Some Arab countries are concerned by the Iranian nuclear program. As an Arab citizen, I indeed do have causes for concern over this program; however, these are not identical to the concerns of the countries which are intimidated even by the frogs croaking at night. In truth, I hope that the Iranian program is indeed a military one, and that Iran will succeed in producing a nuclear bomb. My concern is thus rather caused by the fact that Arab countries are not attempting to beat Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. The ideal solution in the Middle East is not a nuclear arms race, but rather to render the region a WMD-free zone. However, as long as Israel is in the possession of a nuclear arsenal, it is the duty of each country vis-à-vis its people to acquire nuclear weapons to confront Israel, and then Iran if it should possess such weapons. Until the establishment of the independent Palestinian state, the enemy will continue to be Israel alone, whereas Iran, with the presence of a demagogical government in power, is a mere competitor over influence, as its people are part of the region and are not intruders in it. The West, which planted Israel in our midst, focuses on what does not exist in Iran and turns a blind eye to Israel. For instance, there was no mention of the latter's nuclear program during the meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with President Barack Obama. This is despite the fact that the latter, a few days before the arrival of the Israeli terrorist (specifically in the beginning of this month) signed a bill for new sanctions against Iran, which go beyond those imposed by the UN Security Council on the ninth of June. Also, the Congress almost unanimously endorsed a bill that will restrict Iranian investments in energy, will freeze the assets of the Republican Guard which is tasked with the oversight of the nuclear program, and will blacklist several individuals, bodies and institutions that deal with Iran. We also know that the European Union, Canada and Australia adopted stances similar to those of the United States in that they go beyond the fourth round of sanctions approved by the Security Council. But what does Iran have to deserve these sanctions? The U.S Central Intelligence Agency recently claimed that Iran has enough enriched uranium to produce two nuclear bombs, and the head of CIA Leon Panetta said Iran could take up to two years to build those weapons. Perhaps this is true. However, we all remember that the national intelligence estimate, which was co-drafted by all U.S intelligence agencies and was issued in 2007, said that Iran will not be able to produce a nuclear weapon before 2015. Even if we were to overlook the errors or lies in the U.S statements, the fact of the matter is that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, while Israel, the fascist occupation state, possesses a nuclear arsenal, and that the first is being punished for something it does not have, while the second enjoys American and European impunity. I condemn this bias in favor of Israel, along with each Arab country that aligns itself with American and European stances against Tehran, instead of focusing their efforts on Israel first before moving onto Iran. Nonetheless, I find a reason to have hopes regarding an honorable way out for the Arabs, and Jordan is a clear example for what needs to be done. Jordan is seeking to exploit its uranium deposits to produce nuclear energy and generate 30 percent of its power needs by 2030. However, the United States refuses to allow Jordan to produce its own nuclear fuel, and insists that it imports it, although Jordan is entitled to this as a signatory of the NPT, which Israel, incidentally, failed to sign. The United States wants the Arab countries that are seeking to produce nuclear energy to refrain from using U.S technology to produce nuclear weapons, and to pledge not to enrich uranium or reprocess used nuclear fuel, and to import all the fuel needed for their reactors. The United Arab Emirates was the pioneering country to hold a nuclear agreement (with South Korea last year), but under the American terms; however, this is acceptable for the UAE since it has no uranium deposits in its territories. Nonetheless, this is not logical in Jordan's case, which signed a 25-year agreement with a French company to mine uranium in the central region of the country. Furthermore, Jordan is currently negotiating with a French company, a Canadian company and a Russian company to build a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant, which Jordan wants it completed by 2019. Egypt is also negotiating with a French company to build a nuclear reactor, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a plan to build nuclear reactors, but which it is surrounding with shroud of secrecy. In addition, several countries in the Arab Maghreb are following suit. In my opinion, the proliferation of nuclear programs in the Middle East is the best approach to push the United States, and perhaps Israel itself, to understand the need to render the region a WMD-free zone. This is what is needed to spare the peoples of the region [any more suffering]. [email protected]
