by Stephen Lendman

Longstanding US plans remain firm. Softened rhetoric means nothing. It reflects mumbo jumbo duplicity. It's subterfuge. It's fake. It masquerades as change. Anti-Iranian policy is fixed.

Washington tolerates no independent governments. It wants subservient pro-Western ones replacing them. It goes all out to do so.

Punishing sanctions are longstanding. They're lawless. They're ineffective. They hurt ordinary Iranians most. They're imposed for that reason.

War is a bottom line option. Rogue states operate that way. America's by far the worst. Obama lives by the sword. Throughout his tenure, he's ravaged one country after another.

He intends escalated war on Syria. Expect a false flag pretext to launch it. Iran's turn awaits. Rohani's election changes nothing.

Previous Iranian leaders tried and failed. US policy is written in stone. Israeli Lobby pressure is firm. More on that below.

On September 23, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (1997 - 2005) headlined his London Guardian commentary "Iran: This time, the west must not turn its back on diplomacy."

Ahead of Rohani's General Assembly address, he "reflected on (his) own experience president of this great country, and my attempts to promote dialogue among nations, instead of hostility."

"At my suggestion, 2001 was named the UN Year of Dialogue Among Civilisations. But despite reaching a global audience, the message of dialogue barely penetrated the most intractable political dilemmas, either at home or abroad."

The urgency to do so today is greater than ever. "In order to be successful, any dialogue must use the language of politics and diplomacy," Khatami stressed.

"More than decade ago diplomacy failed," he added. Israel played a large role in "sabotag(ing)" efforts, he said. Israeli leaders are at it again. They launched an anti-Rohani "campaign."

It's aim is stoking tensions. It's to assure Western hostility persists. Iranians want "positive change." They elected Rohani for that reason. It's "desperately" needed.

"A peace-seeking Iran can contribute as a willing partner not only to solving its own differences with the global powers, but also to overcoming some of the region's chronic political disputes," said Khatami.

"But it requires a degree of courage and optimism from the west to listen to the voices of the Iranian people who have been painfully targeted by unjust sanctions, which have threatened the very fabric of civil society and democratic infrastructures."

"Failure now to create an atmosphere of trust and meaningful dialogue will only boost extremist forces on all sides. The consequences of such a failure will be not only regional, but global."

Rohani's election "provide(s) an unrivalled and possibly unrepeatable opportunity for Iran, the west and all local and regional powers."

"With a foreign policy based on dialogue and diplomacy at the heart of the Middle East, we can imagine a better world for the east and the west - including the diplomatic resolution of Iran's nuclear issue, which is utterly feasible if there is goodwill and fairness."

Ahead of his General Assembly address, Rohani said he'd present the "true face of Iran" to the world.

He said so before leaving for New York. He'll be there all week. He'll hold bilateral meetings with world leaders.

"Unfortunately in recent years the face of Iran, a great and civilized nation, has been presented in another way," he said. "I and my colleagues will take the opportunity to present the true face of Iran as a cultured and peace-loving nation."

"On this trip, I will try to deliver the voice of the oppressed people of Iran to the world, and we should say that sanctions are an illegal and unacceptable path."

He categorically denied false accusations about Iran developing nuclear weapons. "We want to declare that the Iranian nation is itself a victim of weapons of mass destruction, and is not looking for such weapons," he stressed.

He added that June elections showed Iranians oppose extremism. He urged Western leaders to pursue initiatives of mutual understanding and reciprocal interests.

On arrival in New York Monday, he said:

"According to the schedule during this trip I have three speeches. The first one will be at the United Nations General Assembly. The second speech will be at the UN Disarmament Conference, and the last one is the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)."

He's holding bilateral meetings with French, German, Italian, Austrian, Turkish, Lebanese, Tunisian, Pakistani, and other world leaders.

He's meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Iranian expatriates, US Muslim leaders, American academics and media representatives. He has lots of interviews scheduled. He's in the world media capital to hold them.

The State Department confirmed John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's first face-to-face high-level contact since Shah era harshness ended.

No scheduled Obama/Rohani meeting is planned. None so far took place. At most, meeting briefly face-to-face would be symbolic.

Much more than photo-ops, smiles and handshakes are needed to reverse longstanding US hostility. It remains fixed.

Expect no change ahead. An uneasy calm belies a likely storm ahead. Washington wants Iran's government toppled. Plans to do so remain firm.

