Editorial
Whipping up anti-Iran frenzy
Bush and Cheney must not wage another war
Democrats in the United States have accused the administration of beating the drums of war against Iran. For its part, the Iranian leadership has been asking President Bush to apologise to Tehran since, in its view, the International Atomic Energy Agency has found no proof that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The fact of the matter is that the IAEA has acknowledged that Tehran has provided sufficient access to information about its nuclear programme and has responded in a timely manner to the many questions that have been raised around the issue. The UN watchdog body still believes, though, that Iran has not stopped enriching uranium despite warnings from the global body that it do so.
Be that as it may, Iran and its friends now have reasonable grounds to claim that the constant refrain from the US about a development of nuclear weapons by it has been proved to be baseless. Indeed, if the IAEA does say that the Iranians have been cooperating with it, it amounts to saying that the Iran's leadership has little to conceal. Whether or not the American administration now says sorry to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not the point. The bigger and more ominous issue is that Bush and his vice president, Dick Cheney, have in recent days stepped up their rhetoric on the need for action against Iran. There is a bad sense of déjà vu here, considering that it was similar frenzy which dictated Washington's response to Saddam Hussein's Iraq in late 2002 and early 2003. At the time, it was the lie of weapons of mass destruction that whipped up war frenzy in Washington, a battle cry that Britain's now departed prime minister Tony Blair cheerfully joined in. Much the same ululating sounds are being heard over Iran today.
It will be outrageous if Bush and Cheney create a situation where Iran becomes the next target of their aggression. Already the sinister effects of the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq have left the world polarised and America facing hostility in the Islamic world. An attack on Iran will be looked upon, and quite justifiably too, as yet one more instance of a battering of Muslim society. Tunnel vision can be dangerous, which is why the Democrats are right to pounce on President Bush as he mulls a new war. His administration needs to be put on a leash.
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