Iran attack would have repercussions

Any military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran will have dire consequences for the entire world, particularly the United States, political analyst Norman Birnbaum says. Birnbaum, who is a professor emeritus of the Faculty of Law at Georgetown University, made the remarks in an article entitled “Israel and the US against Iran: an Uncertain Alliance,” which was published in the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais on December 18, 2011.

He noted that that the national interests of Israel and the United States do not converge, and many leading figures of the US administration blindly believe the Israeli claims that Iran poses a deadly threat to its existence, and act as if the Israeli nuclear arsenal is of no concern. Birnbaum said that there is no conclusive evidence that Iran has nuclear weapons, and any attack on Iran would have very serious and unpredictable consequences.   The virulent rhetoric that many have used in the US Congress and the stupid belligerent remarks made by Republican presidential candidates do not express the full range of opinions in the United States, he stated.

He also criticized the European Union for following the policy of the United States, adding that this is an excellent time for EU nations to go their own way on Iran. The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and have used this pretext to push for the imposition of sanctions as well as to call for an attack on the country. However, Iran says the allegations are “baseless” and maintains that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency it has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes.