Since the dawn of time, one might say, diplomacy and negotiations follow rules. Iran and its people have every reason to be proud of a culture that is thousands of years old. Painting, drawing, poetry, music, hand-knotted carpets renowned throughout the world, cuisine…you name it: Wherever you look, it is refined and unique.
In addition the culture and tradition also make for certain rules of behaviour in terms of dignity and pride to be observed when negotiating. At least the more experienced generations of diplomats in the West might still know about them. Many were well-known for centuries over here too.
Recent foreign politics initiated by a person called Trump who is president of the USA again, introduced his favourite way of ‘making deals’: Put the pressure on, bully, scare, and get what you want in the end.
Mr Trump never was one for subtleties, not really well-known for tact or refinement – so far.
I actually wrote to the office of the president a while ago. Perhaps they will care to talk to proper counsellers yet.
One thing is for sure: Iran is well aware of the achievements of its culture and history. They have self-confidence enough to value their dignity. They will not stoop to pressure or scare tactics.
“Weapons of mass destruction” – that was the phrase and apparent reason former president Bush used at the time to attack Iraq; where oil also exists in abundance…oil, yes. That kind of weapons, so it turned out: no.
The contracts with Iran had been there! Uranium enrichment control had been negotiated among others with the former president Barrack Obama, over a decade, actually. Trump cancelled them. Do we call that a ‘smart move’…?
If all of the people and organizations concerned are really interested in getting anywhere with this, start treating Iran as a country and equal opponent. Stop treating them like a wayward child.
There are enough people who know that Trump is not to be trusted. Neither is the statement about ‘just’ wanting to destroy the Uranium enrichment facilities in Iran. Nor the ideas in relation to tariff raises for all and any countries outside the US. That’s blackmail, pure and simple.
To start a war on a country to pressure it into deals is extortion.
Even inside the USA people protest against his politics.
As far as Iran is concerned, I wonder how it is possible that almost any diplomatic respect and rules for negotiation have apparently let go?
Since when would you try and pressurize or scare a whole country into a certain position, when before you yourself made negotiations impossible?
Trump cancelled those contracts that had been agreed upon between the US, EU and the IAEA after 10 years of negotiation!
Is it really feasible that any country – how about the US? – would take it like a scared animal, run, hide and then concede anything?
If you do not know yourself and human beings you cannot possibly understand others. Understanding the other, your opposite at the table, is crucial in order to negotiate.
Again I want to remind us all of the 30-Years’-War in Europe during the 17th century: It was not only a long war, with a number indicating that – it took actually 30 years and it left Europe devastated and devoid of more than 50% of its population; whole regions were left waste and destroyed.
The common history and latent memory of humans make it one of the dreadful periods of time. It took years to end that war!
Negotiations were conducted again and again.
Finally, they were successful.
The same way the first agreements about Uranium enrichment control between Iran and the parties concerned took 10 years!
It was the height of irresponsibility to cancel those contracts!
Years later, a country under threats from all sides is moved into a position that leaves almost no way out…
People, start thinking: This is no way to handle that country and its situation!
Iran, for all its internal politics of cruelty and suppression, with reason is proud of a rich and thousands of years old culture and tradition, much older than the Islamic religion.
Additionally, they are used to natural disasters and foreign potentates from all sides attacking that country just for its rich soils, and huge amounts of oil and gas. They had to learn resilience and it has developed into a fine art, basically.
Starting a war can only end in dreadful consequences and more lives lost, yet.
Trump acts true to form: Viewed in retrospect it looks like so much window dressing on the one hand and — more or less — cunning plans on the other:
Cancel the contracts with Iran on Uranium enrichment control a few years ago. Which had been reached after 10 years of negotiation.
Let Netanyahu in Israel escalate the situation in Gaza to breaking point to prick the Hamas and other Islamic groups — to breaking point.
Coldly let them do their work of killing and hostage taking as a sort of revenge.
Pressure the EU into contracts/agreements by threatening them with high tariffs for months.
Bully and push everyone to any odd lengths.
‘Give’ Ukraine to Putin to make him stay put — and quiet.
