Category: Iran

Posted on

War as a Power-game: USA, Iran, Threats and News – or: “Who Benefits?”

A drawing in golden-yellow hazes and simple outlines, showing a sun, a mountain in front of the sky and before the mountain a figure walking towards the mountain.
Image by Parsa Farahani from Pixabay

It’s a never ending story with this US-president: Threats, tantrums rather, like children who yet learn the limitations of life. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, a movie title actually. “Ugly” that is this sorry excuse for a man. Not because of his looks, but because of his non-existent character.

This war on Iran was a *sham* and a *shame* from day 1.

A sham, because it pretended a real reason for an attack: a nuclear programme of Iran for building weapons.

A shame because people are being killed every day for the greed and self-centred outlook on life people like that president and his followers have:

As long as you are rich and perhaps even powerful as a man you ‘count among men’… the  phrase originally meaning, people(s). Yet, actually, it’s only people of like mind.
They don’t know about the finer feelings, happiness or real companionship, friendship or love. They only evaluate lives from superficialities; more champagne… more haute couture gowns… for the wives they ‘buy’.
‘Buy’?
Well, in effect, money makes it, right…? (For the women of like, silly mind, that is…)

A few facts, once more:

    • It was the first administration of this person playing at president, who cancelled the contracts with Iran on Uranium enrichment control – in 2018. Those contracts were working. Confirmed by the IAEA, among others.
    • Iran’s oil recovery industry is the largest in the world – with some of the largest oil fields of the world beneath the surface of the country.
    • When Iraq was under ‘scrutiny’ and eventually the former president Bush jr. started war on it, the purported ‘weapons of mass destruction’ seemed the reason.
      • They didn’t exist. A fact also, for all who want to do research on it.
      • The dictator Hussein they later scorned was set up with US support.
      • He started to move towards more independence from the US.
      • So, they struck.
    • Oil now comes ‘on the cheap’ from Iraq.
    • The USA traditionally depend upon cars, ever since they became a household standard.
      The population expects to be able to go anywhere, any time, on cheap petrol…
    • The economy in the US has been failing after the pandemic severely as it did almost anywhere else.
    • If not by actually making businesses and people profit, what is there to do?
      • Start a war:
        • The demand for all goods appertaining to it will go up.
        • The weapons producing industry in he US is their largest and most influential… when demands for weapons rise, they profit. ‘Benefit’.
        • <Sardonic outlook on>: A few people less in the country won’t hurt him or those close to him and so… who cares? As long as it makes them more money?<Sardonic outlook off>

Wealth seems desirable, from the outside: It is being ‘marketed’ that way especially since Calvin in Switzerland and later Presbyterians.

The rich and  powerful actually are rather lonely, often depending on all kinds of synthetic medicines… to show the ‘happy face’.
How can you be close to human beings if all you know about is being artificial?

Iran has a rich and extremely old tradition. They are a peaceful nation and population, with many original and unique languages apart from the official Farsi. The history of this country is fraught with earth quakes and wars, because so many outside nations were greedy. In former centuries, the UK, France and Russia. Later, the US joined.

If anything, Iran and its people have learned resilience. They will not succumb to someone putting the pressure on. Negotiations are another strong suit, they own, from tradition.

Let’s hope that someone somewhere will come to their senses at last and soon and understand that this no way to go about it. Killing people, into the bargain…

Posted on

Iran, Oil, War and a ‘Lame Duck’ of a President: If You Cannot Make Them Believe, Make Them Pity You…

A 'duck meet', a heap of small ducks for the bathtub.
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay

‘Lame duck’, the common phrase for a politician or leader of state who is about to leave and therefore not really effective anymore, power waning. But the present president of course will do all he can. The Washington Post reports…a threat against that president? Pityful attempt…

That newspaper is Jeff Bezos’ to do what he wants with it, has been for a couple of years, it says so on its homepage.

Yes, indeed, Amazon founder and Trump follower Jeff Bezos bought it. And we are supposed to trust such reports?

No way.

Let’s also remember a few facts about Mr Trump’s biography: He’s not only a scoundrel ruled guilty in front of a court of law of the US, he has actively swindled thousands of small stakeholders out of  their lives’ savings during the 1960s.

There’s a fine documentary about Mr Trump on PBS FRONTLINE, by Michael Kirk, an award-winning director, called: President Trump. A very painstaking assembly of facts and proven to be true by independent sources.

