Written by Massoud Shadjareh   

By Massoud Shadjareh, Chair of the Islamic Human Rights Commission
Mohideen abdul Kader of Citizens International
1. Iran is an aggressive country and a threat to world peace

Iran has not attacked another country for over 200 years. When Saddam attacked Iran in the 80s and used biological weapons, the Iranians did not retaliate in kind to protect Iraqi civilians.

2. Iran is hiding its nuclear facilities

Iran’s nuclear facilities are regularly inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency and monitored by their 24-hour CCTVs. This level of scrutiny is one of the most rigorous in the agency’s history making it impossible to divert nuclear material for military use.

3. Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capability

Not according to the US Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta, who as late as February 2012 said “Our intelligence makes clear that they haven’t made the decision to develop a nuclear weapon.”

4. Iran is in violation of the NPT/Security Council Resolutions

Under international law Iran is entitled to enrich uranium for civilian use. UN resolutions calling for a halt of this are aimed at taking away Iran’s right to develop alternative energy for their people.

5. A nuclear Iran encourages race for nuclear weapons in the Middle East

Iran has called for a WMD-free Middle East. Iran is a voluntary signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel is the first and only country in the Middle East to have nuclear weapons and refuses to sign the treaty.

6. Iran wants a nuclear weapon to attack Israel

Iran has stated that it will never initiate an attack on any country including Israel. The country’s highest religious authority, the supreme leader, has issued a religious verdict that prohibits the production, stockpiling and use of all weapons of mass destruction.

7. Iran has vast reserves of oil and gas; there is no justification for nuclear energy.

It makes sense for Iran to look for alternative sources of energy to meet the growing demands of its population. Oil will not last forever.

8. Sanctions help prevent war

As in the case of Iraq, sanctions are a prelude to war aimed at crippling the Iranian economy in the hope that Iranians will rise up against their government. These actions will have the opposite effect as wished by their sponsors and will instead unite the Iranian people.

9. Attack on Iran will be limited and surgical

We have seen so-called surgical attacks before in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands died. Targets across Iran will be hit resulting in thousands of deaths and a decimation of infrastructure.

10. The Islamic Republic is not representative of the population

The IslamicRepublic was established through unprecedented popular uprising and referendum. The recent parliamentary elections, with 64% turn out, shows continued mass support for the Republic.