The Iranophobia plan
The top U.S. officials in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. troops in the country, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, told Senate committees on April 8 that Iranian agents and weapons were fueling the ongoing strife there and that further U.S. troop withdrawals would have to wait.
Petraeus recommended that troop withdrawals from Iraq be paused for 45 days after July when U.S. forces in Iraq will be reduced to 140,000 and U.S. President George W. Bush accepted this recommendation on April 10, saying Petraeus will “have all the time he needs.”
Iran, Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee, has “fueled the recent violence in a particularly damaging way through its lethal support of the special groups.”
All this is clearly meant to undermine relations between Iran and Iraq, but what are the United States’ ulterior motives?
On close inspection, one notices that U.S. officials are repeatedly making statements like: these “special groups” are “funded, trained, armed and directed by Iran…” or “It was these groups that launched Iranian rockets and mortar rounds at Iraq’s seat of government (the Green Zone)… causing loss of innocent life and fear in the capital.”
There is not very much talk of Al-Qaeda anymore, as if the terrorist arch-villains have lost their cachet and another boogeyman needs to be created.
In January, when a U.S. Navy vessel and Iranian speedboats were involved in an incident in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran said that there was nothing unusual about the episode since the Iranian sailors were just conducting a routine procedure.
But the U. S. called it a “provocative” action and the U.S. propaganda machine did its best to show that it was “a pretty aggressive” incident.
After that incident, Bush claimed in Abu Dhabi that Iran is threatening the security of the world and that the U.S. and Arab allies must join together to confront the danger “before it’s too late”.
These tactics are just one part of a larger U.S. plan meant to show that Iran remains a threat, despite the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report of December 2007, which said Iran has no nuclear weapons program.
U.S. officials have admitted that the Islamic Republic’s power has risen in the Middle East region to the point where it cannot be threatened easily by military strikes or economic sanctions.
Hence, they have turned to more Machiavellian maneuvers to give the impression that Iran is a dangerous threat that should be reined in.
Along these lines, the U.S. has devised an Iranophobia plan to frighten other countries, especially Iran’s neighbors.
However, Iran’s Arab neighbors have come to the conclusion that they should engage Iran in a peaceful manner in order to avoid discord in the region.
If Washington manages to convince Iran’s oil-rich Arab neighbors that the Islamic Republic poses “a threat to world peace”, it can kill three birds with one stone.
First of all, it would be able to strike lucrative arms deals with these Arab countries to recover the petrodollars which are currently flowing into their coffers due to record oil prices.
Secondly, it would provide a good pretext for the United States to maintain a military presence in the region since the argument that U.S. troops are fighting Al-Qaeda and other terrorists does not hold water any more.
Thirdly, it could compel Iran to enter into an arms race with its neighbors in the volatile region.
It appears that Washington’s Iranophobia plan is being implemented to trick Tehran into ruining its national economy through exorbitant military expenditures that would bankrupt the country, which is the same strategy they used to undermine the Soviet Union.
Thus, Iranians should be aware of the traps that are being set.
To thwart the U.S. plot, Iran should step up its foreign policy activities in order to boost its relations with all friendly countries, especially European Union members.
At this critical juncture, Iranian officials should seize the opportunity to show the world the country’s true face by inviting the leaders of important countries to visit the Islamic Republic and also traveling to their countries.
Iran can also attract tourists from around the world by investing in the tourism sector and eliminating unnecessary restrictions.
In addition, the Iranian government should make efforts to raise the standard of living so its enemies have fewer pretexts to criticize the country.
Moreover, the parliament should pass laws to increase investment security and facilitate foreign investment to boost the economy.
By doing all this, Iran could show the world that it is not the hostile country the U.S. is trying to depict it as.
The more Iran constructively interacts with other countries in the political, cultural, and economic spheres, the more its status will rise in the international arena, and the Iranophobia plan will fall flat.
Petraeus recommended that troop withdrawals from Iraq be paused for 45 days after July when U.S. forces in Iraq will be reduced to 140,000 and U.S. President George W. Bush accepted this recommendation on April 10, saying Petraeus will “have all the time he needs.”
Iran, Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee, has “fueled the recent violence in a particularly damaging way through its lethal support of the special groups.”
All this is clearly meant to undermine relations between Iran and Iraq, but what are the United States’ ulterior motives?
On close inspection, one notices that U.S. officials are repeatedly making statements like: these “special groups” are “funded, trained, armed and directed by Iran…” or “It was these groups that launched Iranian rockets and mortar rounds at Iraq’s seat of government (the Green Zone)… causing loss of innocent life and fear in the capital.”
There is not very much talk of Al-Qaeda anymore, as if the terrorist arch-villains have lost their cachet and another boogeyman needs to be created.
In January, when a U.S. Navy vessel and Iranian speedboats were involved in an incident in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran said that there was nothing unusual about the episode since the Iranian sailors were just conducting a routine procedure.
But the U. S. called it a “provocative” action and the U.S. propaganda machine did its best to show that it was “a pretty aggressive” incident.
After that incident, Bush claimed in Abu Dhabi that Iran is threatening the security of the world and that the U.S. and Arab allies must join together to confront the danger “before it’s too late”.
These tactics are just one part of a larger U.S. plan meant to show that Iran remains a threat, despite the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report of December 2007, which said Iran has no nuclear weapons program.
U.S. officials have admitted that the Islamic Republic’s power has risen in the Middle East region to the point where it cannot be threatened easily by military strikes or economic sanctions.
Hence, they have turned to more Machiavellian maneuvers to give the impression that Iran is a dangerous threat that should be reined in.
Along these lines, the U.S. has devised an Iranophobia plan to frighten other countries, especially Iran’s neighbors.
However, Iran’s Arab neighbors have come to the conclusion that they should engage Iran in a peaceful manner in order to avoid discord in the region.
If Washington manages to convince Iran’s oil-rich Arab neighbors that the Islamic Republic poses “a threat to world peace”, it can kill three birds with one stone.
First of all, it would be able to strike lucrative arms deals with these Arab countries to recover the petrodollars which are currently flowing into their coffers due to record oil prices.
Secondly, it would provide a good pretext for the United States to maintain a military presence in the region since the argument that U.S. troops are fighting Al-Qaeda and other terrorists does not hold water any more.
Thirdly, it could compel Iran to enter into an arms race with its neighbors in the volatile region.
It appears that Washington’s Iranophobia plan is being implemented to trick Tehran into ruining its national economy through exorbitant military expenditures that would bankrupt the country, which is the same strategy they used to undermine the Soviet Union.
Thus, Iranians should be aware of the traps that are being set.
To thwart the U.S. plot, Iran should step up its foreign policy activities in order to boost its relations with all friendly countries, especially European Union members.
At this critical juncture, Iranian officials should seize the opportunity to show the world the country’s true face by inviting the leaders of important countries to visit the Islamic Republic and also traveling to their countries.
Iran can also attract tourists from around the world by investing in the tourism sector and eliminating unnecessary restrictions.
In addition, the Iranian government should make efforts to raise the standard of living so its enemies have fewer pretexts to criticize the country.
Moreover, the parliament should pass laws to increase investment security and facilitate foreign investment to boost the economy.
By doing all this, Iran could show the world that it is not the hostile country the U.S. is trying to depict it as.
The more Iran constructively interacts with other countries in the political, cultural, and economic spheres, the more its status will rise in the international arena, and the Iranophobia plan will fall flat.