Iran

Posted June 18, 2009

For several years, there has been a growing concern over the nuclear ambitions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  While President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated repeatedly that Iran’s nuclear program is solely intended to provide energy to the nation, many governments are worried about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon.  Because the Iranian government has set itself up as a consistent opponent of Israel, many of the calls for a U.S. response to the Iranian nuclear program have come from the Israel lobby.

It is in the best interest of the United States (and the world) to prevent nuclear weapons from being developed by dangerous states such as Iran.   It is also imperative that the security of Israel and the Western world be maintained against not only Iran, but also terrorist organizations which could more easily obtain these weapons of mass destruction.  However, despite the possibility of confrontation there is little actual potential for Iran to successfully construct a nuclear weapon.  A 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, the consensus view of the U.S. intelligence community, found that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program as early as 2003, and mounting global sanctions against the nation are sure to slow any other potential programs.

Despite these facts, the Israeli government and interest groups here in Washington continue to focus most of their lobbying efforts on encouraging U.S. action (military or otherwise) against Iran of behalf of Israel.  This has for the most part become a key talking point of the Israeli government and has prevented comprehensive action on more pressing issues, namely developing dialogue with the Palestinians.  This dichotomy is best demonstrated in Israeli President Netanyahu’s May 2009 meeting with President Obama, in which he pushed strongly for U.S. action against Iran and yet refused to make any compromises on the issue of West Bank settlements.

The Iranian nuclear issue must be dealt with evenhandedly by the international community.  However, it is not in the interest of the United States to focus all of its efforts on unilateral action against the Islamic Republic while at the same time losing resources, time, and global credibility.  Until an international consensus can be reached, it is imperative that all parties focus on more pressing and precarious issues on the ground, namely the advancement of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

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