US THREATS DIRECTED TO IRAN EFFECT ITS NEIGHBORS AS WELL
Azg/arm
22 Jan 05
In a February 18 interview to NBC US President George W. Bush stated
referring to “unrest” caused by Iran: “I hope we can solve it
diplomatically, but I will never take any option off the table if it
continues to stonewall the international community about the existence
of its nuclear weapons program”.
Iran’s response to this indirect war threat came soon after in the
form of defense minister Ali Shamkhani’s challenge. Hamed Reza Asaf,
press secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, advised Washington in
his statement to give up its adopted policy and then warned that Iran,
due to popularity of Islamic regime, has great military potential and
is able to offer proper resistanceto any illogical attack.
After these statements of Iranian officials, Scot MacKlelan, press
secretary of the American President, felt obliged to edit Bush’s
words: “We have fears concerning Iran. We fear Iran’s strivings to
obtain a nuclear weapon and long-range missiles”.
US vice-president, Dick Cheney, added to MacKlelan’s words saying that
the US is not willing another war in the region. Undoubtedly there is
difference in President Bush’s and two other US officials’ statements.
Daily Azg expressed an opinion in its January 21 that the US has no
plan of invading Iran so far but it only wants to keep issue of regime
change in Iran’s political agenda. Another senior US official,
Condoleezza Rice, mentioned Iran in a new “axis of evil” together with
Cuba, Byelorussia, Zimbabwe and Burma. In his interview to BBC,
Muhammad Khatami, President of Iran, fingered to America’s
difficulties in Iraq showing thus that no war is possiblein near
future.
The constant war threats have impact not only on Iran but also on the
neighboring states. Moreover, Washington’s relations with Iranâ=80=99s
neighbors will largely depend on how the neighbors will treat the
country in “disfavor”.
Armenia, being one of Iran’s neighbors, is looking forward to
development of trade and economic relations with its southern
partner. Thus, Armenia will be one of those countries that will
largely suffer the consequences of US invasion. Iran is Armenia’s most
reliable gateway to the world; even if the Turkish-Armenian
border-gate opens it can hardly be called reliable.
By Hakob Chakrian