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Stefan Kerner

Iran Nuclear Talks – Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

So the Iranian nuclear talks are set to resume in an attempt to achieve an agreement by the end of the month. It is hard, if not impossible, to see how these endless talks, that go round in an endless circle of pointlessness, will produce any positive results. I would heavily bet against any historic signing on the White House Lawn in the near future signalling the dawning of a new era of peace and cooperation.

Those who believe that Iran is in any way willing to carry out a volte-face are living in a fairy tale world. Those who argue that sanctions have served their purpose by bringing Iran to the negotiating table and should now be dropped as a sign of good will on the part of the West are delusional and dangerous.

If Iran had wanted to actually reach an agreement that was acceptable to the West, that included the complete prevention of their ability to produce nuclear weapons, they would have done so by now. They are playing a very clever stalling game. And you know what? They are winning.

Beyond sanctions, the only option left to the West is military intervention and you don’t need to be an expert in Middle East affairs to know that we have no stomach for this. Iran knows this too. They know that America and its allies are in no position to carry out military action that could even include an invasion of Iran. They know that this will bring about the total meltdown of the region with the potential of a global conflict on a massive scale. They know, therefore, that as long as they can withstand the harshness of the sanctions and the empty rhetoric that goes with it, Iran can continue to develop its nuclear programme with impunity.

Assuming this is the case, and I pray that it isn’t, the end game is a disastrous one. It will signal the birth of a new nuclear arms race in the Middle East where Saudi Arabia and other Sunni nations will endeavour to develop their own programmes, making an already dangerous neighbourhood virtually impossible.

If we are to assume that Iran would not actually be prepared to launch direct nuclear attacks against Israel or other countries…and we must remember how often they threaten to ‘wipe Israel off the map’…we can be sure that they are extremely likely to supply one or more of the terrorist groups that it openly supports with small and portable nuclear bombs that will allow them to carry out their dirty work for them. They supply them with weapons, money and other support now so what is to think that they wouldn’t step up to the next level when the time comes?

Normally when I read articles spelling out problems or issues, I expect the author to provide a possible solution. I am afraid that I can offer no comforting words or answers. We face an enemy who is diametrically opposed to us and our way of life, as are we to theirs. For us to ‘win’ we must be prepared to fight. Sanctions must remain in place and even be strengthened if necessary. Not only this, they must be enforced rigorously. We must be prepared to show strength and support our allies in the region who must also be prepared to stand up and be counted. Iran’s influence in the region through its direct support of terrorist groups in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza and elsewhere must be fought at every level. Banks must freeze assets, governments must resist their influences, and armies must even fight them where necessary.

The line in the sand was drawn a long time ago. We must finally wake up to the reality that we are in a battle between two different worlds and join the fight.

About the Author
Stefan Kerner was active in Israel Advocacy in the UK for over 15 years and has a MA in Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS. Stefan made Aliyah in September 2014.
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