Where’s China…? Another blackmailed nation…?
Let Netanyahu of Israel start a war on Iran to make matters even worse.
Call Iran a dangerous regime — when the USA are the only ones ever to have used nuclear bombs?
“Weapons of mass destruction”? It’s so obvious it would be ridiculous in any other circumstance:
The last Shah left Iran almost 40 years ago.
He had been supported as a follower of the USA, and in return sold them oil and gas at lowest possible prices.
The present regime does not.
Saddam Hussein of Iraq similarly had been instated and supported by the USA.
Then he started to cut loose…
As preparation for the 3rd Gulf war George Bush jr. declared and had everyone else believe it — that there were huge amounts of poison gas weapons there;
images from bombings later seemed to show precise and exact hits of ‘military installations’ and weapon factories, only. Well? Rather not…
In view of the fact that the USA are (in)famously in dire need of cheap petrol — and have been so at least for decades — it’s not surprising, all of this.
Control of all the oil wells of the Near East…?
‘Defending their interests…’? ‘I beg your pardon’? Bullying, blackmail, extortion.
“…true to form…”
I am indeed grateful that there are some people and leaders of state left who remember what being human means…
Looking at news in regard to wars – any war – it’s like normal life: People will tell you what they think makes them right. The idea they had in the first place why they were right to start it. The war. The heated argument and possible fist fight.
Yet, too often it is overlooked in wars we deal with long-term interests, such as money – or business. In a general sense: “Where does the money come from – and go?” is an old journalistic principle.
Even older is the Latin phrase that makes it clear as daylight: “Cui bono?” – “Who benefits?”
This conflict between Israel and Iran is not new. And when we listen to the news or read about them, in most cases it becomes clear that in the West people have a lop-sided view: They will report about the bad Iran regime and the good Israel government.
That is a view on matters without any consideration for facts. Often enough in everyday life too the whole truth, the bigger picture, becomes warped with ideas and perspectives; with defense arguments why person A was right and person B was not.
The truth is not always simple: Not in war, not in normal life.
Look closely, at the history and also the main actors of this drama: They have hidden agendas usually to do with money and power.
So dreadfully cruel internally the present Iranian government rules the country – so true is the fact that Iran as a whole has every reason to protect itself from greedy potentates.
Its history is full, I mentioned that more than once, of all those ‘super-powers’ meddling with its politics just because Iran has huge natural resources of gas and oil as well as rich soils beckoning to anyone just interested to make even more money.
Or as is the case with the US, be in dire need of cheap petrol. They have been for decades, if not centuries.
This war was not started for honourable reasons – it is not conducted for honourable reasons – and there is no honourable justification for it.
Practically any war you may take care to review in history, had long periods of time before actual military actions – to develop from conflicts that were not properly negotiated.
Iran had already agreed to contracts to control Uranium enrichment there. Contracts signed on all sides after almost a decade of negotiations. Trump was the one to cancel them during his first stay in office. No one in their right minds can actually want war!
It destroys, kills and leaves people in desperate situations. But then, are people who already have been corrupted by their own power really in ‘their right mind’? Corruption being too deeply set in, would be my guess. To say the least.
The only people who benefit from wars are those companies supplying goods to armies… Is that what we want?
When you look at some of the news in relation to the recent strikes from Israel into Iran, at recent Trump ‘messages’ – you cannot help but wonder…
Who is using whom here?
When in the early 1990s the 2nd Gulf war started – and when finally in 2003 more strikes against Iraq led to Saddam Hussein’s capture and death, it was clear already that contrary to US-interests Hussein after decades of support from the US and oil prices to their advantage started to cut loose.
So, to the world the US announced that there were “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq to be taken care of. And thus they went in. The results can be seen to this day: Iraq after more than 20 years is still struggling to get to its feet.
For Hussein in Iraq it was his ‘Swan song’: Iraq has too much oil for the US to ‘let him go’.
The same holds true for Iran.
The whole of these operations and war have been at least partly prepared for during the first stay in office of that sorry excuse for a man called Trump.
He cancelled the contracts with Iran that had been reached after 10 years of negotiation to control Uranium enrichment.
Netanyahu is proven to have needed support to stay in office in Israel. He has for many years driven the situation in Gaza to breaking point – the age-old method of kings as well as dictators and other leaders of state to cover up internal problems with a war in foreign countries; in order to try and ‘unite’ people behind them again.
Not only does the Israeli people not want all of it!
All the cruelty and killing could have been prevented. Long ago!
And still, my greetings also to all the good people in the US, because there are more against Trump’s politics every day! And they protest, loudly and consistently.
But, here comes the ‘scoop’:
Should this war lead to the downfall of the present regime in Iran, the ‘olden times’ of suppression of Iran by the US will return:
Because, just as during the regime of the last Shah in Iran, the US received the lowest possible prices for oil and gas in return for their support.
Blackmail. Extortion. That’s what this is. Shame on Trump, Netanyahu and also Putin, should he support them.
Destroy Iran’s nuclear programme to build nuclear weapons…? Helloooo…? Remember the times – of Trump’s first stay in office?
Did you forget that it was Trumpwho cancelled the contracts with Iran on controlling Uranium enrichment that had been reached with all concerned after more than ten (10!) years of negotiating?
Are Netanyahu and Trump now completely out of their minds?????
This region has seen so much suffering, so much death, destruction and killing – unbelievable! For money alone. Oil. Power. Nothing else.
In Los Angeles already we see that apparently Trump has taken Hollywood movies and his upbringing in a military school (school…???) to heart:
Just bring out the troops and call the attack…???
Shame on you all!!!
Mr Donald Trump, I need to ask this here and directly: “How old are you anyway?” The 12-year-old launching his army of toy soldiers, playing at hero games?
It would be ridiculous in almost all other cases.
It stares you in the face that this is just one of those cover-ups, cruel, useless, heartless and mean.
Both of them have ample need to cover up for other misdeeds, problems or, in Trump’s case, actual crimes: Bribery, sexual coercion, corruption – and he has been ruled guilty on 34 counts in front of a legal court of law of the US!
In this case I would spit in your faces should you ever have the luck to meet me in person.
Shame, shame, shame!
Author’s note: It should be clear from all my writing on these subjects that I aim at a carefully researched and as far as possible clear as well as judicious view.
I do not think that at this point especially, any of the parties concerned in this war, conflict which seems a eulogism really, could be called ‘not guilty’, innocent.
Do cut this short, it’s like this, people:
Whatever your colour, creed or conviction, you are not supposed to kill, torture or molest other people. Period.
2nd Author’s note: We all know that the first thing to die in a war is the truth. Don’t let them fool you. Use all the reliable sources you get. And remember to differentiate between what has been published – and what we sometimes learn years later. Therefore, think of that old principle:
Cui bono? Who benefits?
3rd Author’s Note: The history of this war is long. And Netanyahu, as I have recorded elsewhere already, from his first day in national politics there was known as a so-called hardliner. In Israel itself!
There that is short for those people advocating a cold and hard dealing with anything Palestinian. They, Netanyahu especially, do systematically send Israeli settlers into Gaza. Netanyahu has done so for many years and thus has driven the situation to breaking point.
That the Hamas is not to be excused for those recent cruelties and murders of hostages I mention to make it clear again. It should be a matter of course.
Once more:
Modern wars especially, always had long stretches of time before actual military actions started that would have allowed to negotiate for truces – and eventually peace.
The Iranian alleged programme for Uranium enrichment to build nuclear weapons for many years was meant for peaceful use only.
Trump already during his first stay in office cancelled those contracts that had been reached after more than 10 years negotiating! (s.a. above)
Iran during its long history due to its rich soil and huge natural resources of oil and gas has been target of all the ‘super-powers’ for more than 200 years, be that Russia, or France or Britain in the early days. Or the Soviet Union, France again and the USA in later times.
In Iran they have enough reason to fear attacks.
When we look at the Israeli secret service, the Mossad, we see that it is one of the most far reaching of all of them.
Every other secret service has learned from them. Too.