There was this strange ‘attack’ on Mr Trump about two years ago… ohh how they seemed to pity him; a mere scratch on his ear, not even worth an adhesive bandage.

Let’s remember a few facts:

    • The Trump administration cancelled working contracts with Iran for uranium enrichment control in 2018.
      • Proven to be working by the IAEA.
    • Mr Trump himself repeatedly in front of press representatives has called himself a ‘deal maker’. He does anything to get the other party to succumb to his terms.
      Commonly called ‘scare tactics’.
    • He is known to be a fierce admirer of Putin in Russia. (Link to the New York Times, as yet free press)
    • The EU as well as several Arabic states, have confirmed that negotiations with Iran were well advancing and looking up, more than three times over during this shameful war.
    • The USA are famous for their ‘free roving’ culture of cars around the country:
      • They need cheap petrol for that.
      • It’s also a well-known fact that no president who does not do all he can for cheap petrol has no good basis in votes – or with voters.
    • The industry producing weapons is the largest and most influential in the USA.
      A war opens up the need for more weapons…
    • When the last shah of Iran still reigned, he was actively supported by the US and paid them back with cheap oil. A historical fact easy to be confirmed.

The basic truth is this, let’s remember it too:

Whatever your colour, creed or conviction, you are not supposed to either bother, torture or kill other people. Period. 

Posted on

Putting the Pressure on… Or: USA, Iran, a War, Oil: As Per Precedent

 

Drawing f black feathers falling on a white background.
Image licensed via Adobe CC

It’s been reported more than once and the present president of the USA, whose name I try to avoid naming, even publicly praised himself for it: The scare tactics he chooses to employ. Scare them and then get the deal made into your, that is his, favour.

Cruel, selfish and completely given to the idea that money rules, and power is better, the ‘more the merrier’, for decades he has been part of a group of people who believe that a person is ‘good’ if they have money.

Actually, looking at US-American history, it’s only partly surprising that so many people there believe it:
Religious beliefs are at the bottom of all that.

The Puritans were the largest group to enter the North American continent and originally, in turn, Calvinists.
Calvin, a Swiss protestant, among many other ideas postulated that a human was God’s favourite if wealthy. By granting people wealth God would show his special grace towards them.

Is it surprising that over 300 years later the founding myth of the US, used as a ‘badge of courage’ and a sign, makes people believe strongly in this idea?

Basically: “Be rich and you are a good person”…?

History of mankind and actual events show nicely, how true it is that greed makes people cruel and violent.

The working uranium enrichment control contracts with Iran were cancelled in 2018 by the first administration of this president. Working contracts, officially confirmed by the IAEA.

Additionally, also historical pattern, starting a war is one of the best-liked ‘tools’ to divert attention from graver or downright illegal internal affairs.

The present president of the USA was found guilty on 34 counts of bribery, molestation and corruption in front of a US court of law. He was heavily incriminated in relation to the so-called Epstein papers.

That’s why he needs sensation, a war, to make people forget about all the other atrocities.

 

Posted on

Truce the US-Administration’s Way…? – Light at the End of the Tunnel – The War on Iran

A map of Iran, showing its flag, behind it barrels of oil and a dollar sign. In frot a dove of peace flying across, bearing the olive twig as sign of peace.
Images licensed via Adobe CC, my arrangement.

Such suffering, such useless destruction and waste – completely unnecessary killings.

I am happy that there is actually a light at the end of the tunnel, as that famous phrase goes.

But at what price!

People scarred for life. Civil population as well as military: What does all this do to a human being?

Interestingly one of the most striking records of souls in pain comes from the US: Award-winning director John Houston as early as 1946 directed and published “Let There be Light“.

The present president whose name I avoid  naming, is wholly responsible for this ‘charade’:
Just as was the case with Iraq in 2003-2011, no reason could be found. Not the weapons of mass destruction. But: Oil in abundance. And a nation reeling from the onslaught to this day.

The present president and his ‘horde’ cancelled working and observed contracts of uranium enrichment control with Iran as early as 2018. Confirmed fact. Do we need to say – or think – more?

“Cui bono?” – “Who benefits?” The central question, so often.

If it wasn’t so dreadful, cruel and cold-hearted, a moneymaking ‘cult’ behind it: One would have to laugh at that behaviour for being so extremely ridiculous, practically childish.

Let’s hope – and pray, if you will – that an actual agreement finally will be reached.

