by Stephen Lendman

On September 30, The New York Times headlined "Discussing Iran, Obama and Netanyahu Display Unity."

On Monday, both leaders met at the White House. "Mr. Netanyahu said he was comforted to hear Mr. Obama declare that Iran's 'conciliatory words have to be matched by real actions.' "

"The president said he would take no options off the table, including military action, to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." Both leaders are largely likeminded on Iran. According to Council on Foreign Relation (CFR) Iranian expert Ray Takeyh:

"At this point, it's easy for them to agree. Should the Iranians offer something that the West finds attractive, and that the Israelis have problems with, then the rubber meets the road."

Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. Nothing suggests otherwise. Netanyahu knows. So does Obama. Both leaders claim otherwise. They do so duplicitously.

Israeli and US anti-Iranian hostility is longstanding. Nothing suggests likely change.

Obama's telephonic outreach to President Rohani means nothing. Hardline US policy remains firm.

Netanyahu's demands are way over-the-top. No nation would accept them. None should. He insists Iran forego its legitimate rights.

He wants its uranium enrichment halted. He wants its enriched nuclear fuel sent abroad. He wants its Fordo facility dismantled.

He wants Arak heavy water reactor construction suspended. He wants Iran stripped of its legitimate nuclear rights.

He wants lots more than that. So does Obama. Both leaders want Iranian sovereignty destroyed. They want Shah era harshness restored.

They want what Iranians won't accept. Eventual confrontation looms.

Obama and Netanyahu reject giving peace a chance. Netanyahu wants "pressures kept in place," he said.

He dismissed Rohani's sincere outreach. He called it a "smiley campaign." He lied saying it aims to buy more time to build a bomb.

He lied again claiming "Iran is committed to Israel's destruction."

"So for Israel," he added, "the ultimate test of a future agreement with Iran is whether or not Iran dismantles its military nuclear program."

No such program exists. Netanyahu knows. He claims otherwise.

Obama acknowledged what he called Israel's special security concerns. Its only enemies are ones it creates.

Iran threatens no one. It hasn't attacked another country in centuries. Israel lives by the sword. So does Washington. Both nations deplore peace. They thrive on conflict and instability.

Obama said he's not swayed by Rohani's outreach. "We enter into these negotiations very clear-eyed," he stressed.

"They will not be easy, and anything we do will require the highest standards of verification in order for us to provide the sort of sanctions relief that I think they are looking for."

"Our hope is that we can resolve this diplomatically. But as president of the United States, as I've said before and I will repeat, that we take no options off the table, including military options."

After visiting the White House, Netanyahu met with John Kerry at the State Department.

Kerry called their relationship "stronger…on a very personal level."

"Israel, as everybody knows, is a very special friend to the United States of America," he added.

He thanked Netanyahu for "continuing to work constructively to move forward on the (Israeli/Palestinian) peace process."

It was dead on arrival before beginning. Kerry didn't explain.

Netanyahu thanked Kerry. He lied saying he's "seriously committed to both achieving security and a durable peace."

He wants unconditional Palestinian surrender. He wants occupation harshness maintained. He wants Palestinians denied all rights.

He wants Iranian and Syrian sovereignty destroyed. War is his bottom line option. He didn't explain.

On September 27, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) member James Traub headlined his Foreign Policy magazine article "The Test We're Giving Iran Is Rigged," saying:

"Be still, my heart. First Iranian President Hasan Rouhani embarks on a very charming charm offensive."

"We've seen through those Persian wiles" before.

"We have reached a mental state in which hopefulness feels like a species of naivete."

Traub lied calling Iran a "rogue state." The question now is if it's "biddable," he added. More on that below.

Iran's a legitimate sovereign nation. America and Israel are rogue states writ large. They spurn international laws, treaties and conventions.

They do repeatedly. They do willfully. They do maliciously. They remain unaccountable.

Their policies are worse than most people imagine. They make more enemies than friends. They intimidate, threaten, and otherwise pressure other nations to bow to their will or else.

