Through years of diplomatic efforts, US officials have threatened to attack Iran on a regular basis. Exactly how often they should threaten Iran has often been a matter of contention, but there appeared to be bipartisan agreement that threatening Iran made some sort of sense.
Since all the threats at the time were based nominally on disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, one would think the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran, of which the US is a party and which the administration is championing, would stop the loose talk of war. That’s not the case, however.
If anything, in the weeks since the deal was reached, US officials have threatened Iran even more often, with the latest being a USA Today article quoting two “senior” military officials, described as being involved in the planning of attacks against Iran, describing the “comprehensive attack” on the nation.
The officials expressed “moderate confidence” that attacking Iran would set back its nuclear program “by as much as two years.” This is the same civilian nuclear program whose status was already resolved diplomatically.
And while the article treated this as pushing back Iran’s non-existent weapons program by two years, analysts and even some officials have warned that nothing would convince Iran of the need to have an active nuclear weapons program so much as a US attack on them.
It would also be a war crime of the highest order, as since Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapons program, a fact the US intelligence community has repeatedly attested to, means that attacking Iran’s nuclear program would mean attacking openly civilian infrastructure, things like power plants and the medical isotope reactor, simply to damage their infrastructure.
If it was up to them they would bomb the world to Stone Age, as their mind is set to be.
US officials or politicians are constantly threatening to wipe Iran [not to mention many other countries] off the map, or to "turn Iran into glass", or to "attack Iran". Yet the Israelites are always howling about Iran threatening to wipe them off the map [which was a mis-translation of part of a speech by Ahmadinejad].
Shouldn't everybody in the world recognize by now that the biggest threat to life on earth comes from the world's largest superpower?
It's mostly Americans that don't know this. Nearly everyone else, aside from Uncle Sam's vassals, has figured this out – that's why they keep attacking The Empire…
And after the reading of title, from out of the mouth of the worlds collective wisdom comes this word;
“DUH!
Not to long ago we looked at Germany as being the most militaristic nation, but I think since the end of world war two the U.S. has easily eclipised Germany. We spend more on defense than the next ten nations combined. We have hundreds of military bases all over the world. Satellites zooming in on just about everyone, allies included
and when Bush was in power we were at the height of arrogance. For a nation that has prided itself on being the freest in the world, it looks like we are paranoid that everyone wants to get us, allies included. I could see China or the former Soviet Union having the military mentality we are now saturated with to maintain their odious regimes, freightened the world would come in and over throw them by force. But it looks like we are the ones who have lost all sanity.
About time the world got together and discussed this runaway rouge nation and did something about it. Of course I speak of the US.
I know my comments don't get posted on Jason Ditz's article but that won't stop me!
The west and Israel have been trying to force Iran into developing and completing it's nuclear program for many years and Iran has had pursued their peaceful nuke program and stay away from developing a N-bomb! Why? It's because that the west is only interested in creating instability in the ME which results in selling more arms to the ME states! They call this stabilization of the region! My foot! Also the west would like to see proliferation of nuclear power plants in the ME so the entire business of building nuclear power plants is not captured only by the Russians!
"I know my comments don't get posted on Jason Ditz's article"
Like the man said, it's not what you don't know that hurts you; it's what you think you know that turns out not to be true.
"Senior military officials" who plan to be nowhere near the mayhem and chaos they create. Just like their grandfathers; 80 miles behind the front in a nice French Chateau sampling the vintage. Killing and dying is for the common folk.
It never occurs to the geniuses in Congress or the military that it could all go very wrong. Having the most expensive military in the world is not an absolute guarantee of success.
Hopefully there are some intelligent people in the war colleges who have studied some history. The more observant and intelligent members of the German general staff knew they were in trouble in late August or early September of 1941 – the next four years were just proving the mistake. In that instance, the plan was to "knock the door in" and the whole of the Soviet Union would come crashing down. It didn't turn out that way for the most powerful military of the time. Contempt for your adversary and over confidence in your own ability are a recipe for failure.
Wars always include a great deal of uncertainty. The possibility of failure and disaster never enter into the minds of all those pushing for war with Iran or Russia.
Repost reminder, General Wesley Clark: Wars Were Planned – Seven Countries In Five Years
"This is a memo that describes how we're going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran." I said, "Is it classified?" He said, "Yes, sir." I said, "Well, don't show it to me." And I saw him a year or so ago, and I said, "You remember that?" He said, "Sir, I didn't show you that memo! I didn't show it to you!"
General Wesley Clark Asked About 7 Country War Plan
Aug 11, 2015 Dozens of retired US generals, admirals demand Congress back Iran nuclear deal
Dozens of former senior U-S military officials urge Congress to ratify the outcome of nuclear negotiations between Iran and P5+1
https://youtu.be/iJ05f1IlFbU