Do we need to ask what they plan to do for the ‘victory festivities’ in the US surely to be held – and just as the inauguration – financed by the big tech companies…?
That agreement needs to be reached in a hurry to have a reasonable period of time elapse before they start them…and early enough before the end of the last term in office of this sorry excuse for a man that is that US president.

Posted on

Iran – Iraq – “Weapons of Mass Destruction” – When Patterns Repeat…

An owl drawing with mandala patterns all over it, a grey mandala pattern and a coast with red sand and red reflecting light in small water lines
Images by 경복 김, Mumtaha Tabassum and Barbara A Lane from Pixabay; my arrangement

When the USA decide on making war, they are adamant. That’s a fine quality in many respects. Yet, in war…? Or making it…? Why, really? After the attacks on the twin towers the US declared war on half the world. That attack was a tragic and cruel occurrence. But it does not provide any justification for shunning international law.

On the contrary: Laws are there for all of the community. In ancient Greece Socrates, the philosopher proved it by accepting a rule that was common then – and drinking the poison from a cup he could have avoided, as a punishment. He died.

When something goes wrong, the US are the first to claim their right, their benefit… the ‘rights’ of the NATO members, for example; that is they ask for and actually pressurize the others to spend more on their annual defense budget, 5% instead of 3%, as only happened around 1.5 years ago.

But: How often did – and do – the US to this day act cruelly against other nations? Without consulting anything but their own foreign interests? What about Japan?
The first and last time ever that nuclear weapons were used in a war. As a testing ground, more or less.

The tests of nuclear weapons in the archipelagos of Bikini they used, to spare their own country? The Bikini islands feel the consequences to this day. So nice and small and quiet and right there… easy to use.

Usage. Benefit. Profit.

That are the pillars of the US-American society and have been since their founding.

The weapons producing industry is the most important, influential and powerful there. And they benefit from NATO members ordering.

In 2003 the war on Iraq was started: “Weapons of mass destruction”, so the official message, apparently had to be recovered. Since Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein had apparently accumulated them breaking international agreements they had to be made safe.

To this day, those weapons weren’t found. That’s official. None.

Saddam Hussein originally had been instated with US support. He was their ‘vassal’ in a country that also has huge reservoirs of oil and gas. When he started to become too independent, war was declared. Eventually he was found and killed.

The oil wells burned for years after that. The country is devastated.

Any old lie will do.

Check your sources. Refer to books in libraries written by respected authors of the field. Check more than one important and traditional newspaper of (reasonably) working democracies.

Iran? It’s got oil. It’s got the largest oil recovery industry in the world. Uranium enrichment control contracts were in full working order until 2018, when Trump and his ‘cohorts’ cancelled them. But: the government in place since the revolution of 1979 did not succumb to US pressure.
Regarding their internal affairs that government was a poor example of a dictatorship ‘dressed’ as democracy, including all legal pressure, limitations and punishment as well as control into the bargain typical for such systems.

But let’s remember: The last shah had been instated by the US too. He sold oil to them at dumping prices. When the literally hungry and ‘huddled’ masses rose in the country, his power waned. Finally even his downfall and flight from the country was supported by the US.

The people of Iran are of a peaceful and also proud mindset. If attacked, they fight to the last. They always did. They do not sell  out their country for cheap bargains to anyone.

Looking at history as well as present ideas you can be pretty sure of that.
This completely unnecessary war has to be stopped.

Posted on

The Sad Story of an Unnecessary War – Iran, the US and a Uranium Enrichment ‘to Use’…

Image by Bruce Emmerling from Pixabay

War: a means to an end. Indeed, often it’s more than one end only. In this case there are several:

    • Sell weapons (for the industry, the providers of supplies…), make a profit – or two.
    • Get your hands on the oil in the country: The US need oil. Iran has it, in abundance. Additionally, it’s got the largest oil recovery industry in the world.
    • Distract attention from severe internal problems, such as Epstein papers in the US.
      • Or the waning support for a president and his administration who seem to ‘lose it’ – not just once or twice, but regularly.
      • A president, who’s also a criminal, ruled guilty on 34 counts in front of a US legal court of law, for bribery, corruption and molestation.
      • The ever increasing drug problems of a society that far too long advocated the always handy pills –  and the always ‘working human’.
    • Make people forget that this had been planned long in advance, as long as 2018, at least, rather longer: When the Trump administration during his first time in office cancelled the working contracts for uranium enrichment control with Iran – that had taken 10 years to negotiate.

It would be a wise man to get proper counselling well in advance – and act accordingly. But then: Whenever did the current president prove to be wise…?