They're waging longstanding war on humanity. They threaten its survival. Rogue states operate that way. America and Israel are by far the worst.

Their anti-Iranian hostility alone reflects it. A dangerous showdown looms.

According to Traub, Washington and its partners demand "Iran stop all uranium enrichment activities, turn over all highly enriched uranium, and accept intrusive inspections in return for a very modest increase in trade and a promise of future sanctions relief."

"This is a one-sided deal that could only be imposed on a nation that felt it had no choice but to accept humiliation. For Iran, it's a nonstarter."

"Previous Iranian negotiators have rejected any deal that does not vouchsafe the country's alleged right to enrichment or offer a clear path to a future without sanctions."

Iran's right isn't "alleged." It's legitimate. It's no different from how dozens of other nations with nuclear facilities operate.

No nation is more intensively monitored than Iran. IAEA inspectors have done it for years. They found no evidence suggesting a military component to its operations. None exists.

Traub apparently believes otherwise, saying:

Resolving Iran's nuclear issue could involve letting Iran "enrich uranium to the low concentrations necessary for peaceful purposes so long as it allows inspections intrusive enough to ensure that no undeclared nuclear material has been diverted."

"If Iran balked at such a deal, the West would have good reason to conclude that (its) leadership had decided to achieve weapons capacity come what may."

"That's a test," Traub added. Rohani wants things resolved equitably. In New York, he was forthright and sincere. He told UN member states:

"In fact, in ideals as well as in actual practice, my country has been a harbinger of just peace and comprehensive security."

He condemned "(u)njust sanctions." They're a "manifestation of structural violence," he said.

They're "intrinsically inhumane and against peace."

"Common people are victimized," not "states (or) political elite(s)."

"Sanctions, beyond any and all rhetoric, cause belligerence, warmongering and human suffering."

"Iran's nuclear program (and) that of all other countries must pursue exclusively peaceful purposes."

"I declare here, openly and unambiguously, that, notwithstanding the positions of others, this has been, and will always be, the objective of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

"Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran's security and defense doctrine, and contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions."

"Our national interests make it imperative that we remove any and all reasonable concerns about Iran's peaceful nuclear program."

Iran's "prepared to engage immediately in time-bound and result-oriented talks to build mutual confidence and removal of mutual uncertainties with full transparency."

"Iran seeks constructive engagement with other countries based on mutual respect and common interest, and within the same framework does not seek to increase tensions with the United States" or any other country.

Tehran wants equal treatment in return. It has every right to expect it. It's been denied it for nearly 35 years.

Washington and Israel bear full responsibility. Their longstanding regime change policy remains unchanged.

Regardless of Rohani's sincere outreach, Obama and Netanyahu won't take yes for an answer. They'll find ways to reject his good intentions.

Previous Iranian leaders were wrongfully vilified for decades. Don't expect Rohani to receive gentler treatment.

Obama's current tone belies his intentions. His body language and firm agenda reveal them. It's maliciously hardline.

According to Traub, he'll "confront rather than 'contain' Iran." Traub lied calling Iran "a threat to American national security."

Iran threatens no one. Traub claims otherwise. The alternative to diplomacy is "war in the Middle East," he said.

At the same time, "a very tiny opening (exists) for (Obama) to squeeze through." Exploiting it depends on not "provok(ing) the wrath of Congress and the Israeli Lobby."

"He has to show the Iranians that a meaningful end state lies beyond the painful concessions they will have to make."

Iran has no proving to do. It's gone above and beyond in cooperating. It's done so to show its good intentions. Its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

Washington and Israel have all the proving to do. Don't expect Obama or Netanyahu to act forthrightly. They never did before. They won't now.

Mondoweiss contributor Marc Ellis calls Netanyahu a "wolf in wolf's clothing."

He's a world class thug. He's a rogue's rogue. His "soliloquies are tiresome, shameful and playing to an increasingly limited audience," said Ellis.

It's equally true about Obama and then some. Both leaders threaten world peace. They threaten humanity's survival. They threaten WW III. Nothing matters more than stopping them.

-###-

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"

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour