The New York Times (4/7/13) reports that progress on the Iran nuclear negotiations appears rather bleak. But the piece, by David Herszenhorn, passes off a key fact as if it were a mere Iranian claim.
The article presents one take from Iran’s top negotiator, Saeed Jalili–along with a curt response from the U.S.:
“Of course, there is some distance in the position of the two sides,” Mr. Jalili said. But he said Iran’s proposals, which required recognizing “our right to enrich and ending behaviors which have every indication of enmity toward the Iranian people,” were designed “to help us move toward a constructive road.”
A senior American official called Iran’s demands unreasonable and “disproportionate.”
The piece elaborates:
Western countries fear that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, while Iran has insisted that its program is for peaceful purposes, including atomic energy and medical research, to which it claims a right as a signer of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
We’re accustomed to “Iran says X, the West says Y” in Iran coverage. But despite the evident confidence of the U.S., there is still no evidence that Iran is actually pursuing a weapons program.
But what of this idea that Iran “claims” a right to enrich uranium? That is, as Steve Rendall wrote for Extra! (9/05), a fact:
Under the NPT, non-nuclear-weapons countries agree not to pursue or possess nuclear weapons, while nuclear-armed countries agree to pursue disarmament and to share nuclear energy technology with the non-nuclear countries. (See Extra!, 7-8/05.) Under the agreement, non-nuclear-weapons states may develop nuclear programs, enrich uranium, etc., as long the programs are for non-military purposes and they are disclosed to the IAEA.
Another fact about the NPT that goes mostly unmentioned is that it calls on countries that possess nuclear weapons “to facilitate the cessation of the manufacture of nuclear weapons, the liquidation of all their existing stockpiles, and the elimination from national arsenals of nuclear weapons and the means of their delivery.”
But to the New York Times, Iran’s appeals to the treaty are “claims,” which can be challenged by anonymous U.S. officials (“the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, which has become the State Department’s standard practice at the talks”).
And while we’re on the subject of Iran, here’s a pretty revealing exchange from ABC‘s This Week (4/7/13)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The nuclear talks with Iran basically failed again. And you have to believe Iran is watching this as well, and says, ‘He’s got nuclear weapons, he has a stronger hand.’
MARTHA RADDATZ: Not only watching it, but I think there’s cooperation between North Korea and Iran. In fact, that’s something else General Thurman and other U.S. officials have told me.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What kind of cooperation?
RADDATZ: Cooperation on a nuclear program. Certainly North Korea wants money. And Iran wants nukes.
Huh. Anything else U.S. officials want you to share with the public, absent even a shred of skepticism?
Beyond this issue, the NPT has a profound contradiction, in that it purports to promote the abolishment of one deadly scourge – nuclear weapons
While enthusiastically supporting another – nuclear energy.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Fukushima are inextricably linked by those twin pillars of the amorality of scientific “progress”.
The much-repeated mantra of “Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes but The West thinks Iran wants nukes” is actually false too — since US intelligence agencies have consistently stated that there’s no actual proof of that Iran seeks nukes either. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/world/middleeast/us-agencies-see-no-move-by-iran-to-build-a-bomb.html?_r=0
But I suppose it would be too hard for the media to say instead “The West is using the nuclear program as a pretext for imposing regime-change” so they have to stick to a claim that even US intelligence agencies have not asserted.
Iran has IRIB and PressTV and we have NYT, NPR, PBS, WP, ABC….
Real Journalism in the mainstream media died in the US in the late 80s. The few and far-between real journalists are the “voice in the wilderness” types now. The entire Press establishment appears to have been turned into an advertising arm of the US government.
Keep us the good fight Mr. Hart!
Actually they can’t rule out that Iran is not or has not been seeking Nuclear WMD’s. They won’t comply with the International Rules. The head of the IAEA says that their is a strong possibility they conducted weapon research at parchin; but Iran won’t let any one in their to conduct the tests. Also everyone will bitch if & when Iran has the WMD’s. So I think America is trying to keep the world safe from a Nuclear Catastrophe. They probably have other agenda’s at the same time.
@USA
What International rules is Iran not complying with? I think that even IAEA agrees that Iran is complying with NPT.
Obama keeps saying there is still time for Iran to negotiate with the US government although the window of opportunity is limited. However, if it can not be established that Iran is not complying with any part of the treaty, what is there to negotiate except when the US will drop its sanctions and stop threatening Iran?
The u.s. mainstream media is clearly and inextricably linked with the u.s. government’s policy of world domination through imperialism. Threats, sanctions,de-stabilization, propaganda, and war are all being used to control the nations of the world and even u.s. citizens better not stand in the way.
@USA
Odd that you make such a statement with no sources stated, even though it seems to fly in the face of common knowledge. It occurs to me that this is how the propaganda machine works… just drop a hint here and there that the blatantly true may be false. let the lies insidiously fester in the public psyche… repeat it often. never back up the claim, just say over and over that “some people claim that, in FACT, kittens are NOT cute.” maybe people won’t remember exactly where they heard the idea, but as a comment on a web site you believe in, like say, catfancy.com, it sticks. maybe you disagree, but maybe in your mind the issue is a bit more clouded. don’t get in an arguement though! you will lose, so just drop a little hint on the next related article you find, and run away. like guerrilla-warfare-forum-style.
To try to defend Iran against accusations of their intent to build the bomb is foolish. Of course they want the bomb. If anything the Iraq war showed the little enemies of the US Empire is that the only way to deter a war of aggression by the US or Israel is to REALLY have the bomb!
Moreover, Iran has every right to have the bomb if the US, Israel, Pakistan, N. Korea, and India, all have it. The “rogue nation” argument doesn’t cut it here. All the above nations are rogue!
The regime in Iran is ruthless to its own citizens but on the international scene it is not suicidal. The minute they launch a missile towards the US or any of its allies, they will be vaporized.
So you believe our inspectors are morons?Iran is enriching to a degree used ONLY for weaponization.Like building a smart bomb to take care of an ant problem and saying it with a straight face.Daily we confiscate weapons with Iranian markings on the world terrorist arms trade market.Iran with a straight face says they know nothing –like sgt Shultz.Why would you believe them is the question.
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