

...but would you expect a
backward, tribal country to be able to root them out...

Apparrently, you think that Arabs can successfully invade Afghanistan against the will of the Afghan tribes, but nobody else can?

If it wasn't obvious enough how disingenuos you are being, the Taliban offerred to turn OBL and the rest of the AQ leadership over to the US back in winter of 2001. It seems the taliban did believe they had that ability, eh? And you know what? They still do. AQ is sheltering with the Taliban right now.

Afghanistan did not attack America... Taliban was ruling Afghanistan. Taliban was giving AQ safe harbor.Facts is facts, John.


It's so noble of you to admit that Iraq didn't attack America, but...

Well, thank you very much! I'm sure you won't mind that I snip your irrelevant editorialzing?

As for Iran, all I can say is that there is nothing so hypocritical
as a self-righteous American such as yourself who points accusing
fingers at other nations while giving their own country a free pass on
its own far more numerous and far more widespread transgressions.

Really? That's all you can say? I think you should try harder! You are, after all, the one who brought it up! I confronted you with an alternative interpretation, and this is what I get? More one sided editorializing? I waited hours for this? It took you hours to come up with that? I think Niloufar Parsi is going to be very disappointed in you!

Hypocrisy Craig.  Look it up in the dictionary and you'll see a definition of yourself and many of your leaders.
This, from a guy who does nothing but berate the greatest country (in every way) on earth, in defense of one of the most repressive and totalitarian regimes which happens to also be the world's leading state sponsor of international terrorism? John, something tells me the word "hypocrisy" doesn't even have any real meaning for you... it's just another accusation that you have been programmed to hurl at your opponents. Your whole rant was so predictable. I can't believe after half a day this was all you had. You could have copy pasted better stuff from posts on this website from a couple years ago. What organization to you belong too? You should stop paying your dues until they can provide you with better material. By the way, I noticed while attempting to format this reply in a way that was legible that the formatting was all screwed up and impossible to correct. There was some other asshat I constantly had that problem with. Him, and nobody else. I even commented on it a couple times. Now he's gone. And you are here. *shrug* Whatever you are doing with the formatting, knock it off if you want any more replies from me. What are you using, a word processor or something?

John

Craig - misinformed as usual

by John on

Afghanistan is a tribal country that is impossible to attack successfully, as the British, Russians and now the Americans can attest to.  Yes Al Qaida installed itself there, but would you expect a backward, tribal country to be able to root them out when the big, bad Americans with their billion dollar arsenal can't do it?  Afghanistan did not attack America (a few terrorists squatting in that country did), but America definitely did attack Afghanistan.

It's so noble of you to admit that Iraq didn't attack America, but that didn't stop your war criminals Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld from knowingly fabricating evidence to the contrary and then conducting a propaganda campaign to convince the gullible American population to believe their lies, and then illegally invading a sovereign country and directly or indirectly causing the deaths of tens or hundreds of thousands of its citizens.

As for Iran, all I can say is that there is nothing so hypocritical as a self-righteous American such as yourself who points accusing fingers at other nations while giving their own country a free pass on its own far more numerous and far more widespread transgressions.

The hostage crisis stunned the whole world you say?  Perhaps you should more accurately state that it stunned all of America, because the rest of the world was not very surprised that someone finally stood up to the bully America, after America had sponsored or actively performed regime overthrows, including in Iran in 1953, had assassinated a multitude of foreign leaders (see Viet Nam, several African countries, etc.) and planned to assassinate others (see Cuba).

Hypocrisy Craig.  Look it up in the dictionary and you'll see a definition of yourself and many of your leaders.


mostafa ghanbari

The main missing thing is the poor truth

by mostafa ghanbari on

mg

Ignorance, poverty, greed and hypocrisy  are our fatal enemies in this odd but fantastic world. There are a lot of silly games which are seemingly legitimate and have their own defined rules and regulations. politicians sound great and human in their rhetoric. Justice, democracy, freedom, equality and humanity, these lofty words are expressed to the utmost of eloquence; but we can easily see  that the truth is skewed blatantly; we can easily see ourselves involved in a ridiculous game which has some benefits just for the rhetorical and bombastic side of the game.

Western powers and America have been flirting with Iran this beautiful and rich lady in different ways for a long time without really being worried about our people. But we should not be so pessimistic and obsessed with the past as I believe now we are a nation of cogency and of course familiar with the rules of silly games.

Islamic regime is in fact the illegitimate child of those illegitimate flirtations of West and American with Iran. Let's hope we can find a way and change the current situations in Iran before it is too late.

 


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by sag koochooloo on

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ex programmer craig

NP

by ex programmer craig on

Is that you deleting my comments? Or a moderator?


ex programmer craig

vildemose

by ex programmer craig on

In fact, the state department did not even have a 'Iran desk' until a couple of years ago.

Well, that makes sense. The US and Iran have no diplomatic relations. There'd be nothing for the State Department to do. I think it would prove your argument better if you could show that the CIA wasn't paying any attention to Iran.

The rhetoric serves the US military industrial complex  and the IRI's own nascent  Islamist-military Industry and the
rest of transnational arm dealers across all continents.

I can't really agree with that. If anything, I'd argue that the US Government has been negligent in regards to the IRI. Or, at best, complacent. I've never gotten over the sense of betrayal I felt towars Ronald Reagan in 1983... and I've always been a big fan of Ronald Reagan.Maybe he and every President after him felt that the IRI was just a barking dog that was best ignored, but I didn't feel that way then and I don't feel that way now. If it's true that the US Gov't doesn't feel threatened by Iran then I'd say that's a failure on their part. But, you may be right.

As far as who benefits from a hostile relationship... you realize that most the equipment the US militray uses even now was built during the Cold War, right? I suppose you could argue that selling equipment to Arabs and Israelis is a big money maker, but Iran hasn't been part of that equation until recently. I don't think either Arabs or Israelis buy military hardware primarily because of Iran, even now.

Is IRI really interested in defending Iran or itself?? What kind of
ludicrous defensive strategy makes all kinds of enemies long and short
term all across the world by interfering in other countries affairs?
One day these so called expansionist  "defensive measures" will come
back and haunt IRI. If IRI was interested in long-term strategic
defense of Iran instead of itself, it would have realized first and
foremost that false bravados are just that and someday their bluff is
going to be called.

I agree with you on that part. The problem is that it's worked so well for them up to now. I guess maybe it's hard to stop bluffing once you start. You never know, though. I was completely shocked when the Soviets called it quits after 40+ years. I never expected to see that. Even towards the end I thought they were playing some kind of game.


vildemose

I really don't think

by vildemose on

I really don't think America or Israel see Iran as a threat, contrary to their rhetoric. In fact, the state department did not even have a 'Iran desk' until a couple of years ago. The rhetoric serves the US military industrial complex  and the IRI's own nascent  Islamist-military Industry and the rest of transnational arm dealers across all continents.

Is IRI really interested in defending Iran or itself?? What kind of ludicrous defensive strategy makes all kinds of enemies long and short term all across the world by interfering in other countries affairs? One day these so called expansionist  "defensive measures" will come back and haunt IRI. If IRI was interested in long-term strategic defense of Iran instead of itself, it would have realized first and foremost that false bravados are just that and someday their bluff is going to be called.

As long as we are kept busy by these side shows courtesy of international network of arm dealers, we will not unite in dealing with the real issues in Iran or other places in the world. How could we focus on real issues when there is always threat of war theoritically any time the powers that be decide that it's time to make more money....

The threat of war on any nation will never cease. That's why the US has even war game plans for every country in the world  ready and updated every year inluding their allies such as Canada.