They've been itching to bomb Tehran, just looking for any plausible excuse. Israel has even been set to go it alone, with Saudi backing of course. Now they're both fuming that Washington may have deflated their preferred pretext - Iran's nuclear bomb project.
The Geneva agreement between Iran and the United States, China, Russia, Britain, Germany, France and the E.U. is really a package of confidence building steps to pave the way for a comprehensive deal to keep nuclear weapons out of Iran.
Both Israel and Saudi Arabia have benefitted from America's decades-old Cold War with Iran. It has worked out extremely well for both in everything from military aid to a superpower willing to look the other way at persecution and human rights abuses. The notion of America possibly normalizing relations with Iran is almost too much to bear.
Israel, looking uncomfortably isolated, has made its position clear, with Binyamin Netanyahu condemning the agreement as a "historic mistake". But the reality is that Israel's ability to attack Iranian nuclear facilities – without overt or covert US help – now looks like a hollow threat, for political reasons as well as the limited capabilities of even its formidable air force. It will also fear renewed pressure to come clean about its own nuclear arsenal – still a regional monopoly.
Elsewhere, the discomfort is most obvious in Saudi Arabia and the smaller Gulf states, which have long seen Iran as a greater threat and strategic rival than Israel. Pejorative talk of a "Zionist-Wahhabi" alliance reflects that. King Abdullah, as revealed by WikiLeaks, famously urged Barack Obama to "cut off the head of the [Iranian] snake". Instead, the US president has done a deal with it. The silence in Riyadh on Sunday morning was thunderously eloquent.
Canada wasted no time following Israel's lead with ForMin Baird proclaiming our country to be "deeply skeptical" of the deal. Windows were shuttered, blinds were drawn and lights were doused across Washington at the pronouncement.
This Iran deal has major implications for Canada, and particularly Stephen Harper..
ReplyDeleteIran has one of the largest known reserves of conventional oil, and natural gas..
An Iranian deal does several things, it calms, or if you like silences the war drums, that in turn removes the built in fear factor from the barrel thus driving down the price of crude...
It also brings huge volumes of crude oil onto international markets, thus further eroding the price..
If Iran plays it smart, their actions can curtail military build ups, curtail rising oil prices and provide stability in the region..
Oh and China..THEY LOVE IRANIAN OIL, SWEET CRUDE...
You can bet China representitives are on their way to Iran as we speak, seeking to secure long-term supplies of conventional condensate free crude oil..
Good points, Grant. Actually I think you'll find that China, which shares a border with Pakistan, which in turn shares a border with Iran, is looking to bring both countries under the umbrella of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization which could facilitate a trans-Pakistan pipeline to bring Iranian oil to China without having to worry about Indian or U.S. naval threats.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask even though it goes against my grain...Really?...have Canadians in the past and present in power beewn that stupid?
ReplyDeleteNo, Anyong, we weren't always this way. There was a time when Canada was known as an honest broker advancing conflict resolution by peaceful means whenever possible. The Harper government rejected that traditional approach as weak and feckless.
ReplyDelete