Hans Blix: I knew the truth on WMDs in Iraq – now I fear a repeat in Iran

15 comments

1. Are we ignoring the much clearer evidence on the Iran nuclear program?

   We know they have a non-civllian nucleur program and we know they are working on getting a bomb in the basement if not nukes, yet.

2. Paywalled article?

   Either way, he certainly was right about Iraq but that doesn’t say anything about Iran whatsoever.

3. The US risks repeating the “awful” results of the Iraq War if it joins Israel in trying to destroy the Iranian regime, former chief UN weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix has warned.

   In 2002 and 2003, Blix led the extensive hunt for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in Iraq for months while the US and UK were threatening to attack Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship.

   The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, now aged 96, told the UN Security Council that no evidence of any weapons had been found. George W Bush and Tony Blair pushed ahead with an invasion anyway, but no weapons of mass destruction were ever uncovered.

   The current situation with Iran has strong “similarities,” said Blix. The US and Israel – potentially with UK support – are “both using the suspicions of acquisition of nuclear arms as a main argument in favour of action. In reality, what they want is regime change.

   “Regime change is illegal, and it is also very dangerous. They thought removing Saddam would solve the situation, and they brought the Middle East to the worst situation I can imagine… The whole region has been embroiled in the consequences.”

   Speaking to The i Paper from his home in Sweden, the former diplomat accused Western leaders of hypocrisy for their response to Israel’s call for people in Iran’s, capital, Tehran to evacuate.

   “If Putin had come out and urged that Kyiv should evacuate, we would have seen a very strong Western and European reaction. I note that we have not seen such reaction in the West now.”

   He described Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump’s threats to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei as “shocking” and “another step in a direction of primitivity”.

4. It’s hard to imagine anyone stupid enough to accept bombing Iran based on Chump’s gut feeling or supposed inside information.

5. But as Blix knows, we did find thousands of chemical weapons in Iraq, and several tons of yellow-cake uranium. Mostly in the later periods of the war after the “no WMDs found” narrative had cemented itself in the public opinion.

   We also have Iraqi generals claiming chemical weapon stockpiles were moved to Syria before the invasion (and then coincidentally widespread use of chemical weapons in Syria after that).

   Blix basically claimed that ‘Saddam wouldn’t let us inspect some facilities we were suspicious of, but he did let us check others and those didn’t have anything but conventional weapons, so they must not have chemical weapon programs”.

6. Does it really matter at this stage now ? Because even if Iran had not been trying to work on the bomb, contrary to what Bibi has been screaming for years, it doesn’t mean they won’t pursue the program after this when their military has been so thoroughly defeated and their very existence is on the line.

   The only lesson the Iranian government learns if they somehow survive this is that they MUST have nuclear weapon to avoid another humiliation like this again. There is no other way, and both the Israel and the US understand this. We have gone past the point of no return.

7. Hans Blix has no connection to the current conflict and has no insight or information useful in this context. His commentary has no more relevance than the average social media user.

8. Unlike Iraq in 2003, Iran actually IS attempting to get nukes. They have multiple purpose built facilities made for it, and the intelligence agencies of multiple nations put them at around the end of the 5th step out of 6 in the actually building nukes.

   Also, there’s not going to be a land invasion. Just go in with aircraft, blow up everything of strategic value, and wait till they try again

9. Hans Brix? Oh no! Oh, herro. Great to see you again, Hans!

10. I love how Iran nuclear weapons ambitions were irrefutable prior to Israel preemptive attack.

11. I can’t read the article because of a paywall, but based on the title, I can already cite at least two major problems with the thesis.

    First, unlike Iraq, absolutely nobody credible is talking about full-scaled invasion.

    Second, we know the Iranians are enriching uranium. They openly brag about it.

12. I’m not saying there is or isn’t a nuclear arms program being built, but since Hans didn’t speak up the first time, his credibility with me is shot.

13. The sad truth is. Any government that doesn’t have a secret nuclear weapons program is doing a disservice to their nation.

14. They have openly been saying they are developing nukes. They have inveated boat-loads of money and time in to nuclear science. They have been making nuclear bomb material. They have even said they would destroy the west.

    But sure “ThIs Is AnOtHeR IrAq”.

15. Y’all are not gonna convince me that war on Israel’s behalf, in a country that already funds groups against the US, is somehow in the US best interests. I’m not doing this shit again. We just did 20 years of this, you’re saying we can’t go 5 years without getting into another one? No. No more.

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