by Stephen Lendman

Washington and Israel wage dirty covert wars. Iran's been targeted for years. Imperial aims are prioritized. Rule of law principles don't matter. Israel wants sole regional dominance. America wants it globally. Lawless tactics continue.

They include cyber attacks, other sabotage, targeted assassinations, deadly explosions, sophisticated satellite, drone, and other spying, bogus accusations, a virtual blockade, hostile saber rattling, multiple rounds of sanctions, and attempts to cripple its central bank and oil industry.

In addition, relentless anti-Iranian propaganda substitutes malicious misinformation and bald-faced lies for accuracy and truth.

At issue is Iranian independence. The Islamic Republic threatens no one. Its nuclear program is peaceful. It seeks cooperative international relations. It wants its sovereign rights respected.

Regime change is planned. Belligerence is America's option of choice. It wants pro-Western governments replacing independent ones. Peace and stability are sabotaged. Pretexts are created. One war follows another. After Syria comes Iran.

Institute for Policy Studies senior scholar Andrew Levine expects war. Obama wants it avoided until post-election. He told Russia Today (rt.com) its "rationale….remains intact."

He matches Republican hawkishness. He's more hawkish on Afghanistan than Romney. Overall differences between them are like "Coke and Pepsi." Both want regime change in Syria and Iran. They'll do what it takes against both governments. Congress is supportive. Expect the worst. It's coming.

Western proxies wage war on Syria. Media scoundrels invert truth. They consider cold-blooded killers freedom fighters. They're armed, trained, funded, and directed to commit murder and other atrocities. Assad gets blamed for their crimes.

Journalist Robert Fisk visited Daraya. Days earlier, terrorists massacred dozens of civilians. Some say hundreds. Mass burials were held.

Residents he spoke to contradicted official reports. They blamed Anti-Assad terrorists. A woman named Leena saw bodies on streets before Syrian forces arrived. Government loyalists were targeted.

Home were invaded. People were kidnapped and slaughtered. Assad was wrongfully blamed. Expect a full investigation to reveal more.

Washington may replicate Syrian violence in Iran. Baseless charges continue. On August 30, Haaretz headlined the latest. Unnamed US, Israeli and UN officials were cited. Uncorroborated charges were made. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was named.

Haaretz called him a "top Iranian scientist believed to be the 'father' of Iran's nuclear weapons program…."

No evidence proves one exists. Nonetheless, baseless charges continue. Fear is generated. Public opinion is manipulated. War plans perhaps remain unchanged.

Haaretz said Fakhrizadeh's research was "apparently sidelined (for) a few years." He "resumed his work in a lab on the outskirts of Tehran…."

A UN "nuclear watchdog" called him "a key figure in suspected Iranian work to develop technology and skills needed for atomic bombs and suggested he may still play a role in such efforts."

A so-called report was cited. He's the only Iranian official named. Accusations without proof said Tehran "appear(s) to be developing nuclear weapons." How many times have we heard that before? Charges wore thin long ago. Nonetheless, they repeat.

In November 2011, a spurious IAEA report said he headed an AMAD Plan. He was falsely accused of "carr(ying) out studies related to uranium, high explosives and the revamping of a missile cone to accommodate a warhead."

Again, no evidence corroborated charges. They're baseless or manufactured to look believable. Unidentified officials lack credibility. Iran's been falsely accused for years. Its agenda supports a nuclear free Middle East.

On August 29, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei addressed NAM leaders.

"In the recent past," he said, "we have been witness to the failure of the policies of the Cold War era and the unilateralism that followed it."

"Having learnt lessons from this historical experience, the world is in transition towards a new international order and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) can and should play a new role."

NAM values, he said, include anti-colonialism, political, economic and cultural independence, solidarity and cooperation, world peace, and freedom from hegemonic dominance.

He accused Washington of bullying tactics. He called its Security Council control "a flagrant form of dictatorship." He said America and its "accomplices" terrorize defenseless people in the name of democracy.

They impose their will lawlessly on others. "Using their exclusive and organized media network, they disguise their lies as the truth, their falsehoods as true, and their oppression as efforts to promote justice."

"In contrast, they brand as lies every true statement that exposes their deceit and label every legitimate demand as roguish."

America is "fully aware that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons." He condemned US and Israeli hostility. He criticized IAEA complicity with aggressive anti-Iranian policies. He also blamed UN officials for not countering US threats. He stressed Iran's commitment to end Syrian violence.

He repeated earlier calls for a nuclear free Middle East. He urged other nations for support. Nuclear disarmament is fundamental. Everyone gains. UN officials should prioritize achieving what benefits all member states.

The 16th NAM summit represents a historic opportunity. Key is transforming rhetoric into policy. As host, Iran gains prestige and support against hostile US/Israeli designs.

Israel instructed its ambassadors in all NAM member states to pressure their leaders not to attend. Washington likely did the same. Both nations have black eyes.

Bullying failed. It's a hopeful sign. Dozens of presidents, prime ministers, and other top officials showed up. Doing so expresses anti-imperial solidarity.

In response, Netanyahu lashed out. Enraged over impressive international participation, he called the summit "a disgrace and stain on humanity. So many in the international community appear to have learned nothing," he said.

He repeated earlier baseless accusations. NAM leaders likely have a belly full of arrogance they reject. Netanyahu is a world class thug. He heads Israel's worst ever government.

He's an embarrassment to democratic values. Official policy is belligerent, racist, exploitive and rapacious. He deplores peace and stability. His nuclear and other WMDs threaten the region.

He's furious about 17 Arab IAEA members saying Israel's nuclear arsenal endangers peace. In September, its 154 members will vote on their initiative up or down. It's expected to pass. It criticizes Israeli efforts against freeing the region of weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear ones in particular were cited.

Israel is the region's only nuclear armed and dangerous state. Its secret program menaces other nations. Its arsenal is believed to include hundreds of warheads and sophisticated delivery systems.

It falsely accuses Iran. Its own capability is suppressed. It's the region's real threat. So is Washington's military presence. Iran and Syria both are targeted.

Writer Gordon Duff believes NATO secretly authorized attacking Syria after repeated denials. On August 28, its military leaders met in Brussels. Israel, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, and several former Soviet Republics participated by phone.

Two issues were discussed:

(1) "How climate change in Greenland (affects) geopolitics, immigration and (EU) military affairs;" and

(2) "Syria and the potential for Russian and Chinese intervention."

Iran wasn't officially on the agenda. If Moscow and Beijing don't challenge a Syrian attack, "this will be seen as an authorization for incursions into Iran…."

Following the meeting, "(n)o announcement was made, no plans or timetable published, simply a vote on authorization of force which passed unanimously by members and included non-member states unanimously.”

Russia and China have vital regional interests. Failure to intervene increases their own vulnerability. Both countries represent America's final frontier. Failure to confront more US aggression now makes doing so later harder.

Now's the time for drawing red lines they'll challenge if crossed. It's hard imagining they'll back off and do nothing. The best anti-war strategy is preventing it. Tough talk with teeth leaving no ambiguity may be how.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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