The young Secretary runs his fingers through his beard as he speaks into his handset “Sir, our envoy needs to know the position, what shall I tell him?”
The old man’s voice crackles a little as he replies “What day is it today? Wednesday? Yes, we can talk. No, no, tell them we stand firm. They can’t tell us what to do!” and he disconnects his line.
The young man relays the message via another line.
Meanwhile across town, the president is sitting with two of his advisers discussing the same matter. “This is certainly a matter of our sovereignty, but the stakes are high.”
His companions nod in agreement and one of them murmurs “It's very dangerous unless we pass that bill in parliament.”
This may sound like an excerpt from a novel; however it seems to be the way a particular government works. While most countries also suffer from disjointed governance, this is an extreme example. The Iranian people, its regime, and the world large do not know where it stands on its nuclear ambitions. The old kingdom of Persia gone, today nobody trusts its government, who are at once extremists terrorists and apparently popular. (Although the latter is yet to be proven, there will be an indication at this year’s presidential elections.)
Iran is currently a concern for the world, as it might have or maybe about to break the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory. Its hardliners represented by the old man, Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran and the leader of the world’s Shiites, belief that Iran can do as it wishes regarding matters nuclear. On the other hand for those who would allow extensive U.N. inspections and wish to comply with its rules. They are mostly in the current president’s camp.
For the past eight years a particular and moderate president has been in power in Iran. Yet, according to the legal framework and the doings of the extremist faction, he has been powerless to bring about reforms. These next elections that he cannot stand in, present people with a choice between extremist hardliners and medium hardliners, promising to take the country to the dark ages, Taliban style. Therefore the issue of popularity is a redundant one.
In any case, the regime holds the power and the guns, and is aggressive in its stance. It has never declared war on any other countries, yet one of its first acts was to take hostage innocent Americans for 400 days. It has actively supported Islamic terrorist groups against its perceived enemies. Lebanese Hezbollah and Algerian dissidents have been overtly supported by the Iranian government in their disruptive activities. The list is long, but not the focus of this article.
One may be mystified as to why the country with the second largest proven oil and gas reserves in the world would want to generate electricity from nuclear fission. It simply is not a logical move. If its government is worried about the environment they would do well to remember that Iran is a country that benefits from untold amounts of sunshine, plenty of wind and water to generate clean electricity.
One might imagine it is the Russian influence and need to generate income that has led to this position, yet that is hard to justify. Russia earns much more from exporting its own oil and gas than selling old nuclear technology to a neighbour. Although currently on the same side on this issue, the two countries have never seen eye to eye, with a past relationship scarred by overt and covert wars.
Indeed another one of Iran’s neighbours, Pakistan, has nuclear arms. Yet it has never threatened Iran, and would be unlikely to do so. Nobody else is pointing the nuclear warheads at Iran either. So, what is driving this regime to pursue nuclear ambitions?
The answer is not simple yet fairly clear. This regime is aggressive and has shed much blood since its inception. It is based on an ideology that is taken to the extreme and knows no mercy for those who do not follow it. The supporters of this ideology struck gold by landing up in a country rich with natural resources. Although they do see their future as uncertain they cling on to their power with all their might. In their desperation they are capable of committing any act, without much consideration for the consequences. This makes them highly dangerous and unstable.
Luckily their ways are not supported by the masses living in Iran, yet these masses have no power against them. Given the situation of this people is one that affects the international community, perhaps it is time that the same international community decides to help these people. Like anyone living anywhere the ordinary people merely want to get on with their lives.
It is time for a decision and may be appropriate action should be imminent.