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Iran Justified in Opposing Inspections

As published in the Washington Report on the Middle East: October, 2015.

While I appreciate international concern about Iran’s nuclear weapons potential, I think the ruling mullahs have no intention of actually attacking Israel, even if they had atomic bombs and effective delivery systems. Somehow, Western power brokers have become convinced that “we” have the right to limit Iranian influence in their own neighborhood; an arrangement Americans and Canadians would naturally reject. Rarely mentioned is the U.S. desire to control Iran’s huge natural gas reserves and strategic location.

Apparently, Western security experts fear that Iran may “cheat” on its nuclear deal. While I oppose the more brutal conduct of the current Iranian regime; they do have the right to restrict inspection of their military facilities, as every nation does. Beyond that, I might remind readers that official U.S. nuclear weapons policy dictates preventative first strikes against a variety of foreign targets, including nations without nuclear weapons.

Since deterrence and intimidation are the main reasons for possessing these monstrous devices, I must ask: why is it acceptable for the U.S., the U.K., Russia, China and Israel to reject U.N. nuclear site inspections while Iran is expected to meekly open its borders to this oversight and also inspections of their military bases?

Such arrogant exceptionalism discourages other nations from submitting to third-party inspections and contributes to secretive nuclear proliferation. It is vital that we grant moral equality to our so-called enemies if we expect them to behave reasonably.

(Also rarely mentioned is the fact that Iran’s Supreme Leader issued a fatwa against developing nuclear weapons, and that U.S. intelligence concluded in 2007 that Iran had abandoned any plans it had to acquire them.: editors)