- Media lenses are once again focussing on Iran amid concerns of its 'nuclear capabilities' and its purported threat to surrounding countries.
- As always, the hype encompassing the on goings in Tehran, by both world leaders and media alike, is fast reaching boiling point, with commentators predicting that some form of direct action as imminent.
- The Guardian's, Brian Whitaker, although 'not sure who to believe', is weary with a sense of deja vu, as he draws parallels between the US media reporting on Iran and the reporting back in 2002 on Iraq. ""One of the oldest tricks in the run-up to a war is to spread terrifying stories of things that the enemy may be about to do. Government officials plant these tales, journalists water them and the public, for the most part, swallow them." I wrote this paragraph in December 2002, some three months before the US launched its invasion of Iraq, but it seems just as applicable today in relation to Iran." Whitaker suggests that lessons have certainly not been learned and there is a real risk that the unproven rhetoric spilling out of mainstream US media will have detrimental outcomes for the international community.
- The majority of Israeli media have jumped on the bandwagon, as to be expected, with commentaries and opinion pieces filling up the columns over the dangers that Iran pose. One Israeli commentator suggests that the 'West' continues to delay the inevitable, and 'stays away from military action, which is the only way to rid the world and the region of a nuclear nightmare.' Another commentator, suggests that the soft approach on Iran would only strengthen their standing, ending quite melodramatically, "Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to declare that the fate of modern civilization as we know it is now at stake. Si vis pacem, para bellum."
- However, all is not lost. There are some Israeli commentators who are more critical of the Israeli government's rhetoric on attacking Iran. It has also been suggested that the government's fear mongering will only endanger Israeli lives instead of protecting them by perhaps causing Iran to launch a pre-emptive strike, "The risks of an Israeli attack are clear, and they are horrific. The danger of Iran using a nuclear weapon is nil, and yet Israel is playing with the fires of hell."
- Earlier this month the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) published a report stating Tehran had worked on a nuclear programme in the past and suggested the Iranians may still be doing so. In response, Britain and the US have called for sanctions, together with France and Canada, targeting Iran's petrochemical sector, oil, gas and financial sectors. However, they are not supported by leading powers such as Russia and China.
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