Iranian Scientist Is Murdered

Iran is not currently building a nuclear bomb. That is a fact that has been verified by both the International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. They say that Iran might soon have the capability of building a weapon, but is not currently doing so. Of course that is not what most of the American public believes, because they have been told by the politicians of both political parties (but especially the Republicans) that an Iranian bomb is imminent -- and possibly just a few months away.

I'm not sure why the politicians have been so eager to spread this lie. Probably because it is what the Israelis want the world to believe, since it justifies any attacks Israel may carry out against that nation -- and Israel seems to dictate American policy these days. In fact, if they American people can be convinced that Iran poses a threat to us (and the rest of the world) then that would justify not only Israel going to war with Iran, but also the United States.

The lie would also justify other criminal acts, such as assassinations. And an assassination was just carried out in Iran. A nuclear scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan (a top official at a uranium enrichment facility in Iran), was killed by a bomb that had been placed under his car. He is the third nuclear scientist to be murdered with a bomb in the last two years -- and a fourth assassination was attempted, but the intended target (another scientist) survived the attack.

The United States and Israel would like for the world to believe that the murders were done by Iranian anti-government insurgents inside the country. That just doesn't make sense. Killing scientists is not going to help them topple the government. The insurgents (if they even exist and have this capability) are far more likely to strike at government leaders. Striking at scientists would just delay new sources of energy for the people of Iran instead of hurting the government.

It is far more likely that the culprit is either Israel or the American CIA. Considering the relative effectiveness of those two in that part of the world, Israel is the most likely perpetrator. But it really doesn't matter, because the Iranian government sees the U.S. and Israel as the same enemy (and they are justified in doing so). The U.S. has always backed any action taken by Israel -- whether it was justified or legal or not.

The truth is that these assassinations are not just illegal, but are driving the United States and Iran even closer to outright war. A war that neither country can afford, but both seem to want. Iran sees the assassinations as an attack on their sovereignity (which it certainly is), while the U.S. (and Israel) misuse these criminal acts as some kind of proof that Iran is building a nuclear bomb.

The decent thing for the United States government to do would be to condemn the assassinations very strongly and then put pressure on Israel to stop them -- before they push all three countries (and maybe even others) into an unnecessary war that would take the lives of far too many innocent people. I doubt that will happen though. Too many politicians in this country see pushing for a war with Iran as their way to show the voters how tough they are.

Are we going to have another war so some war-hawk politicians can be re-elected? Have we forgotten the lies told about Iraqi "weapons of mass destruction" so soon? Or is there no limit to the gullibility of the American electorate?