Let me begin by saying that I belong to the group of people who reject the use of weapons of mass destruction. I have always called for the elimination of such weapons from every country around the world. I also believe that it is not advisable to use nuclear energy even for peaceful purposes.

As part of the campaign against Iran and its nuclear program, the US may level all kinds of charges against Tehran to justify whatever action it is contemplating.

We all know how the CIA presented a frightening scenario of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and the “threat” Iraq’s WMD to the safety and security of the United States and its people. It became clear after the Iraqi invasion that all the American claims were false. The CIA lost all its credibility to the extent that even the closest friends of the United States would not believe what it says. The Iraqi invasion and the consequent destruction was a result of the American and British lies.

The American military staged thousands of air strikes against Iraq with a view to destroying its military infrastructure during the war, but US claims of success in this regard turned out to be not true. On the other hand, Iraq didn’t lose much of its customary weapons, which disappeared when the invasion forces entered Iraq.

Today, Washington and Tel Aviv are accusing Iran of conducting a clandestine nuclear program. And that’s why Iran is pushing to enrich uranium and to unlock the seals of uranium enriching laboratories.

Washington and Tel Aviv based their accusations on a report prepared by the CIA, which was presented to the International Atomic Energy Agency claiming that it’s a specifically detailed report.

The CIA report says Iran’s ballistic missile inventory is among the largest in the Middle East and includes some 1,300-km-range Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and a few hundred short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs)-including the Shahab-1 (Scud-B), Shahab-2 (Scud C), and Tondar-69 (CSS-8)-as well as a variety of large unguided rockets. In addition, Iran, says the report, publicly acknowledged the development of follow-on versions of the Shahab-3.

In spite of all the specific details presented in the report, the members of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Trustees refused to take into consideration the contents of the report because it came from one single source — the CIA. The Europeans too refused to take the report seriously. They believed that the CIA was creating scenarios and assumptions to serve the US interests even if it meant loss of its credibility. Some political analysts asked, “Where were the CIA when the US embassies were attacked in Nairobi and Dar Al Salaam? Where were they when USS Cole exploded? Why haven’t they found out anything about Sept. 11 attacks?” What about the train explosions in Spain and the Metro explosions in London? And finally, the bombings in Jordan, Tuba and Sharma El-Sheikh. The CIA’s mythical capabilities exist in Hollywood films only.

Iran is an Islamic country with an impressive military, which must be put under blockade to protect Israel. Iran is different from Saddam’s Iraq, especially in terms of the relationship between the people and their leaders. Iran represents real power in the region; trying to do a repeat of Iraq to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons will be sheer madness.

Iran is capable of hitting Israel. It can attack the American forces based in the Gulf and in Iraq. By doing so, they can inflame the region and cause a lot of damage.

I believe there won’t be any military confrontation this time. Europe is against use of force and that’s why they initiated the move to transfer Iran’s nuclear file to the Security Council. The Security Council won’t take any action other than recommending punitive steps that can’t be implemented.

In spite of the long-standing enmity between Washington and Iran, Washington is forced to negotiate with Tehran to arrest the steadily worsening situation in Iraq. Washington staged a replay of Vietnam in Iraq with predictably disastrous results. Any outcome of an Iran adventure can’t be different.