A car bomb killed a nuclear scientist in Tehran’s Wednesday morning rush hour this week. The driver of the car, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a 32-year-old father of three, was at least the fifth scientist with nuclear connections to be killed since 2007; a sixth scientist, Fereydoon Abbasi, survived a 2010 attack.
“The United States had absolutely nothing to do with this,” said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton took it even further, “categorically” denying “any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran.” I think two things about that:
1. They know who did do it and thus are complicit by saying nothing.
2. That the lady doth protest too much, methinks.
It appears Israel is behind much of this. I would be very surprised if the US was not abetting them despite publicly denouncing the attacks.
Mind you this is not a Matt Damon drama filled action movie. Innocent human beings are being murdered. Men who have committed no crime. Men with families. And it's not ok.
Justified as an alternative to war, it is not - it is murder. It is terrorism. And it is unlikely to accomplish anything other than to slow Iran's effort while strengthening their resolve. Gary Sick, a specialist on Iran at Columbia University says “It’s important to turn around and ask how the U.S. would feel if our revenue was being cut off, our scientists were being killed and we were under cyber-attack. Would we give in, or would we double down? I think we’d fight back, and Iran will, too.”
Israel denies involvement but hints at justification if they WERE involved. One former Israeli official offered this “In Arabic, there’s a proverb: If you are shooting, don’t complain about being shot,” he said. Right out of the mouths of Iran's leaders when they go to murder us and our allies in retaliation.
Do I want Iran to gain nuclear weapons capability?
Of course not.
But there are ways of seeing that doesn't happen that are legal and humane and at least somewhat in the spirit of international law and basic decency.
Does clandestine murder of people who have committed no crimes against humanity or for that matter any other crime make you swell with patriotic pride?
Doesn't me.
It is inhumane, it is illegal, and it is stupid.
