World considers US, Israel threat not Iran

American scholar Noam Chomsky says the world does not accept the US portrayal of Iran as an “imminent threat” to global peace, and that Washington and Tel Aviv are instead seen as greater evils. “There is little credible discussion of just what constitutes the Iranian threat, though we do have an authoritative answer, provided by US military and intelligence. Their presentations to Congress make it clear that Iran doesn’t pose a military threat,” Chomsky wrote in his latest article titled “What Are Iran’s Intensions?” published Friday. Chomsky added that even "the majority of Americans" recognized Iran’s right to its nuclear energy program before Washington officials and media launched a “massive propaganda onslaught” against the Islamic Republic over the past two years. He added that presently powerful countries like Russia, China, India, and 120 member nations of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) oppose the US policy on Iran. “Western commentary has made much of how the Arab dictators allegedly support the US position on Iran, while ignoring the fact that the vast majority of the population opposes it-a stance too revealing to require comment,” he said. Instead, Chomsky said, “Europeans regard Israel as the greatest threat to world peace,” and in the Arab world he added, “Israel and the US are regarded as the pre-eminent threat.” The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear energy program and have used this pretext to impose international and unilateral sanctions on the Islamic Republic and to call for a military strike against Tehran. Iran has repeatedly refuted the Western allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Israel is widely believed to be the sole possessor of a nuclear arsenal in the Middle East with over 200 undeclared nuclear warheads, pursues the policy of "deliberate ambiguity" on its nuclear program. Tel Aviv has rejected global demands to join the NPT and does not allow IAEA inspectors to observe its controversial nuclear program. Iran has always pursued the policy of nuclear transparency and has granted IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear facilities to conduct snap inspections.