Few believe Iran has nuclear weapons. We can't afford to repeat the Iraq War lie
The Middle East is once again in danger of exploding, with massive global geopolitical and economic implications. The leader who bears most responsibility for this is undoubtedly Benjamin Netanyahu.
For years, the Israeli prime minister has doggedly pursued the demise of the Iranian Islamic regime in line with his power interests and his vision of Israel's security requirements. His stated goal has long been to bring down the 'Islamic empire in Iran', 'expand the Abraham Accords with Arabs' and once and for all end the Palestinians' aspirations for an independent state. As part of this Middle East master plan, he has also zeroed in on Iran's nuclear program.
But let's not forget: No concrete evidence exists that Iran has been manufacturing nuclear weapons. In a congressional hearing earlier this year, the United States' Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed this fact. And earlier this week, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that 'on the basis of our evaluation, we came to the conclusion that we could not affirm that there is any systematic effort in Iran to manufacture a nuclear weapon'.
Despite this, Netanyahu continues to insist that Iran is on course to produce nuclear weapons within weeks, and the US is teetering on entering the war in Israel's support.
Meanwhile, he omits the fact that Israel itself has its own nuclear program.
Though Israel has never formally confirmed or denied its nuclear arsenal, its national Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1952. By 1958, researchers believe the government had established a weapons development site in Dimona, and American intelligence from the 1960s stated that there was a reprocessing plant for plutonium production at the site.
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As the Federation of American Scientists wrote in 2007, 'the existence of Israeli nuclear weapons is a 'public secret' by now due to the declassification of large numbers of formerly highly classified US government documents which show that the United States by 1975 was convinced that Israel had nuclear weapons'.
According to the Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Israel today has at least 90 nuclear warheads and enough material to produce hundreds more. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog has also found that of the 30 countries capable of developing nuclear weapons, Israel is among nine that possess them (Russia, US, China, France, United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea).
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Sky News AU
24 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
'It's not Israel's responsibility': Iranians should seize the opportunity to free themselves from dictatorship, while critics need to lay off Netanyahu
A lesson from both the Holocaust and October 7 is that when someone tells you he plans to kill you, you believe him. When that someone is building nuclear weapons, you doubly believe him. In a world of weakness, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) is a lone leader of strength. He is the only leader who isn't afraid to fight radical Islam head on while others surrender their countries. Tiny Israel is David taking on the Iranian Goliath, which is 80 times its size, with 10 times its population. Another lesson from the Holocaust is that what starts with the Jews never ends there. In the 1930s the world largely ignored the rise of Hitler and the persecution of the Jews in Germany. Instead of acting early, cowardly leaders ensured that World War II wrought the largest loss of life in history. It is the same story with radical Islam. World leaders lectured Israel as Muslim suicide bombers exploded in Tel Aviv's buses and Jerusalem's cafes. Eventually the West was hit too. In Paris, London, Madrid, New York, and Bali, Muslim extremists brought death. Israel's precision strikes have destroyed the military leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They have severely damaged its nuclear program. The Iranian response has indiscriminately targeted civilians in Israel. Thankfully, unlike the Islamic world, Israel protects its citizens and invests in bomb shelters, warning sirens and rockets to shoot down missiles. Nevertheless, there have been casualties in Israel. Refugees from Ukraine have been killed along with Arabs and Jews. Young children and the elderly. Each of these murders is a war crime but don't expect the UN or international courts to get involved. The Islamic Republic of Iran will pay for the destruction they have caused. Israel will likely destroy their oil infrastructure, one of the only parts of their economy that contributes anything. As Israel's Defence Minister said, because of their targeting of Israeli civilians, 'Tehran will burn'. The Bible says: 'To everything there is a season… a time for war, and a time for peace.' Bibi is a man who knows how to make peace and has made more peace deals with Arab countries than any Israeli leader in history. But he also knows when it is a time for war, a vanishingly rare quality in leaders these days. Can anyone seriously imagine Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, faced with a threat to Australia's national security, rising to the challenge in this way? For that matter it's hard to picture the leaders of once great empires, Britain or France protecting their nations like this. While some in Israel have disagreements with aspects of Netanyahu's domestic politics, the country is united behind him as he seeks to remove the nuclear 'Sword of Damocles' which the Islamic Republic of Iran has hung over it. It's not tiny Israel's responsibility to free the people of Iran. They must seize the opportunity themselves and end the extremist Islamic dictatorship that hangs gays and murders women for not wearing headscarves. They may never get a chance like this again. The world stood by and issued statements and sanctions while North Korea developed nuclear weapons. Fanatical Ayatollahs with nukes would make North Korea look like child's play. Netanyahu is wanted in the Hague on fabricated war crimes charges but it's to Oslo where he should be summoned and presented with a Nobel Peace Prize. No man has singularly reshaped the Middle East in modern times, crushing terrorist groups and leading to the overthrow of brutal dictatorships. If there had been an Israel and a Benjamin Netanyahu in the 1930s and 1940s, there wouldn't have been a Holocaust. Netanyahu keeps a bust of Winston Churchill in his office. There are many parallels between the two men. For decades now, Netanyahu has been a powerful, often lone voice in calling out the dangers of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He went into the lion's den like no Israeli leader before him and appeared before Congress to challenge the then-sitting President Barack Obama and his Iran capitulation deal. Churchill was often pilloried for his continued warnings about the rising Nazi danger. Feckless leaders of the West, then as in now, were exhausted from past wars and desperate to avoid a new war at all costs. In the 1930s, they allowed the Nazis to threaten the world and murder millions. Netanyahu has just ensured that whatever happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not do the same. The world owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Prime Minister Netanyahu. I don't expect them to thank him but the least they can do is be quiet and get out of the way. Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory is a political commentator on issues affecting Israel and the Australian Jewish community
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36 minutes ago
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