- The International Atomic Energy Agency recently released a report on Iran’s nuclear materials. Some US media are misusing the report to exaggerate the threat of Iran's nuclear strength. There is also increasing talk in the US Congress, among Republican presidential candidates, and in Israel, of military action to "take out" Iran's nuclear facilities. In Nov. 2011, Israeli President Peres said that an attack on Iran is "increasingly likely," and that he hopes Israel "will not be alone" in attacking Iran's nuclear sites.
- But the Israeli Army chief of staff, the retired heads of Israel’s foreign, domestic, and military intelligence agencies, and the retired Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, have all strongly argued against an attack on Iran. Gates warned that Iran’s sites are widely distributed—some in mountains, some in unknown locations—and that attacking Iran would merely delay, not stop, its nuclear program. Both Gates and Meir Dagan, former head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, have asserted that an attack on Iran, "would lead to regional war."
- U.S. sanctions on Iran, to the extent they impact the general public, will likely weaken internal opposition to their government, and destroy existing pro-American sentiment.
- A more productive U.S. approach would be to talk directly to Iran—we haven't done that in years—and to build on the considerable good feeling that many Iranians have toward America.
Urge the President to keep in mind, and to remind Israeli leaders about, the strong military and intelligence warnings against war with Iran. Instead of military force, urge him to use diplomacy, dialogue, negotiations, cultural exchanges, etc., and to build upon the advantage of the pro-American feelings of most Iranians while advancing the goal of creating a more peaceful and sustainable world.
- Web: www.whitehouse.gov/contact
- Tel: 202 456-1111 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm)
- Fax: 202 456-2461
- Mail:
- President Barack Obama
- The White House
- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
- Washington, DC 20500
Photo credit: Lazuli Bunting. Cupertino, Calif. 2010 © Ron Wolf
