Wiped Off the Face of the Earth

The Times of Israel revealed “the close ties between the State of Israel and the Iranian regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi before he was deposed in 1979.” These close ties included “a controversial framework of military and intelligence cooperation that likely included helping set up what became Tehran’s rogue nuclear program.” Under the Shah, “Iran opened a nuclear research center in Tehran… with a US-supplied research reactor.”

The New York Times reported, “Before the fall of the Shah in 1979, Israel was involved in a multibillion-dollar project to modify advanced, [nuclear-capable] surface-to-surface missiles for sale to Iran.” This is the same Shah that Senator Edward M. Kennedy described as “one of the most violent regimes in the history of mankind.”

The Washington Post wrote, “The shah jailed thousands of political prisoners and allowed systematic torture by his secret police.” The Times of Israel confirmed that Israeli’s knew about the Shah’s “human rights abuses (including torture of dissidents) but couldn’t be bothered with that, as they were busy making money.”

Despite the record of torture and murder, Henry Kissinger called the Shah “an unconditional ally.” In 1977, Iran was the largest foreign buyer of US weapons. Kissinger said, “The Shah was willing to pay for the [military] equipment out of his oil revenues.” Then-Defense Secretary Schlesinger questioned “our policy of supporting an apparently open-ended Iranian military buildup.” The Senate Foreign Relations Committee criticized the Nixon administration’s unlimited weapon sales to the Shah. The committee also recognized that it “created a bonanza for U.S. weapons manufacturers.”

After the Iranian Revolution deposed the Shah, the U.S. and Israel continued weapon shipments to the Ayatollah. The Israeli news outlet Haaretz wrote, “Israel has supplied Iran [under the Ayatollah] with weapons worth more than $500 million.” Israeli Professor Elie Podeh explained, “Israel and the United States hoped that the arms transactions would improve the ties with ‘moderate’ elements in the Islamist regime that might seize power in the future.”

The Reagan Administration and Israel sold weapons to the Khomeini’s Iran in the hopes of overthrowing the Iranian government. The second goal was to restore an unconditional ally like the Shah. The pair also sold weapons to the Khomeini’s Iran to fund Contra death squads in Nicaragua. The purpose of funding the Contra death squads was to overthrow the Nicaraguan government.

The U.S. and Israel didn’t care about human rights in Iran then, and they don’t now. The goal has always been a subservient government in Iran that willingly surrenders its vast oil and gas reserves. The State Department admitted the Middle East was “a vital prize for any Power interested in world influence or domination.”

The Israeli reporter Ben Samuels wrote, “President Donald Trump is still pressing for a decisive military option in Iran… aimed at toppling the Iranian regime.” We have an “armada” headed towards Iran, and “the whole country’s going to get blown up.” Trump said, “They’re gonna wipe them off the face of this earth.”

-Anton Porcari

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