As a German I was raised with awe and at the same time a huge sense of responsibility to prevent such things happening again, extreme right-wing politics taking power here in Germany.
The Holocaust is a dreadful and cruel sign of human potential for baseness.
Yet, what also has become clear, is the fact that such baseness is human – and can be found anywhere in the world.
These recent attacks and the recent history of this war are one proof of many for that.
Two things also stand out almost like a big swelling on the human forehead:
Whatever your colour, creed or conviction, you are not supposed to kill, torture or bother other people. Period.
War is not a destiny! War is man-made – and can be prevented – if the weapon industry is for it…
Addition: One voice of very many more from Israel itself can be found on LinkedIn, screenshot taken at 2025-06-15 06-13-06, local time:
Screenshot taken on LinkedIn on 2025-06-15 06-13-06, local time (UTC+1).
The ‘recipe’ is as old as the world’s oldest government or ruler:
To cover internal conflict and waning support of voters or subjects – start a war.
That way you will gather them behind you, in face of the (supposed) common enemy – and in addition earn your hero’s badge – if all goes well…
But what is ‘well’ in war? Is there a ‘going well’ except the ending it, as soon as possible?
Alas, it must be said that Mr Netanyahu has been known for being a ‘hardliner’ as far as Palestinian and Israeli settlers are concerned. From day one. This is not my opinion, this is fact that can be found in recent as well as older reliable sources.
This is in fact not about Iran vs Israel; it’s about the cruel attack in October by the Hamas.
More, though:
About the ‘Intifada’, in fact, originally, the forceful settling of Israeli settlers in Palestinian regions, and so many other larger and smaller conflicts that have been raised throughout the modern history of that region ever since it had been British territory and be declared as being part Israeli and part Palestinian national territory.
About so many, thousands and thousands of dreadful killings and deaths of the innocent that were and are completely unnecessary – if only, finally MAN as such would ‘buckle up’ – and GROW UP – and stop being bent on power and all the rest of the ridiculous rigmarole attached to that; sometimes wealth, a certain type of fame, influence, even fear induced in certain ‘enemies’.
Shame on all who continue this! War ist not a game!
Thanks for a president like Mr Joe Biden who keeps his head, sees more than just the surface – and will prevail in eventually creating peace, at last.
“Your life’s whatever you make of it.” That’s a popular phrase meant to bolster confidence – or even motivate employees… Well, there’s more to life than meets the eye at a glance. Anyone who’s gone through life longer than just a couple of decades has come to realize what Baz Luhrman so aptly said:
“Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.”
Many smart comedians, philosophers and coaches will tell you that. It is actually a wise person who realizes it – it has been known for centuries if not thousands of years among people, mankind even.
There was a ‘modern’ urge when the civil society began to form that found one outlet in the possibility to emigrate to the USA, then dominions still. With a huge country apparently all there just to find your luck without any shackles or strings attached, the credo was: “Your life’s whatever you make of it.”
Was it, really?
Even the first settlers faced grave challenges, partly from indigenous peoples who wouldn’t all easily accept that land-taking by strangers. Bluntly put.
Additionally, so few conditions known, many pioneers just died from starvation due to completely different climate and soil conditions.
Yet, marketing and people who wanted to sell this idea and self-promoting methods as new ways to happiness and self-made wealth just persisted publishing self-help guides.
The idea of course is appealing. But in the long run it will lead to anger and frustration, because it leaves out all those chances life presents us all with: Recently we were all witnesses to it again on a huge scale, a pandemic, with millions of deaths.
We were lucky too, in many ways, in many parts of the world. But the long and the short of it is this:
Life is full of chances and conditions and surroundings that will make it easy or difficult to reach goals you wished to attain.
Sometimes, just knowing there is a philosophy behind it, summarized like this, can help:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.”
Here is a fine short documentary on the game of Backgammon and its vital difference to chess: Chess is like war. But Backgammon is like life: And it is thousands of years old. It was even used to teach princes at the ancient courts of Persian kings to be sophisticated and wise leaders of their governments.
We cannot control everything in life. A lot depends on luck and surroundings. But we can always try to do our best in any given situation.
