IRAN: Tehran takes war case against Israel to U.N.

Maybe he was just playing politics, painting himself as a hawk to take on his battered rival. Maybe he was revving up the world for war against the country of his birth.

In any case, an Israeli cabinet minister's remark calling a war against Iran "unavoidable" has had global repercussions, sending oil prices to record highs and drawing condemnation today at the United Nations and by the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Israeli Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, in remarks published Friday, said Iran's drive to master the enrichment of uranium, a key component in creating a domestic nuclear weapon program as well as peaceful nuclear energy, guaranteed a war:

If Iran continues with its program for developing nuclear weapons, we will attack it. The sanctions are ineffective. Attacking Iran, in order to stop its nuclear plans, will be unavoidable.

Of course, Iran has strenuously denied it is trying to develop nuclear weapons. This week, Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei reiterated his long-held position that nuclear weapons are against Islam. Israel, meanwhile, has hundreds of nukes. But many in the U.S., Israel and international arms control circles believe Iran is at least trying to have the capacity to quickly build nuclear weapons if it wanted them. 

Mofaz, an Israeli of Iranian descent, is an ambitious fella. He's among those vying for the leadership of scandal-ridden Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima Party. What better way to grab the spotlight than to make some incendiary remarks about Iran?

Though Israeli and U.S. officials distanced themselves from Mofaz, his comments prompted Iran to demand that the U.N. Security Council take action.

Iran's envoy to the U.N., Mohammad Khazaee, sent a letter Friday to U.N. Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon calling the comment "unlawful."

The note was released today:

Such a dangerous threat against a sovereign state and a member of the United Nations constitutes a manifest violation of international law and contravenes the most fundamental principles of the charter of the United Nations, and, thus, requires a resolute and clear response on the part of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council.

U.S. and Israeli officials have often condemned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's calls for the destruction of Israel.

Meanwhile, in an excerpt from an interview to be published next week in Germany's Der Spiegel, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei condemned threats of war with Iran to stop its nuclear program, like those made by Mofaz.

"With unilateral military actions, countries are undermining international agreements," he said.

He also took Iran to task, saying that Tehran is sending "a message to the entire world: We can build a bomb in relatively short time."

— Borzou Daragahi

Photo: Israeli Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, center, speaks to the reporters at the Kfar Kharuv lookout in the Golan Heights. Credit: David Silverman / Getty Images

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Comments

[Lee]

I read the article about how Elbaradei warned everyone how
an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would be a catastrophe.

What did Elbaradei have to say in response to Amadinajads numerous statements that Iran was going to blow Israel of the map?

What was Elbaradei's response to Amadinajad's disgusting anti-Jewish cartoon contest?

What was Elbaradei's response to the continual threats and rocket attacks from Iran's proxies ... Hamas and Hezbolah?

[what]

There are good people all over the world. There are good Muslims, Jews, Christians, Asians, Americans, ect. We must learn to keep our faiths from being an excuse for war. What god would truly want war on this beautiful planet. Peace begins within ourselves. I love you all and I mean that!!!! Not trying to sound stupid, but there is good in everyone, some just have it buried deep, and I think we can do this!!!

[James]

For all you iran sympathizers or iranians living in the US of A I suggest you head on to iran right now. We do not need your rhetoric. Iran will fall one way or another and the world will be peaceful once and for all

[Fred Bulkowski]

Than AIPAC and the Zionists for the high oil prices.
Pat Buchanan was right. Congress is Israeli occupied territory.
You know if one wants to be elected dogcatcher in New York.That person has to make a trip to Israel.
When will barack start his?
The price will double as the zionist rhetoric of "bomb Iran escalates"

[rivenburg]

Twelvers like Amadinajad will soon get their way and usher in their version of "the end times".

Why is it Iranian posters ignore the Iranian leadership’s attempts at hastening the Mahdi's return?
Are they embarrassed?
Or just dissembling like good units of Al Quds?

The Twelvers version of Shi’a Islam has the same “end times” philosophy as American evangelicals, but the respective heroes and villains appear to be on opposite sides of the story and in their version, a person can hasten it by their actions.

Amadinajad is insane and he is holding the Iranian people hostage to his religious insanity.

[Joseph Parmetler]

This war mongering rhetoric by politicians in Israel, Iran and the USA is irresponsible and is good only for the Israeli and American weapons industry and for the oil companies.
Bush and Cheney will be happy when they think of the profits it brings to the corporations their policies support..
Why do these politicians never think about the misery they bring to their own people???

[Moha fard]

One thing, to my knowledge I can't recall ahmadinejacket actualy threatening Isreal with military action, Im ofcourse referring to the "Israel will be doomed, with or without Iranian inteferance" speech.

***That guy was born 60 years ago in Tehran, what an irony.***

[Black Rage Unchained]

Yeah well, let World War III begin already I'm tired of waiting
I am tired of being intimidated. I am tired of trying to get along with you monkeys on this planet. You are all poisoned in the mind body and soul. I have met very few Human Beings that would justify humanity being saved. You white Americans really thought you would rule forever eh? Now your wretched evil kingdom of lies is about to end and all this time you could have saved yourself if you would have just stopped living in lies. The wages of sin is PERDITION you slothful, prideful, ignorant children of Satan.

[Yaakov Sullivan]

This is totally crazy. Hold this bloody zionist

[Kiumars]

The new Christian/Zion crusade has been well underway for a while!

The fact is that Israel and America and UK are not really the Iranians’ friends; unless one is stupid enough to believe that BBC who is funded by the British foreign office (and was behind the 1953 coup against Dr Mossadegh) and US government funded Voice of America (taking into account that US is imposing more and more sanctions on the ordinary Iranians which eventually may kill as many civilians as their sanctions on Iraq killed; or maybe 3 times more because Iran’s population is 3 times bigger than Iraq!); and Israel (who is killing the Muslims in the Palestine and Lebanon without any reservation everyday) have a different love for us Iranian Muslims!

I read a couple of article in the Trumpet a few months ago about the New Crusades of the Pope Benedict and The Zionist (Bush and Blair were included as Christian Zionists!) against the Muslims and Islam and their threat to the Christian world; I read it with some scepticism at the time but looking back on some of the events and what is going on now I must say the article has had a very accurate prediction so far. I recommend everybody read these two articles as I have found them eye-opening and very informative, these articles are “Benedict XVI and Vatican Justice” and “Lighting Iran’s Fuse” both by Ron Fraser and links to these articles are:
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=2915.0.88.0
http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=5080.3353.0.0

We must unite and fight back if we want to survive this crusade.

[Tagh]

Wow, so where are Obama, Hillary and McCain threatening to obilarate Isreal for remarks like this. Oh I forgot they are desparate for Jewish vote and are willing to sacrifice 70million Iranians over bunch of over exagrated lies.

Maybe ahmadinejad will also learn how it feels to be on other side of threat.

I wonder if Mr. Mofaz will bomb the town he was born in first.