Rusty Tools

In recent days, the US warmongers have launched a new phase of psychological warfare to make the Islamic Republic give up its rights.Baseless allegations ranging from Iran’s interference in the domestic affairs of neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq to the confrontation of Iranian boats by an American ship in the Persian Gulf as well as regular claims over Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities are examples of this psychological warfare.Iranian officials have rejected all claims and called on these warmongers to provide evidence for their claims, but they did not present anything except more lies.The last one was a false report by a US defense official, saying on Friday that a vessel chartered by the US military fired warning shots at two speedboats believed to be Iranian that approached it in the Persian Gulf.However, Iran strongly denied any confrontation with foreign ships in the Persian Gulf waters.In January, the US Defense Ministry also claimed Iranian boats ’aggressively’ approached three US navy battleships, warning them they would explode in minutes. Iran has said it was a routine contact and the footage of the contact was released by the Arabic-language Alalam TV. No such claims were seen in the aired footage.These events coincided on Friday with another case of rhetoric by a top US military official who said the Pentagon is planning “potential military courses of action“ as one of several options against Iran.Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a conflict with Iran would be “extremely stressing“ but not impossible for US forces, pointing to reserve capabilities in its navy and air force.Why are Americans trying to demonstrate that Iran is a problematic country?Firstly, the Islamic Republic proved that the country will not bow to increasing economic pressures and UN sanctions to halt its nuclear activities. Iran says its nuclear drive is aimed at generating electricity for its growing population.Secondly, Americans are mired in the Iraq and Afghanistan quagmires and seek a pretext to justify their mistakes at home.Lastly, they fear that Iran’s growing influence in the region is threatening their interests in the oil-rich region and can destabilize Israel. But US officials should know that their rusty tools will not derail Iran’s nuclear program. Instead of using fabricated claims against the Islamic Republic, the Americans should sit at the negotiation table without any precondition.President Ahmadinejad said recently that Iran is ready to discuss its nuclear program with any country, but will not yield to international pressure to halt its civilian nuclear work.The ball is in the US court. If the US wants to survive the regional dilemma of its own making, it should rectify its policy regarding Iran’s nuclear program and set aside its futile animosity toward the Islamic Republic.