THE WISDOM FUND: News & Views
May 16, 2003
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New Front Sets Sights On Toppling Iran Regime

by Marc Perelman

A budding coalition of conservative hawks, Jewish organizations and Iranian monarchists is pressing the White House to step up American efforts to bring about regime change in Iran. . . .

The emerging coalition is reminiscent of the buildup to the invasion of Iraq, with Pahlavi possibly assuming the role of Iraqi exile opposition leader Ahmed Chalabi, a favorite of neoconservatives. Like Chalabi, Pahlavi has good relations with several Jewish groups. He has addressed the board of the hawkish Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and gave a public speech at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, and met with Jewish communal leaders.

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Enver Masud, "U.S. Violating Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," The Wisdom Fund, March 11, 2003

Uri Avnery, "Oil, Sharon and the Axis of Evil," CounterPunch, February 11, 2003

["Senior Bush administration officials will meet Tuesday at the White House to discuss the evolving strategy toward the Islamic republic, with Pentagon officials pressing hard for public and private actions that they believe could lead to the toppling of the government through a popular uprising, officials said."--Glenn Kessler, "U.S. Eyes Pressing Uprising In Iran," Washington Post, May 25, 2003]

["Iran on Wednesday denied U.S. allegations that it had secret atomic facilities or links with al Qaeda and accused Washington of double standards in the war on terror. "--"Iran Denies Secret Nuclear Sites, Al Qaeda Links," Reuters, May 28, 2003]

[About fifty years ago, in July 1953, the U.S. secretary of state held a press conference in which he stated, "The growing activities of the illegal Communist Party in Iran and the toleration of them by the Iranian government has caused our government much concern." On August 19, a pro-Shah demonstration arose spontaneously in a Teheran bazaar. The demonstration seemed to express public alarm at the plans of the Communist Party to declare Iran a republic. By the end of the day, a retired general and a former cabinet member, Fazlollah Zahedi, had taken over as the new premier. The deposed premier, 71-year old Mohammed Mossadeq, and his cohorts were either in hiding or had been captured. The Shah returned shortly to Iran, where he was given a rousing reception. The U.S. claimed another victory against the evil empire, saying Iran had been prevented from falling behind the Iron Curtain.--Ahmad Faruqui, "The Oily Business of Regime Change," CounterPunch, May 28, 2003]

Guy Dinmore, "Bush pressed to pursue 'regime change' in Iran," Financial Times, June 17, 2003

[Soon after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called for the U.S. Army to march on Tehran, his American neo-conservative supporters launched a get-Iran campaign, featuring the identical propaganda they used to fan war fever against Iraq: weapons of mass destruction; threats to the U.S.; terrorism and human rights violations. Some imaginative neo-cons even claim Saddam's unfindable weapons were moved to Iran.--Eric Margolis, "Iran's in the crosshairs of Bush's bombsight," Toronto Sun, June 22, 2003]

Richard Morin and Claudia Deane, "Poll: Majority Backs Use of Force in Iran," Washington Post, June 24, 2003

"Iran announces 38.5 billion barrels of 'heavy' oil find," IRNA, July 14, 2003

Jamie Wilson, "Make Iran next, says Ayatollah's grandson," The Observer, August 10, 2003

[Much of the pressure is coming from the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the same neo-conservative friends of his in Washington who drove the war on Iraq. . . .

The original idea was that all nuclear-weapons states would move towards disarmamament, a pledge that the US, Britain and the other three declared bomb-owners made in 1995. Now we have a kind of class distinction. The US continues to develop new forms of nuclear weapons. US-friendly states that refused to sign the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) but have nuclear weapons - like India, Israel and Pakistan - are treated with kid gloves. An NPT-signer such as Iran, against whom Washington bears ancient grudges, is threatened with punishment, and possible force.--Jonathan Steele, "Don't be fooled. The Iraqi maelstrom won't save Iran," Guardian, October 3, 2003]

[Officials confirm that the nation can now launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and air. The issue complicates efforts to rein in Iran. --Douglas Frantz, "Israel Adds Subs to Its Atomic Ability," Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2003]

Gordon Thomas, "Israeli Subs Have Nukes Aimed at Iranian Sites," American Free Press, October 18, 2003

Guy Dinmore, "US stalls on Iranian offer of reform deal," Financial Times, March 16 2004

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