He has been proven to have committed about any felony in the book… This war is a shame and a crime. Nothing else and nothing in between.

Posted on

War on Iran, ‘Leverage’, Negotiations – and One of the Oldest Cultures

Collage of two pictures, one ofan old water pump operated by a hand using a lever. The other showing oil wells in front of a dusky skyline.
Images licensed via Adobe CC

‘Leverage’: A nice term almost, when you think of old pumps that would bring water to the surface and into a home. A lever sometimes used to do the ‘pumping’… Exactly that is part of it when you think of getting or having “leverage” in negotiations: One or the other party to an intended deal being able to put pressure on. For their own good.

That’s what this war and the occasional recent (apparent?) ‘flares’ of attacks to break that truce indicate:

Remind each other of the respective position. Let’s remember that it was the US who started this. Internal affairs in Iran haven’t been anything easy to think of – or ‘write home about’; quite to the contrary. But this is not about that government, let’s remember that too.

It’s about oil, Iran having the largest oil recovery industry in the world(!).

About a country, the US of A, whose population looks to the car as something almost like a body appendage: indispensable. Therefore petrol must be cheap. Which in turn means oil has to be cheap too and keep flowing in…

Especially with a president and his ‘coworkers’, his ‘entourage’, or cue-givers…, who refuse to look into a future of being less dependent on fossil fuels, which in the long run could make it better for all: Better water, air and less dependency on ‘any old’ oil well.

Let’s also keep in mind that negotiations take time. Which this president hasn’t got anymore, really: His second term in office is running out. If he wants to leave any kind of legacy beyond the recall of court actions, Epstein papers and worse, he has to make haste.

In the case of Iran that is one thing to better avoid. Haste.
I love that old culture, reaching back thousands of years, into a rich and also troubled history. Full of poetry and wisdom and art.

Three crucial and very striking aspects of many people I had the joy to learn to know better in a comparatively long life are these:

    • perseverance
    • patience
    • pride

That also has its roots in the history of the country: For a couple of thousands of years and to this day being at the heart of a region that always was the turnstile to all cultures you can think of, far east, west and near east.

The free flow of all that’s good in mankind’s history and mind into and through this country, of languages, arts and influences of knowledge and wisdom – together with the resilience built up over troublesome landscapes with hot, forbidding deserts, constant threats by neighbours attacking and earthquakes into the bargain – have created a ‘fellowship’ almost of a people who at their best will neither give in to blackmail or extortion, and will keep their calm, their pride and their preparedness for reasonable offers to the last.

A wise man will look for good counsel. But some people are not wise enough.

Hopefully this shameful war will end sooner rather than later to make room for negotiations – that will need patience and real offerings.

Picture of the tomb of Persian poet Hafez in Shiraz, 2019, courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license
Posted on

“There is a Method to the Madness”: The USA, the Trump Administration and the Iran War

A house in ruins and befor it the two hands of a person held up, showing the words stop war written in red coloour on them.
Image by pvproductions from freepik.com, free license

A madhouse, one might think, when looking at some of the online messages a so-called president, that sorry excuse for a man, Trump, sends – rather lets be sent.

That he practically does everything to ‘reign’ the news is the method, part of it, I am referring to. When you start looking into some of the connections, the ‘buddies’ and the ulterior motives to actions and policies in the past that repeat – because the underlying principles stay the same – you start also realizing that the apparent madhouse is part of an image.

Because, anything sensational ‘makes the news’.

A ‘scoop’ is what the career of many journalists depends on. News are sold, that’s why they are made to look sensational, even in cases when they aren’t really.

I posted about this before. Basically, we need to look at both sides of this outrage of a war, the plain extortion by a wealthy and greedy part of society in that country, the USA:

    • The whole cruel and tragic story of that war on Iran becomes clear when looking at all the facts.
    • Analyzing news and media and developing a ‘media literacy’ is crucial, just as it was before the internet was there.

The Iran war was started at least as long ago as 2018, and when you think about how things need time to be developed it started much earlier than that.

The pattern is the same as in Iraq: “Weapons of mass destruction” seemed reason enough to attack a country whose dictator had been instated with US acquiescence and support. When he started to try and become more independent, that country was seized, including the oil wells…which burned for years afterwards. With all consequences a war can have.

Those weapons were never found. And that is a fact, officially confirmed.

