Trump Orders Iran To Give Up Its ‘Perfectly Legal’ Defensive Weapons
The Trump administration is demanding that Iran give up its strategic missile program as part of any nuclear deal. But Iran’s ballistic missiles do not violate international law nor is there any global treaty under which they are banned. Article 51 of the UN Charter clearly states that countries have the sovereign right to develop conventional weapons for self-defense which means that Iran’s missile program is perfectly legal. Iran has every right to build as many missiles as it wants, and it is not required to get Washington’s approval to do so. More importantly, Iran needs these missiles to defend itself against any potential attack by the United States and Israel. This is not simply a matter of Iran’s sovereign right to self-defense, but an issue of regional security that has been greatly undermined by persistent US-Israel hostilities across the Middle East. A strong, well-armed Iran serves as a deterrent to US-Israel intervention which increases the prospects for peace in the region.
Trump has also ordered Iran to end its relations with regional allies Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. If we link this demand with Trump’s order that Iran abandon its ballistic missile program, we can better understand his overall strategic goal which is to weaken and isolate Iran to the point where it is unable to defend itself against American aggression. That is the clear objective of this latest political kabuki; to goad Iran into laying the groundwork for its own destruction.
When we mull-over these new demands, we cannot help but wonder, “Does any of this have anything to do with Iran’s nuclear enrichment program or is it all just a ruse aimed at concealing Trump’s real motive, the disarming of Iran? Indeed, if we consider the facts as I have presented them here, it does not appear that Trump seeks negotiations at all, but is simply putting a gun to Iran’s head and saying, “Drop the weapon and no one gets hurt.” Isn’t that a more accurate description of what’s going on? Check out this excerpt from an article at Iran International:
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday ruled out the possibility of negotiation with the United States, in his first public speech after President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to him.
“The insistence of some bullying governments on negotiations is not aimed at resolving issues but rather at asserting dominance and imposing their demands,” Khamenei said in a meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly not accept their demands,” he added….
Responding to Khamenei’s rejection of Trump’s call to negotiate a nuclear agreement, the White House on Saturday reiterated the US president’s assertion that Tehran can be dealt with either militarily or by making a deal.
“We hope the Iran regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement.
Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen reported Saturday
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