THE U.S. AND ISRAEL MAY NEED TO FIND SOME OTHER EXCUSE TO ATTACK IRAN.

Reports are suggesting that the Russians are now insisting that Iran halt its uranium enrichment program. The Russians have been major suppliers and contractors in Iran’s quest for nuclear power which Iran insists it wants solely for the generation of electrical energy. The reports further suggests that Russia may support European and US demands for further UN Security Council sanctions against Iran if it does not cease its enrichment program.

Until now Russia has been very supportive of Iran’s nuclear program and has declined to support strong sanctions against Iran. The question now is; why then is Russia now demanding Iran put a stop to its enrichment program?

There are a number of reasons, but it should first be pointed out that it is not the obvious one – Russia does not believe that Iran has a secret nuclear weapons agenda; if it did, it would not be helping Iran build its nuclear facilities.

So, what are the other reasons? The Russians are aware that both Israel and the right-wing and neoconservative elements of the US have got an itchy trigger finger and are relying on pushing the ‘Iran has a nuclear weapons program’ propaganda and rhetoric in order to create a casus belli to strike Iran to affect regime change. However, without any enrichment program there can be no weapons program and without a weapons program Israel and the US will be deprived of a reason to attack Iran.

Russia is also aware that there is a certain amount of urgency involved given that the US Presidential elections are now only nine months away. If Obama wins the election there will be virtually no chance of the US attacking Iran or even backing Israel in attacking Iran. As Australian neoconservative commentator Greg Sheridan says, “If Bush believes Iran will go nuclear, he might have faith that McCain can handle it. He will have absolutely no faith that Obama would handle it.” This means that, if it looks like Obama will win the election, Bush may elect to attack Iran before his time is out. On the other hand, if it looks like McCain might win, Bush may elect to leave it to McCain to attack Iran as he has indicated he would.

Russia itself also, however, has a commercial interest in Iran not enriching its own uranium – Russia would like to supply more of their own fuel to Iran as they have been doing while Iran gets its own enrichment program up and going.

So the reason why Russia is supporting the push to get Iran to stop enriching uranium is not because it believes Iran has a weapons program but because it deprives the US and Israel of an excuse to attack Iran.

If we are to believe the propaganda and rhetoric, then Iran deciding to give away its enrichment program should be the end of the matter. Unfortunately, it won’t be. The US and Israel want to attack Iran in order to have regime change, not stop Iran’s so-called enrichment program; the US and Israel know full well that Iran doesn’t have an enrichment program and, despite the propaganda and rhetoric, don’t have a skerrick of evidence to even suggest that it has.

Regime change in Iran, just as it was in Iraq, is absolutely essential for Israel in its strategy of defeating Hamas and Hezbollah and pacifying Syria. These three entities are all that stands in the way of complete Israeli domination of Palestine and the creation of a Greater Israel. With Iran neutralised Palestinian and Syrian resistance will crumble and the last obstacles to Israeli Zionist dreams will be eliminated.

If Iran does decide to abide by Russia’s wishes and suspend or give up its enrichment program then the US and Israel will have to seek other reasons to attack Iran. Israel will no doubt turn to pointing out to the world that Iran is supplying Hezbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and other weaponry that are a threat to Israel. (Never mind, of course, that the US is already supplying sophisticated weaponry to Israel that is not just a threat, but is actually being used against the Palestinians and has been used against the Lebanese people.) And the US no doubt will increase their rhetoric about Iran intervening in Iraqi affairs and causing death and destruction in Iraq. (Never mind, of course, that the US has massively intervened in Iraqi affairs to the tune of over a million dead and another several millions made homeless.)

One way or the other and sooner or later the US and the Israelis are determined to have regime change in Iran. Russia’s move to support UN demands that Iran cease their enrichment program buys a little more time for the world to wake up to what is going on and demand that our governments cease and desist from further wars for the right-wing of Israel and their neoconservative supporters in the US and elsewhere.