The American Spectator published an article aimed at portraying Iran’s diplomatic relations and nuclear activities as a threat to the United States. Author Jed Babbin claims, albeit unfounded, that a cooperative China-Russia-Iran relationship is an “Axis of Evil”, which, according to him, threatens US global interests. However, every sovereign country in the world has the right to pursue its own national interests, which naturally may run counter to the imperial greedy Western and US ambitions.
For example, the conservative American magazine attempted to link Al-Aqsa Storm operation to Iran’s moves and depict the country as the cause of protracted normalization negotiations between Tel Aviv and some Arab states. Pointing to Tehran’s access to its frozen assets abroad, Babbin also said that “anyone who believes that the Iranians will only buy food with the money is a fool.” I wonder if the author would ask such a question to the Biden administration, which is constantly increasing financial investments in maintaining and modernizing US nuclear weapons, the only country that thoughtlessly used them against civilians in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The author also claims that Iran continues to build up its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium, which is a short step to 90 percent weapons-grade material to demonize Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program. Incidentally, it was Iran that signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the IAEA almost daily and thoroughly inspects Iranian nuclear enterprises that are developing solely for peaceful purposes. This is in stark contrast to Israel’s policies, which not only did not sign the NPT, but also developed its own nuclear weapons aimed at Arab states and Iran. Tel Aviv has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons in the region and the latest proof of this is the statement made by the Minister for Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Amichai Eliyahu, who admitted the possibility of a nuclear bombing of the Gaza Strip: “Answering the question of Kol Berama radio, whether an atomic bomb should be dropped on the enclave, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said that “this is one of the possibilities.”
However, the far-fetched arguments and excessive pathos of the American publication can be countered with real facts and arguments. For example, the term “national interests” has been used by statesmen and scholars since the founding of nation states to describe and express their aspirations and goals. Although the author believes that the alliance between Tehran and Beijing poses a danger, Washington has always been and remains one of China’s largest trading partners. Since early 1979, the United States and China have initiated hundreds of joint research projects and cooperative programs under the Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology, the largest bilateral program. Trade between the US and China has increased dramatically in recent decades. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, this trade has benefited both American and Chinese consumers and companies.
China is one of the largest markets for US goods and services exports, and the United States is among China’s leading export markets. A US think-tank reported on September 26, 2023 that this trade has helped the United States lower prices for consumers and increase corporate profits, but it also entails certain costs. Apparently for this reason, given the strong relations between the United States and China, Iran, in the author’s “competent” opinion, should not strengthen its ties with China.
Considering Iran’s frozen funds abroad, they can only be spent with US approval, as the State Department lately insisted. A senior State Department official said the authorization “is not a free pass to move all this money ($10 billion)” arguing that it is a “multi-level” and “cumbersome” process. The so-called US authorization allows payments to be made as long as they pass through the Sultanate of Oman, where some of the funds are converted into euros or other widely traded currencies so Iran can buy unsanctioned goods such as those included in humanitarian aid. The fact is that, despite statements by US officials and the State Department regarding frozen Iranian funds, Jed Babbin argues that the unfreezing of assets is supposedly causing great concern to the US. This is despite the fact that the assets are Iranian money, which was illegally blocked by the United States to intimidate other countries.
Despite the author’s statements, who speaks about the military component of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, again without any proof, the recent IAEA report does not contain any evidence that Iran is seeking to turn its nuclear program into a weapon. As the Iranian leadership has repeatedly stated, it is always ready to interact constructively with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It has become known that Tehran has just re-invited the IAEA Director General to resolve any outstanding issues, which is the best response to the American author’s speculation.
Iran has also repeatedly asked Saudi Arabia to “ensure that it does not join former President Trump’s Abraham Accords,” Babbin wrote, claiming that the Saudis’ negotiations with Israel about joining the so-called “Abraham Accords” to normalize Arab-Israeli relations “have ended” because the Saudis agreed with the Iranians and will not enter into any further agreements with Israel. However, the main reason for the halt in the normalization process is not Tehran’s pressure on Riyadh, but the Israeli war crimes that Tel Aviv constantly commits against the Palestinians, as evidenced once again by the carnage in the besieged Gaza enclave. Saudi Arabian officials, faced with a worldwide backlash over Israeli barbarity in the Gaza Strip, appear to have changed their minds about normalizing relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv. It should be noted, furthermore, that not only Saudi Arabia, but also many other countries are considering a boycott of Tel Aviv as their foreign policy agenda.
Apparently, the main task of the US scribbler is to try to whitewash US policy towards Israel, while placing the blame for the escalation of the situation in the Middle East region entirely on Iran. It is worth mentioning that Israel now receives $3.8 billion annually from the US under a 10-year agreement reached under the Obama administration that took effect in 2016. Earlier in November, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel. The House bill would provide billions for Israel’s military alone, including $4 billion to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling defense systems. Joe Biden also called on Congress to approve a broader $106 billion emergency spending package, including funding for Israel. When it comes to supporting Israel, Washington’s actions appear to be driven by a massive injection of U.S. taxpayer money into the Israeli budget.
But no matter how hard American “independent” historians and journalists try to rewrite history, it becomes clear that the United States and the West as a whole bear full responsibility for numerous military and other conflicts in the Middle East region, and more and more countries and peoples are beginning to realize this. Since 1979, the United States has been trying to hinder the free development of Iran with its aggressive and hostile policies and prevent its people from building a life in their own interests. But all this, despite the frantic attempts of the West, is futile and foredoomed to failure, since countries and peoples are increasingly moving into the reality of a multipolar and multilateral world order.
Viktor Mikhin, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, exclusively for the internet journal “New Eastern Outlook”.