The U.K. Guardian reported today that Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak has stated that it may soon be too late for a military strike on Iran.
The article states:
But the veteran politician also publicly acknowledged the extent of debate and disagreement within Israel’s political and military echelons over the merits of a military strike.
He told an international conference in Herzliya, Israel, on Thursday: “The world today has no doubt that the Iranian military nuclear programme is slowly but surely reaching the final stages and will enter the immunity stage, from which point the Iranian regime will be able to complete the programme without any effective intervention and at its convenience.”
At that point it would be impractical to attack, he said.
Yesterday The Christian Science Monitor posted an article by Reza Kahlili (a former CIA spy in Iran) explaining why negotiations with Iran will not work. In his article he describes the five reasons that he believes that war with Iran should be avoided.
Some highlights from Mr. Kahlili’s article in The Christian Science Monitor:
I explained that the very ideology of Iran’s Islamic leaders was the sole reason for no progress in a negotiated settlement. They simply would not close an honest deal with infidels.
… I was working for the CIA in Europe then when my American handler told me to consider the more moderate Rafsanjani, by then president, as the new king of Iran. This despite information I had passed on about Iran’s involvement in the 1988 Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland – and despite the fact that Rafsanjani and other regime leaders were involved in worldwide terrorism and assassination. The elder Bush’s efforts at negotiation failed.
Mr. Kahlili concludes:
America must openly support the democratic aspirations of the people of Iran – facilitating a direct channel of communication with them and finding a way to bring Iran’s leaders to court for crimes against humanity.
Only then can we can hope for real change in Iran, for peace and stability.
Unfortunately President Obama voted ‘not present’ during the last Iranian uprising in the false hope that his silence would further negotiations with the Iran’s leaders. We cannot afford to make that mistake again.
