Iraq Meeting Will Decide War

Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

The meeting, this week, in Iraq to negotiate Iran’s nuclear program will decide whether or not the world will go to war.  The meeting is between the East (Iran, China and Russia) and the West (U.S., UK, France and Germany).   If the meeting goes well, war will be avoided.  If the meeting goes badly, the world will be heading for war.  If yesterday’s CNN interview with Iran’s Finance Minister, Shamseddin Hosseini, is any indication, the upcoming meeting will be a disaster.  When asked if Iran would allow inspectors to scrutinize all its nuclear facilities, Hosseini said, “There are conversations and dialogues taking place currently, but there cannot be a hegemony and a double-standard in the treatment of member countries such as Iran.  If these principles can be understood and applied with mutual respect, I think we will be in a much better place. If we don’t, we will witness an increase in international oil markets.”  (Click here to see the complete CNN story.)  In other words, he sidestepped the question and gave no indication total access by inspectors would be a possibility.

The Iranian’s have long maintained their nuclear program is for the peaceful production of energy, but the West thinks otherwise.  After the G-8 meeting this weekend at Camp David, it was reported by Haaretz.com, “The G8 expressed “grave concern” about Iran’s nuclear program, which is suspected of being used to develop nuclear weapons, and called on Iran to “seize the opportunity” of the next round of meetings.”  The elephant not in the room remains Israel who is most fearful of the Iranian nuclear program.  After the last meeting in April when only another meeting was agreed upon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clearly annoyed.  On Friday, his comments on the upcoming meeting in Iraq were less than optimistic when he said, “No evidence that Iran is serious about stopping its nuclear weapons program.  They may try to go from meeting to meeting with empty promises. They may agree to something in principle but not implement it.  They might even agree to implement something that does not materially derail their nuclear weapons program.”  (Click here for the complete Haaretz.com story.) 

An even tougher round of sanctions will kick in in July, and the U.S. Senate is preparing a fresh round of new sanctions.  According to Iran’s Finance Minister, Shamseddin Hosseini, the current sanctions are not working, and new ones could backfire in the Western world’s face as Europe is in a worsening debt crisis.  Additional sanctions will put upward pressure on oil prices, and that will sink already troubled Western economies.   Hosseini quoted recent comments by the International Monetary Fund when he said, “. . . as a result of these sanctions, oil prices will perhaps reach and hover around $160 per barrel.”   If there is an all-out attack, then $160 per barrel will look downright cheap.  Many think Israel cannot attack without the help of the United States.  Others think no attack could possibly come until after the November presidential election because spiking oil prices would kill the economy and President Obama’s bid for reelection.  What if those assumptions don’t hold up?

According to one high ranking Russian official, war is definitely a possibility.  Reuters reported yesterday, “Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was speaking to reporters on a plane on his way back from the G8 summit in Camp David, where the G8 leaders signaled their readiness to tap into emergency oil stockpiles quickly this summer if tougher new sanctions on Iran threatened to strain supplies.  ‘It is one of many various signals coming from various sources that the military option is considered as realistic and possible,’ he said. ‘We are receiving signals, both through public and intelligence channels, that this option is now being reviewed in some capitals as more applicable in this situation.  We are very worried about this. We do not want the region and the world to fall into…new divisions and bitter political arguments,’ said Ryabkov.”  (Click here for the complete Reuters story.) There really is no other way to couch this optimistically.  The upcoming May 23 Iraq meeting will decide war.

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