A recent report by the American Enterprise Institute puts foreign investment in Iran in the period 2000-2007 by companies from big countries at over $218 billion.
According to this think-tank, China tops the list with over $102 billion over the seven years. Put differently, the world’s most dynamic and rapidly growing economy has emerged as Iran’s largest economic partner.
Investment by Chinese giants have been primarily in oil and gas development followed by the key petrochemical, construction and transport sectors. After China, the American Enterprise says, companies from France and Germany are the largest investors in the Islamic Republic.
The report comes at a time when the US Foreign Relations Council this week confirmed that the recent visit by George Bush to the Middle East was a flop and the lame duck president failed in achieving the most important part of his mission: Iran’s political and economic isolation.
In its analysis of Bush’s eight-day tour of the troubled Muslim-region made more volatile by his 7-year shocking ignorance and arrogance vis-a-vis Arab affairs, the council acknowledged albeit very reluctantly that the Arab kings and emirs refused to embrace White House preaching to exert new pressure on Tehran.
Even the most pro-Bush and rabidly anti-Iran camps conceded that the war president returned home empty handed adding another embarrassment to his already embattled administration. America’s closest Arab allies aware that Bush’s reign is fast coming to a humiliating end, refused to budge and made it known in unambiguous terms that come what may they simply do not want new tension in their neighborhood.
After release of the report last month by the US’ top spy agencies about Iran’s nuclear program, Bush’s military boss Robert Gates and his foreign secretary, Condi Rice, rushed to the Middle East and Persian Gulf to drum up support for their boss’ disastrous Iran policy. What they really achieved is anybody’s guess and was evident when Bush visited his “old Arab“ pals.
Bush and his war company’s desperate tour of the Iranian neighborhood coincided with the visit to Tehran by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and his hosts agreed to resolve all pending issues related to Iran’s civilian nuclear activities within the next four weeks. ElBaradei will present his next report on Iran to the IAEA board of governors in March.
It is believed that the upcoming report will be the final document on the extended nuclear issue and Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Iranian officials are of the opinion that by spring the nuclear dossier will be back at the IAEA from the United Nations Security Council.
With the nuclear case back to where it really belongs, the neocon American ruler and his Israeli advisors will see another reversal of fortunes, this time rather fatal given the fact that they are fast running out of time.
There is no denying that Iran’s close cooperation with some key global players and its visible role as a major and stable supplier of energy has made it pretty difficult for Washington to undermine the Islamic state to the extent that it has wished.
American officials of different stripes have been telling all those willing to listen that Iran’s nuclear program is “a threat to global peace and security.“ However, none has been able to back up their stale and stupid charges with hard evidence.
Washington’s Iran-bashing has continued unabated ever since Bush came to power in 2001, and politicizing of our civilian nuclear program has topped its agenda regardless of the fact that the IAEA and US intelligence experts have announced non-diversion of the program for military purposes.
Given the developments of the past few years and the way the self-appointed global policeman has performed both at home and abroad, it is natural that both the American people and the world at large would want the next occupant of the White House to be a man of wisdom and peace. The world can hardly afford anything less.