Email |  Print | RSS | Comment |  

 Email |  Print

Sun, Sept 05, 2010 | The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

The control room at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where Iran has begun loading fuel under Russian supervision (Photo: Mehdi Ghasemi/AP)

Victory for Iran, Failure for Western Policy

Iranian press comments on launch of Bushehr nuclear power plant

Last week, the Iranian press extensively covered the launch of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, presenting it as a tremendous achievement for Iran and a crushing defeat for the Western policy of sanctions and threats.

An editorial published in the conservative daily Keyhan said that the launch of the nuclear reactor reflects the failure of the Western campaign against Iran, which was waged on four fronts: economic sanctions, military threats, destabilizing Iran’s internal situation, and psychological warfare. The US has been unable to force many countries in the world to join the sanctions against Iran, and even the West admits that the policy of sanctions has failed. At the same time, military threats have also proved to be a failure, and a military attack seems unlikely as the US and Israel are trying to throw the ball into each other’s court. The attempt to destabilize Iran’s internal situation following the presidential election was a resounding failure as well. The enemies of Iran must learn the lesson from its technological abilities, which demonstrate the resolve of the Iranian people. If the US and Israel open their eyes, they will come to the understanding that their plans to deal with Iran have not been effective (Keyhan, August 23).

Another article published in Keyhan claimed that, while the Americans are trying to play down the significance of the power plant’s launch, it in fact deepens the US strategic predicament and may be expected to have considerable influence not only on Iran’s nuclear program but also on the regional balance of power. Russia’s conduct and the delays in the launch of the power plant have shown Iran that it cannot be trusted, which is why Iran has to keep enriching its own uranium. The daily noted that the launch of the power plant has turned the already improbable possibility of a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities to completely impossible due to its environmental effects. Each nuclear facility will serve as a defense system that will prevent attacks on the other facilities. In addition, the launch of the power plant has changed the mood prevailing in Iran following the Security Council’s decision to impose further sanctions on the country. The US hoped to step up pressure on Iran and convince the Russians to delay the launch of the power plant; however, it failed, and the fact that the power plant has indeed been launched shows that highly sensitive materials were transferred to Iran despite the decision of the Security Council. Iran can no longer be considered an isolated country under intense pressure, which is what the Americans hoped to achieve, but rather the only country in the region that has a nuclear power plant, an example for many other countries in the region to follow. It was Keyhan’s assessment that the launch of the power plant would provide Western companies involved in nuclear technology with an opportunity to enter the Middle East and build similar power plants in other countries (Keyhan, August 24).

The daily Resalat also claimed that the launch of the power plant was proof that Iran would never yield to pressure or sanctions and would not give up its right to nuclear technology. The West proved that it cannot be counted upon to provide Iran with the necessary fuel to operate its electricity-producing nuclear power plants. Western countries use their willingness to help establish civilian nuclear infrastructure in third world countries as a means to exert pressure on those countries in order to promote their interests, including the establishment of military bases and forcibly spreading Western political and cultural thought in the world. According to the daily, the launch of the power plant demonstrates the inherent power in maintaining Iran’s national unity under the slogan: “Nuclear energy is our full right” (Resalat, August 22).

Some Iranian newspapers also attempted to explain the circumstances which ultimately led Russia to fulfill its obligations to Iran and complete the launch of the power plant. The daily Ebtekar claimed that the launch of the power plant reflected Russia’s recognition of the need to cooperate with Iran to guarantee regional stability. Russia also realized that a failure to meet its obligations to Iran would jeopardize its status with its other partners worldwide. The daily assessed that the developments in Russia’s relations with the West in recent weeks, mainly the ruling of the International Court of Justice in the Hague that Kosovo’s secession from Serbia and its declaration of independence were not illegal, as well as the American senate’s decision to postpone the vote on the US-Russia START treaty to reduce and limit strategic arms, also played a part in Moscow’s decision to complete the launch of the power plant. The Russians wanted to send the Americans a message that ignoring Russia’s national and defense interests would have severe consequences for the US as well (Ebtekar, August 22).