Iran’s last shah had sold oil to the US for dumping prices. He was a dictator really and recieved the support of several US governments all through his reign. The hungry people started to rise at last and when he became unable to control them and guarantee cheap oil, he was ‘sent packing’.

The Islamic revolution seemed an ‘inside job’ and thus manageable – but wasn’t.
Eventually, the refusal to sell other than at market price as far as oil was concerned made the need ever more urgent to get the upper hand again, from the point of view of US governments – and the two most powerful forces there:
The weapons industry.
The public clamoring for cheap gas / petrol.

The USA to this day never has attacked any country for altruistic reasons.

In 2018, the Trump administration cancelled the working contracts on uranium enrichment control; working, as officially confirmed by the IAEA, more than once.

Now they are still offering a peace on their own terms.

What do you call that in business and private life? – Extortion. It is a punishable offence.

Posted on

Iran, War, a ‘Lame Duck’ President in the USA and the Inernational Community

Collage of images, the US flag in front of a cloudy sky, before that a drawing of a duck waddling towards the viewer, looking angry, beside that the shape of the ancient Persepolis palace gates and behind that the Iran flag in front of a sunrise and oil pumps.
Images licensed via Adobe CC, my graphics

The ‘lame duck’ effect is a comparatively old phrase: It describes the fact that due to the ending time in office a president in his second term is less effective. In other words, his power decreases just because everybody knows the end is near.

The Epstein files, Trump’s own guilt, ruled in front of a US court for corruption, bribery and molestation, his cruelty towards his own people in Minnesota or California; his international politics in regard to tariffs that have been found illegal in the USA itself.

He has ample reason to want to cover up. War is an ancient method for that, has been used by kings and dictators for centuries, if not thousands of years.

Additionally, Iran’s oil recovery industry is the largest in the world.

The uranium enrichment control contracts with Iran had been reached after 10 years of negotiation and were in full working order even according to official reports of the IAEA. Trump cancelled those contracts in 2018 without any reason.

This whole attack would be funny, if it wasn’t a cruel war; the typical Trump tantrums of an ill-mannered child: “This is my sandcastle, I’ll kick you and yours if you don’t do what I want.”

The bully, using scare tactics.

There’s no discussion necessary that the internal handling and rules as well as laws of the present Iranian government are horrible.

I still tip my hat to them for holding out against this huge machine of extortion.

Iran is more than just a few wild mullahs and a revolution gone wrong. It’s an ancient and beautiful culture and society in many respects of the customs and traditions that are thousands of years old.

Shame on someone like that US-criminal at the helm of a country still fighting for its own culture and sometimes having a hard time of it… Where still far too often money is the ‘sole mover’…

Posted on

Alexander and Diogenes or: What Really Counts in Life

Drawing of Diogenes sitting in a barrel and Alexander in warriors' armour meeting.
Image: National Galleries of Scotland collection. Photo, National Galleries of Scotland. (Creative Commons license)

“Stand out of my sun.” Imagine that, said to the most famous conqueror and king of the time. That was Greek philosopher Diogenes talking, in ancient Greece, Corinth, to be precise, so legend has it. Talking to Alexander, who is still called the Great. Diogenes had become famous for his life style and believes: He refused all wealth, riches and luxury and is said to have lived in a barrel most of the time.

The barrel is most probably a synonym for extremely reduced living conditions. By choice, in Diogenes’ case. He was founder of a concept that circled around good deeds,  and a ‘return to nature’. The natural state of living. These ideas since have frequently cropped up in the history of mankind.

People are not all the same. Sounds simple, but it is not always. Some you’d rather not meet, such as those similar to the present president of the US. The ancient legend around Alexander and Diogenes of Greece makes that point, in very simple terms:

What really counts is to train your thoughts.

For many, wealth and fame as a goal in life often are considered to be the basic: The ‘pursuit of happiness’ it is also called, sometimes.

When people start looking for happiness in wealth and fame, because the applause of others seem to make them happy – or content, you may find yourself in ‘queer street’, as that old saying goes. In war, actually, which is not as funny as that ancient ‘queer’ phrase makes it seem, but cruel.
Greed and cruelty very often come with hunger for wealth and more wealth and power. But happiness people often miss out on.

The story “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” by Leo Tolstoy, great Russian 19th century writer, is just as eloquent and clear on the subject. Although it may seem obvious, the way Tolstoy renders it, it is compelling in its vivacity.

“Stand out of my sun.” There are people, who harm others just for their own good. I’d rather not have to meet them if I can help it.

Privacy Proudly powered by WordPress