By Salama A Salama I don't think anyone in the Arab world objects to Iran's acquisition of nuclear technology. Israel has nuclear bombs and threatens to use them, something to which the international community invariably turns a blind eye. The Arabs have forfeited their right to develop atomic technology and weapons, but that is their own business. I do not think for a moment Arabs or Muslims fear Tehran may attack their countries with nuclear weapons. The Iraq-Iran war may be still live in the memory but everyone knows the war was launched by Saddam with US prodding. The US used Saddam to attack the Iranian revolution before turning against its one- time ally. One cannot accept at face value Western charges that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons to create an Islamic empire, eliminate US influence and destroy Israel. Such rhetoric has been developed by President Bush, Prime Minister Blair and other Europeans to persuade the UN Security Council to take punitive measures against Iran. Tehran insists it needs nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and the Iranian president has rejected compromise solutions, including a Russian offer to let Iran produce nuclear fuel on Russian territory. There is not a shred of evidence that Iran is on the brink of developing nuclear weapons. The West is merely worried that Iran may develop such a capability five or 10 years from now. Yet Israel, the only country in the Middle East that possesses nuclear weapons, is not seen as a threat. This is ironic since Israel is in the habit of bullying the entire region -- Iran included -- and trampling on their rights. The West, it seems, is worried far more about distant possibilities than immediate threats. If Western fears are unjustified, Gulf fears are even more so. The countries of the Gulf have no deep-seated quarrels with Iran. If anything, ties of kinship and religion bind Iranians and Arabs, given the large Shiite community in Gulf states. Yes, there are outstanding differences over islands, and problems with Bahrain's Shiite community, but these are things that can be worked out with a bit of diplomacy. Some argue that the Iranian bomb -- if developed -- will be a sectarian Shiite bomb. The same thing can be said about the Israeli-Jewish bomb. The same thing was said about the Islamic- Pakistani bomb. But as long as the international community condones Israeli possession of a massive nuclear arsenal Iran has every right to do what it's doing. It is entitled to use the same arguments once adopted by India, Pakistan and North Korea. What the West wants us to forget is that, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty all countries are allowed to develop nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes. Iran has been cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency. It has allowed inspectors and cameras into its facilities. It even stopped enriching uranium for 18 months to show good faith. The current impasse is due to the West's refusal to acknowledge Iran's rights. Iran is adopting a tough position, which is appropriate. And the West knows that, unless China and Russia join it, it will be unable to impose effective sanctions on Iran. Meanwhile, Russia and oil-hungry China have no interest in abandoning their ties with Iran. To complicate things further for itself and its allies, the US has deployed 150,000 potential hostages in Iraq, a country now largely run by Shias. The prospect of a nuclear conflict in the region is horrendous. A nuclear conflict would destroy the Middle East, from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. It would end oil supplies to Asia and Europe. Iran is aware of this, and is willing to pay the price exacted by its resistance to international pressure. The costs of giving in are, after all, much higher than the price of standing tough.
