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Only a matter of time
War between Iran and the U.S.?


By Eric Frazier
November 20, 2002
The Iranian

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA -- As an American who has known and loved Iranians and Iranian culture for most of my adult life, I want to express my concern about the possibility of a war between Iran and the United States, and how it can be avoided.

I believe that that our two countries are facing a turning point that holds both great promise and peril. The promise is friendship and cooperation based on mutual respect; the peril is catastrophic war.

I am very concerned that the U.S. and Iranian governments are on a collision course that most likely will result in war unless the relationship between these two governments undergoes a fundamental change.

The U.S. government's concern about Iran is grounded in Iran's involvement in terror, and Iran's development of weapons of mass destruction. Iran is also developing ballistic missiles that can deliver them. These are exactly the same factors that are driving the coming conflict with Iraq.

Couple these concerns about Tehran's support for terrorist groups and long-standing economic concerns about the stability of the world's oil supply, and one can see that conflict is only a matter of time. As a result of the political changes that have occurred in the U.S. after 9/11, I think it most likely that this conflict will be a war.

Also, it would seem that the mantra of Iranian foreign policy that the U.S. most often hears is, "Death to America and Israel". I cannot imagine a more dangerous and stupid slogan for the foreign policy of Iran in light of current events unless the mullah's want to commit suicide and bring devastation to Iran.

There are a number of countries that have nuclear weapons, or who are capable of developing them, and by-and-large, the U.S. gets along with them. It is the stated and proven intent of the government in Teheran to kill Americans that is the problem, and Washington has no reason to doubt their resolve to harm U.S. and American interests.

Indeed, the U.S. government has stated that it has plenty of evidence to show that the government of Iran has been behind many terrorist attacks that have killed Americans and our friends. Along with Iraq and North Korea, Iran has been clearly identified by President Bush as part of the network of terror that was behind the 9/11 attack. Clearly, Iran is on the front line of this war.

Iranians who love their families and their country need to ACT NOW to protect their loved ones from the consequences of what could become a terrible war by overthrowing the current government of Iran. It should be replaced by one which serves the interest of the Iranian people without threatening the physical and economic safety of the world.

It is important to understand that a war with Iran could easily destroy the Iranian nation. Let there be not doubt that if the U.S. or one of its allies is hit by a nuclear, chemical, or biological weapon that causes hundreds of thousands or millions of deaths, the U.S. will respond with nuclear weapons in an overwhelming and terrible manner against those that it thinks are behind an attack. It will feel that it has no other choice as it buries millions of Americans.

Historically, the American people and government have been slow to respond to threats, but when pushed too far, they will wage total war. In fact the military doctrine of total war was invented in the U.S. during its Civil War. Iranians need to stop waiting for the U.S. or some other entity to overthrow the mullahs and their thugs, and do it themselves while there is still time to do so.

I think that after the regime in Iraq is destroyed, Iran will be next. This makes sense from a military view since the U.S. will have bases from which to launch strikes against Iran from both its eastern and western borders. It will also be able to launch operations against Iran from the the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea using naval forces.

Since the revolution started to fail, I have heard people express the wish that the U.S. or the CIA should do something to stop these guys. It is totally understandable why people would more than hesitant to act on their own considering the ruthless manner in which the current government deals with dissent.

I think people overestimate the ability of the U.S. government to implement change through covert means, and considering previous U.S. - Iranian history, covert action would be very counterproductive. Who wants some outsider manipulating their country's future? I wouldn't.

I hope that a desire to protect their families and country from a senseless and potentially catastrophic war will motivate people to take action to change the government from within. Doing so will result in far fewer deaths than a war with the US, and preserve Iranian sovereignty.

Finally, let me say that it may appear arrogant for me to ask people that I don't know to risk their lives to overthrow a government, especially when there is no direct risk to myself. Who am I that they should listen to me? As I mentioned at the beginning of this letter, I am an American who loves his country , but also loves Iranians and Iranian culture.

I have been privileged to know and to love many people from Iran during my adult life. These friendships have meant and do mean a great deal to me. It would sadden me beyond words if Iranians and Americans were to start killing each other on the field of battle. This is why I write this letter, and I pray from the bottom of my heart that our two great countries can find a way to avoid war.



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