The Israeli Lobby exerts great control over US foreign policy. It's a force to be reckoned with. It's anti-Iranian position is longstanding.

AIPAC maliciously calls Iran "the world's leading sponsor of terror, and is racing toward a nuclear weapons capability."

On September 20, it said:

"Pleasant rhetoric will not suffice. If Iran fails to act, sanctions must be increased." Tehran hasn't changed, it claimed.

"If Iran continues to advance its nuclear program, Washington should step up sanctions."

AIPAC called on administration and congressional leaders to "support Israel's right to act against Iran if it feels compelled - in its own legitimate self-defense - to act."

On July 17, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) headlined "The Iranian Nuclear Threat: Why it Matters."

No nuclear threat exists. Iran's nuclear program is peaceful. It doesn't matter. Big Lies persist. According to ADL:

"Nuclear weapons in the hands of the Iranian regime will have severe repercussions for American security and the security of our allies."

"A nuclear-armed Iran would embolden Iran's aggressive foreign policy, resulting in greater confrontations with the international community."

"Iran is one of the world's leading state sponsors of terrorism through its financial and operational support for groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and others."

Hezbollah and Hamas aren't terrorist organizations. They never have been. They aren't now.

They're political entities. Hezbollah's part of Lebanon's government. Hamas is Palestine's legitimate government.

Don't expect ADL, AIPAC or other Israeli Lobby organizations to explain. Big Lies substitute for truth and full disclosure.

On September 10, Zionist Organization of America president Morton Klein headlined "US Military Strikes Must Destroy Syria's Biological/Chemical Weapons."

At the same time, he took dead aim at Iran, saying:

"(I)f America does little or nothing after its repeated threats, its credibility will be greatly harmed, so much so that Iran will no longer fear US threats to relinquish its nuclear ambitions."

"This would give additional incentives for Iran to continue forward with is quest for nuclear weapons, with even less fear of US military action."

On August 28, Klein headlined "ZOA: Why Is Obama Contemplating Military Strike On Syria, Where No Massive Security Risk To US Exists, But Not Iran, Which Is Developing Nuclear Weapons?"

"President Obama has promised nothing beyond vague words about all options being on the table. No red lines, no timetable and no action."

Klein wants war on Iran. His article repeated Big Lies. Doing so is longstanding Israeli Lobby practice.

It's a fifth column menace in America. It's a weapon of mass destruction. It fronts for Israel.

It supports imperial lawlessness. It promotes war. It deplores peace. It menaces humanity. Confronting its destructive agenda is essential. Doing so requires exposing its Big Lies.

They exert enormous influence on US policy. They do so maliciously. They do it destructively.

On September 5, Reuters headlined "US sees no sign Iran is addressing concerns on nuclear program," saying:

Washington "voiced disappointment that Iran's new president has not moved more swiftly to allay international concerns about the country's atomic program, saying Tehran is undermining hopes of ending its nuclear standoff with the West."

On September 23, Senators Lindsey Graham (R. SC) and Robert Menendez (D. NJ) headlined "The Test of Iranian Seriousness Must be Verifiable Action."

They wrote Obama saying:

"We recall Iran's prior use of negotiations as a subterfuge for progress on its clandestine nuclear program, as well as Iran's continued financing of terrorist activities."

"In the letter sent to you on August 2, signed by 76 Senators, we expressed our belief that there are four strategic elements necessary to achieve a resolution of this issue: an explicit and continuing message that we will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, a sincere demonstration of openness to negotiations by Iran, the maintenance and toughening of sanctions and a convincing threat of the use of force."

"We reiterate those views in this letter."

"As you prepare to address the United Nations next week in New York, we urge you to make clear…our resolve to take whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran from become a nuclear state."

Last week, Graham said he drafted legislation authorizing Obama to attack Iran. He urges it if negotiations fail to halt its nuclear program. He did it knowing it's peaceful.

He's in lockstep with Obama and other Washington hardliners. They want the Islamic Republic destroyed. They repeat Big Lies as justification to do so.

Nothing ahead looks promising. Expect Rohani's best efforts to fail. Decades of hostility will continue. Perhaps Obama will wage war before his tenure ends. Longstanding plans call for doing so.

At issue is advancing America's imperium. Unchallenged world dominance is sought. Strategy calls for ravaging one country after another. Syria is in the eye of the storm. Iran's turn awaits.

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

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

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Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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