(JOHNNY BABYBRAIN) - Last week, United State's Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued a stunning though expected revelation that its major ally in the Middle East (and arguably in the world) Israel will inevitably strike Iran's nuclear facilities in coming months.


Both Iran and Israel perceive each others as number.1 enemies and have shown no secrecy as regards the level of enmity and hostility between them with various accusations and counter-accusations coupled with varieties of propaganda issued by both countries. Diplomatically speaking, Israel is getting ready for a military intervention to stop Iran from its nuclear programmes, realistically the world is preparing itself for another war in the Middle-east.

The first question is, why is the entire world spearheaded by Israel, United States and the Middle-east frowning at the possibility of a Nuclear Iran? Reasons are not farfetched.

To start with, Iran is not an Arabian country and share no close ties with other Middle-east countries. It does not share the same political, cultural or historical belief with Arab countries except for bitterness and hostility. Iran has been strongly accused of supporting and aiding many terrorist groups as well as aiding opposition groups to cause unrest and topple existing governments in other Middle East countries.

However, the position of Israel on a Nuclear Iran is very straightforward; a Nuclear Iran is seen as a threat to Israel and a danger to the Jewish community. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has failed to recognise the State of Israel and has therefore failed to establish real diplomatic ties with the United States; the world is obvious of this fact (at least in understanding Israel’s position). Furthermore, the Israelis are cultured to believe that anyone who denies the Holocaust as Iran consistently does is an enemy and would not be taken lightly.

Although, Iran has continuously maintained that its nuclear programme is for technological advancement, the West is suspicious of Iran’s attempt to divert the programme into a weapon programme and this Israel has hinted over the years it has no patience for and neither would it risk such emergence; today, an Iranian attack is imminent.

Iran unsurprisingly and as usual is not quiet either; it is threatening an immediate reprisal should Israel and the United States carry out an attack on its soil. Iran has threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz where according to the US Energy Information Administration, 35% of all seaborne traded oil and 20% of the world's oil shipments pass through.

Iran currently doesnt seem ready in backing out from its nuclear programmes citing it has spent billions into it and has lost more billions as a result of sanctions the United Nations, US imposed on it. As I speak (ohh as I write?) Iran is reportedly involving its military in drills & exercises in readiness for war, Israel and the US says they've been ready ages ago.

Shocking and scary enough, both countries are headed by faily unpredictable characters and are controlled by deep political hardliners, people who are notorious for carrying out threats they issue; with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on one hand, Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barack on the other.

The world, especially the European economy does not need an Israeli-Iranian conflict at this point in time. Oil prices would surge and an already ailing economy would go back to its crippled start, the Middle-East might never be the same again as a Persian-Arab conflict would only add to the many already established conflict and unrest going on in the Middle-east. Note: For all it may be worth, an unstable Iraq and an unstable Iran is BAD NEWS for the Middle-east and the International community as a whole.

Certain questions come to mind as far as Israel’s threat to attack Iran is concerned. Could these threats be true? Practically, these are not empty threats and are definitely true. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear during the electoral campaign that brought him to office that he would attack Iran and make Iran quit its nuclear programmes at all cost, with military intervention a no brainer option.



US President, Barack Obama during his 2011 State of the Union address said “Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal”

Similarly, last week when Leon Panetta was asked about the United State’s preparations to stop Iran from furthering its nuclear programmes, he responded “We are not making any special steps at this point in order to deal with the situation. Why? Because frankly we are fully prepared to deal with that situation now."

This is definitely not the first time Israel would attack a country in the Middle-East on the much controversial nuclear programmes. In September 2007, Israel launched an unprecedented attack on a Syrian nuclear reactor and though Syria was muted on the action, the White House and the United States Congress unequivocally supported the action. Today, despite fears and sceptics from quarters in the United States about the consequences of an Israeli attack on Iranian soil, Israel is attempting to go ahead with the attack and yet banking on the United States to support it come-what-may.

It is uncertain the Barack Obama administration would support an Israeli war at this point in time especially when American voters are citing America’s domestic woes to its foreign policies. He could decide to go into the war and see massive supports from the Jewish American community or opt out and yet get turned away by the same Jewish Americans come election day in November. However his entrance into the war could see massive bitterness from .

Speaking to CNN days ago, Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was sceptical and yet correct, "If Iraq & Afghanistan has taught us anything in recent history, it’s the unpredictability of war and that these things are easier to get into than getting out of." However, the Israelis seem to have been spoilt with a lizard style nodding they get for every action they take in recent times.

If there is one thing I don’t understand about International Politics, it is the question of Monopoly being the brother to hypocrisy and hiding under the umbrella of 'World Policing & Security'. If the United States, Russia, China, Israel (well so we heard) and their ‘super power’ counterparts can have possession of nuclear weapons, why not Iran? Why not South Africa and why not Nigeria?

It’s something else to agree that many countries around the world do not possess the same democratic and perfected governance that the US, Britain and Russia are blessed with, but it’s another thing to deny countries who dimmed it fit to build their own hegemony in the coming years for future generations.

My position on a nuclear world is simple, preach what you practise, we want a nuclear free world or accept the right of others to possess; they fear what you fear and that’s understandable.

Today on Johnny Babybrain, several questions linger. Is it absolutely right in preventing Iran from going nuclear and if so how possible? Are there other motives behind Israel’s attempt to attack Iran besides the ‘nuclear blahblahs’ we are being told? Why would Israel chose to attack Iran at this unpredictable stage of the world’s economy and if it doesn’t at this stage, what potential dangers lie ahead should Iran be allowed to go nuclear?


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