It’s a German language version with English subtitles:
Windcatchers in Iran, Yazd province, an age-old system of cooling houses using wind (free license online via Ecosia.org)
Iran: A wonderful country of thousands of years of culture, tradition and cuisine, as well as a highly developed sense of community; a unique, Indo-European language; some of the most wonderful poems by world-famous poets come from there. Almost all of them were largely apprehended and adopted in new forms by European poets, such as Goethe and his “The West-Eastern Divan”. Hafez who inspired it, also is widely known all over the country of Iran. People put the book of his poems in a central place on the highest festival of the year, ‘Nowrooz‘ – the spring festival dating back over 3,000 years. Or the epicurean poems by Khayyam, to name only two larger-than-life figures.
The main language ‘Farsi’ (Persian) has been preserved over centuries of being conquered and occupied.
Architecture, crafts, painting, music, hand-knotting of rugs – the finest worldwide – there’s almost no field you could mention in arts and crafts that hasn’t great works to offer.
One of the oldest religions, root for all theologies that are monotheistic, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, comes from there: Zoroastrianism
Compared to the long history of all of it the Islamic Republic is comparatively young: A little over 40 years ago now, the clerical part of the society took over power. Clerics had always been one part of the power factions throughout Persia’s – or by its younger name ‘Iran’ – long history, especially since the 16th century AC by Western reckoning.
The people now protesting in the streets of Iran and risking their freedom and even their lives have been raised to another movement of protest by the death of a young woman; a student, who was detained by the police for not wearing the ‘hijab’, the headscarf mandatory to wear for women in public places or in the company of men other than close family.
The civil rights in Iran have been a sad story to say the least ever since the revolution of 1979. Things hadn’t been easy before. The Savak, the Shah’s secret service was present everywhere.
But things became worse, in many respects, after 1979.
This is a reminder to all who care: Iran is worth it, every day. More civil rights and the basic human rights would be a start.
The song above states the reasons for the ongoing protests. Hashtags as sources the singer assembled the Twitter-posts of protesters and made this song called ‘baraye’ = ‘for’…
It was published originally on Twitter or Instagram. It has been retweeted 153 million times, so the information on another retweet I have a URL to. Since I am not a Twitter member myself, I use this post that adequately translates the Persian words with English subtitles on youtube. The singer has been arrested.
Although one might not think it right away: Trump all through his presidency has acted true to character. Driven by the need to make more and more money and prove himself to be the tough guy who will not – apparently – consider anyone else’s ideas or pleasure:
He really is the greedy creature he’s always been. A few corrections in his behaviour when cameras are around; some travels around the globe so he can create the image of the diplomatic and reliable person he should have been from day one, as an added ‘polish to the image’ – they cannot fool anyone who’s followed his ‘career’ just a little more closely:
With him and his ‘train’, who are rather the puppet masters in the background, it is not about anything, but gaining money, by hook or by crook, if necessary, by both. A shame actually to think that such a pitiful excuse for a man who often is downright ridiculous, should get so much attention. But of course, with people such as him, that is the second weakness: the craving for attention. Any kind.
I still wonder how it was possible that North Korea so comparatively easily changed tune in such a short time… what funds were transferred from where to whom…
I hope and even pray that Iran for all it’s worth will keep it’s diplomatic cool and not be drawn into any of the antics Trump so far has used with other countries and which amount to what is again common in global politics: bribery and extortion.
Hoping that Iran in politics will one day turn out to be a country where something like the Declaration and International Bill of Human Rights will be political principal inside as well as out, in accordance as well with age old traditions; I still do not believe for a moment in the rights the US have claimed at least since WWII around the world: do anything they can, literally any thing, to keep or expand their power over natural resources in any shape or form.
Do not let them fool you! Media, the best especially, are crucial for knowing about what is being said in front of cameras. But to know people and politics, look for the underlying principle and beware. Behind the cameras, a lot goes on that sometimes is only found out decades or even centuries later.
Know them by their deeds. Resist war and manipulation with all peaceful, nonviolent might. Make peace, not war!
