Despite the boycott and isolation, Iran has been adroit to make significant
progress in its military industries. Iran has acquired advanced fighters,
including the Russian-built Mig29 and Sukhoi 30 as well as T-90 and T-72 tanks.
It has built advanced electronic air control and radar system covering Iran and
other Gulf countries, part of Israel, southern Russia, Turkey and other areas.
Iranians are dodging the boycott and overcoming international political and
military hurdles. Due to inaccurate and obsolete intelligence, Washington has
miscalculated Iran ’s growing military potential.
Iran ’s chemical weapons program initiated in 1983 as a response to Iraq ’s use
of chemical weapons against Iran in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) has
accelerated in recent times. At present, Iran possesses more than five thousand
tons of blisters, blood, and choking agents. Iran strongly denies producing any
biological weapons. Iran conducts research on toxins and organisms, has produced
biological warfare agents, and has weaponized a large quantity of those agents,
including mycotoxins, ricin, and the smallpox virus.
In covert, Iran has produced and currently bears in its possession Shahab-5,
with a range of 5,000km. By 2007, Iranian military plans to attain even more
advanced systems including the Kosar or Shahab-6 intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM). Shahab-5 was test-fired in Russia silently.
During the recent Hezbollah- Israel confrontation, Iranian authorities
simultaneously supplied the Al-Sadr Army with the same type of medium range
rockets.
On 15 June 2006, Iran and Syria signed a very vital defense agreement aimed at
trading bilateral military expertise. Tehran vowed to supply Damascus between
15-20 Shahab-3 arsenals. Discussion is underway about the means to deliver them.
Syria ’s Defense Minister Hassan Turkmani is due to visit his Iranian
counterpart Mostafa Mohammad Najjar for the final round of talks in the coming
months.
Iran is the world's biggest supporter of terrorism and subversion, opponent of
U.S. influence, and enemy of the Middle East peace process. Iran backs violent
revolutionary Islamic movements.
As the richest and most militarily powerful nation in the world, the United
States holds a uniquely influential role in international politics and can
expand its role in preventing the spread of WMD by dictator regimes. The Bush
administration has made this issue more of a priority, labeling Iraq , Iran ,
and North Korea as constituting an “Axis of Evil” in large part due to their WMD
ambitions. As the hegemon, or the predominant power in the global system, the
United States must bring its own weight and that of other states and
international organizations to bear on these states of concern. In addition to
the general manner in which the United States can influence states, its adoption
of the policy of “pre-emption” is a novel specific approach to combating WMD
proliferation.
If Tehran ’s fundamentalist government does acquire military nuclear technology,
the balance of power in the Middle East will change radically -- and not for the
better. One of the most radical states ( Iran ) in the world is within a few
years of accessing nuclear weapons which could be used to intimidate neighbors
and destroy some of the key US allies in the region. Time is running out. Iran
should be immediately naturalized before it is too late.
