Last week, we had several notable events in Nigeria worthy of discussion, but as the weekend approached, all were overshadowed by the global incident involving the US/Israeli strike against Iran that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini and other top Iranian officials.
There are three key points to highlight. First, no United Nations Security Council resolution authorized this assault; the UNSC convened only after the attack had already occurred. Back in 2003, when the US targeted Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell at least feigned presenting evidence to the Security Council, alleging that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction—an accusation later proven false after massive loss of life and devastating societal consequences. This time, no such pretense was made. The only “meeting” seen was between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, individuals whose credibility in global security matters is highly questionable. It’s now clear that what was branded as Trump’s “Board of Peace” actually functions as a “Board of War.”
The strike happened amid ongoing talks in Geneva, mediated by Oman. This marked the second US attack on Iran during active negotiations within a year. After Friday’s discussions, the mediators claimed “positive progress,” indicating that the talks served as deliberate distractions. Adding to the deception, the White House repeatedly suggested no decision had been made to attack—a ruse designed to mislead. The takeaway is that countries negotiating with the US should remain vigilant and not fall for media reports from anonymous “sources,” which often form part of such disinformation tactics.
The US has long employed such tactics. In the early 1940s, prior to the Pacific War in World War II, American naval codebreakers intercepted Japanese communications revealing an impending attack. A coded message instructed the Japanese Embassy in Washington to listen to Radio Tokyo’s weather forecast as a signal: “East wind, rain” meant attack, whereas “East wind, no rain” meant no strike. Likely a feint, as Admiral Yamamoto’s fleet had stealthily sailed weeks prior, heading for Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt, armed with decoded intelligence, chose secrecy to avoid alerting Japan that their codes were compromised. The Japanese ambassador burned diplomatic messages when receiving the weather cue. This serves as a reminder to anyone trusting contemporary broadcasts like CNN, BBC, or Fox News that they may be consuming carefully crafted narratives rather than unbiased news.
CNN at least acknowledged that President Trump failed to clarify his true goals prior to assaulting Iran: was it to aid the protesters Trump promised support to last month, to eliminate Iran’s nuclear ambitions, to destroy missile capabilities alleged to threaten Europe and the US, or to impose “regime change” in line with Netanyahu’s agenda of removing adversaries while Israel continues unabated in its oppression of Palestinians and land theft despite Security Council resolutions?
Since many of these justifications lack broad international support, the attacking parties focused on preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons. While I share the view that no nation, including Iran, should maintain nuclear arsenals, numerous countries already own such weapons—starting with those behind the recent attack—which exemplifies profound hypocrisy.
Currently, nine nations possess nuclear arms: USA since 1945; Russia since 1949; UK since 1952; France since 1960; China since 1964; Israel since 1967; India since 1974; Pakistan since 1998; and North Korea since 2006. Following India’s 1970s acquisition, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto famously vowed his country would also obtain nukes “even if we have to eat grass.” Apartheid South Africa is the only African state to have had nuclear weapons, obtained in 1982 but dismantled before majority rule was established. It is tempting to imagine if Cyril Ramaphosa still possessed hidden nukes beneath Table Mountain or within Kruger National Park. Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan inherited Soviet nuclear stockpiles but relinquished them to Russia after the USSR’s collapse; if Ukraine had retained its arsenal, the ongoing conflict might have been averted.
Today, approximately 12,119 nuclear warheads exist globally, down from about 70,000 at Cold War peak. The holdings include: USA with 3,700; Russia with 4,309; China with 600; France with 290; UK with 225; India with 180; Pakistan with 170; Israel concealing 90 in the Negev Desert; and North Korea with 50. Nuclear weapons effectively serve as the most potent national security guarantees worldwide. Without them, North Korea could have been easily overwhelmed by the US after South Korean leaders whispered into Trump’s ear, much like Netanyahu’s influence last week. Had Iran accelerated uranium enrichment and maintained a few warheads beneath the Damavand mountains, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei might still be alive today, confidently parading like Kim Jong-un.
Though nine countries possess nuclear arms, only one has ever employed them against an adversary: the nation that routinely insists no one else should hold such weapons. On August 6, 1945, the US detonated an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, followed by another six days later on Nagasaki. It is understandable that many Nigerian youths are unaware of a nuclear bomb’s devastating effects. The American bomb “Thin Boy,” dropped from the B-29 “Enola Gay” piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets and Major Thomas Ferebee, unleashed catastrophic destruction 81 years ago.
“The bomb burst in a clear blue sky about 1500 feet over the city of 245,000 people. A ball of fire 250 feet in diameter hung in the air… in an instant, 64,000 people were set ablaze or crushed… an intense thud of sound levelled 6,820 buildings… electricity was knocked out, water pipes burst in 70,000 places. Of forty-five hospitals in Hiroshima, three were left standing. Of the 290 doctors in the city, only 26 were uninjured and of 1,780 nurses in the city, only 126 escaped death or injury… Total death toll was 90,000 civilians and 10,000 soldiers. Thousands more died of leukaemia and radiation illnesses in the following decades.” Five days later on August 11, the US warplane Bock’s Car dropped the nuke “Fat Boy” on Nagasaki, with similar results.
Mr Trump, you command 3,700 nuclear weapons hidden across mountains, launchers, bombers, and submarines; Netanyahu, whispering counsel in your ear, controls another 80; your allies, the UK and France, possess hundreds more behind their façades. The Iranians entered an agreement with the US and Western powers, supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency, limiting their nuclear program to peaceful purposes; yet you, Mr Trump, repudiated this deal during your initial term and now, without presenting evidence before the UN Security Council, you killed the country’s leaders under the guise of negotiations.
We have regressed to the pre-1945 belief that “Might Is Right.” The ghosts of Axis leaders Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito would find this deeply ironic. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un must be tightening his nuclear grip, smugly surveying Iran, Libya, Syria, Panama, Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil, Denmark, and Canada—countries that neglected to secure their own nuclear deterrent.
Original article: thisdaylive.com
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