Don’t trust Iran’s words – look at its actions

They say actions speak louder than words, and perhaps this universal truth is even more evident in the Middle East, where the sound of rocket fire and the explosion of bombs often drowns out the written word. We in Israel know all about that, having been at the receiving end of gun and missile fire for decades. In that time we have learned, the hard way, that it is only our actions that ensure our survival, not written promises. Our neighbourhood does not play by western rules, and as the only democracy in the region we know all too well what it is to fight an enemy that abuses our values.

In our region, one regime stands out above all others in its destructive role. That same regime is attempting to camouflage its actions by employing diplomacy and by relying on the short memory of international public opinion. The ayatollahs in Tehran would have us believe that they are a peace-loving regime that seeks a tranquil, stable Middle East, and that the Vienna nuclear deal is proof of their benign intentions. But reality is telling us a different story, one that totally contradicts this narrative.

If we are to understand the Iranian regime, we must look at what it is doing, not just saying, and ask ourselves whether its actions are compatible not just with western interests but, more important, with western values.

Iran is the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism, arming and supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Syrian regime (itself a leading state-sponsor of terrorism), and Houthi rebels in Yemen. It employs the IRGC (Iran’s Revolutionary Guards force) to perpetrate acts of terrorism throughout the world, from Asia to Europe to the United States.

The regime also maintains terror cells in Africa and Latin America, where it has carried out deadly attacks. Interpol international arrest warrants – known as “red notices” – are currently issued against senior Iranian officials for their active role in planning the bombing of the Amia Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, where 85 people lost their lives.

Iran’s destructive regional role reflects its internal crimes as well: executions under the “moderate” president, Hassan Rouhani, are up to 700 this year alone, more individuals per capita than any other country in the world; gay people are persecuted (the “offence” of homosexuality carrying a death sentence), as are religious minorities. The UN has found that the human rights situation in Iran is worsening under the current regime, heavily criticising Iran for arresting journalists, lawyers and opposition politicians. The independent watchdog Freedom House rates Iran’s press and internet bluntly as “not free”.

Tehran’s military nuclear record is well documented: the regime has been working clandestinely for decades to develop a nuclear weapon, coming clean about its enrichment facilities only when these were discovered by opposition groups, and coming to the negotiating table only under the heavy pressure of comprehensive international sanctions. Even today, with the Vienna deal signed, the concerns of the International Atomic Energy Agency – the international nuclear watchdog – on the military dimensions of the Iranian nuclear project remain unanswered. Rouhani himself boasted of how in previous rounds of negotiations he took advantage of talks in European capitals to secretly advance the nuclear military project.

Iran’s leaders tweet and write opinion pieces in the western press, while social media, including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook are banned in their own country, and bloggers and online activists face jail terms for expressing their ideas online.

Therefore we should be wary of Iran’s words, and look to its actions instead: the terror attacks carried out in numerous countries, the funding of the murderous Assad regime, of Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the mass executions, the persecution of gay people, of political activists, the censorship of free thought, and the track record of subterfuge on its nuclear military programme. Iran does not conform to the most basic of western values on any of these issues. The Vienna nuclear agreement addresses none of this, nor does it give Iran any incentive to change its behaviour.

In a conversation I had a decade ago, while I was foreign minister, with one of the European heads of state, he raised a concern that tougher sanctions on Iran would raise the price of an oil barrel to more than $100. I responded by saying that we have to first take care of the living and then take care of the standard of living. The west must look beyond its economic interests, and ask itself what values it has in common with the ayatollahs in Tehran – and it must not let itself become confused. Iran has not signed up for peace, as its foreign minister recently wrote in the Guardian. Iran is merely utilising the tools given to it by western democracies, in order to stave off international pressure.

We must be clear eyed when it comes to Tehran’s intentions. If the past teaches us anything about the current regime, it is this: the terror will continue, as will Tehran’s destructive regional role, and the military nuclear project will be close on its heels.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/06/dont-trust-iran-muclear-deal-sponsor-terrorism-middle-east