A little over a year before George Bush hands over the White House to his successor, the US anti-Iran challenge in the context of the nuclear issue is fading away probably into oblivion. On the one hand America’s once-feared spy networks and its army of agents and mercenaries have officially acknowledged that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program. On the other, after the first shipment of nuclear fuel arrived from Russia for the Bushehr Nuclear Plant in southern Iran, the Islamic state is on the threshold of producing nuclear electricity for its ambitious economic development programs.
The Bushehr plant and its history dates back years before the great neocon and one of Israel’s infamous placeholders entered the entered the White House. In the mid-1970s, when like now, the rightwing Republicans came to power in the US, Iran’s pre-revolutionary regime commissioned work on the first nuclear plant near the port city largely on Washington’s advise and persuasion.
US nuclear companies following instructions from the then White House did not participate in building the nuclear power facility ostensibly due to Soviet sensitivities, and construction work was delegated to the US’ European allies. After the Islamic Revolution put an end to the strongly pro-western Pahlavi monarchy, western contribution to and support for Iran’s civilian nuclear program also became a thing of the past.
Activities for completing the costly nuclear plant were suspended at the same speed and momentum that it had started. The key project lied in limbo up until the late 1980s. After the termination of the Iraqi-imposed war in 1988 and commencement of the reconstruction era, Tehran asked the western contractors to return and fulfill their contractual obligations in Bushehr.
Not surprisingly Iran’s repeated appeals to the supposedly prominent companies fell on deaf ears. First the uncompromising pro-Zionist Ronald Reagan and later father Bush dedicated to the security of the still unknown “Israeli borders“, made sure that the European governments and their nuclear firms did what they were told: “Stay away from Bushehr“.
After years of push and pull, the Europeans refused to budge.
Eventually Russian companies came in and agreed to complete the job. By this time (mid-1990s) the Soviet Union had become history and the Yankees under Bill Clinton thought the time was ripe to get something out of nothing from the new Russia reportedly wanting to turn a new leaf in its near frozen Cold War relation with the West. Bill instructed his deputy Al Gore to open talks with the then Russian prime minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin to persuade the Kremlin to abandon Iran’s lucrative nuclear power market.
Almost 15 years have passed since then. Work on Bushehr has continued albeit with several delays for a variety of reasons. In 2003, the embattled Bush regime after some (temporary) relief from the invasion and occupation of pauperized Afghanistan, suddenly announced that Iran has had a covert nuclear program for 18 years. He demanded Tehran abandon the program, including Bushehr, for good or face consequences.
For four years, Washington has done everything in its reach to force Iran to rethink its nuclear activities. In recent months the US pressure reached boiling point to the extent that Bush and company were able to push through two anti-Iran resolutions in the UN Security Council, not to mention the West’s punitive economic sanctions against the Iranian nation.
For years the pro-establishment western media in no small number has contributed terribly to the psychological warfare against Iran and its peaceful nuclear program. Hardly does a week pass when some analyst or expert does not comment on the “strong likelihood“ of military action against Iranian targets by Uncle Sam or the outlaw state in Israel to “reverse or delay“ its nuclear program.
Nevertheless, our nuclear program has continued without major hurdles and by not wasting much time on what King George and his ilk want. In the complicated process Iran has focused on its own capacity and capability in cooperation with the relevant international bodies.
A power plant that was supposed to be scrapped because of some Gore-Chernomyrdin give-and-take, is now getting the final touches near the Persian Gulf before its launch in the next few months.
In the meantime, a report by the US National Intelligence Estimate has almost eliminated the “likelihood“ of military action on Iran and considerably reduced the chance of passing another anti-Iran resolution in the UNSC.
One can fairly claim that Bush’s faltering presidency, like those of his father, Clinton and Reagan, will soon come to an end without causing any real harm to the Bushehr nuclear agenda.