Sanctions Intended to Foster Unrest: Clapper

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee today and reiterated the same assessment regarding Iran.
Clapper said that Iran has not yet decided to make a nuclear weapon and that “that the intent of sanctions is to spark dissent and unrest in the Iranian population.”

A number of independent reports had it that cancer treatment medications have been rare in Iran due to US and western sanctions on Iranian finance. Anti War website wrote that “the exact same statements – verbatim – were included in Clapper’s unclassified report, that “Iran is developing nuclear capabilities to enhance its security, prestige, and regional influence and give it the ability to develop nuclear weapons, should a decision be made to do so.” The Islamic Republic of Iran officials have frequently announced that Iran did not seek nuclear weapons, and it wants nuclear program for peaceful objectives.

Clapper added that “We do not know if Iran will eventually decide to build nuclear weapons,” and that “Iran has the scientific, technical, and industrial capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons.”

Anti War report also wrote that “Again, undermining the bogus claims that Iran is an irrational and reckless actor, Clapper maintained the judgment that “Iran’s nuclear decision-making is guided by a cost-benefit approach,” balancing its own domestic interests with “the international political and security environment.”

Responding to a question about the impact sanctions have on the Iranian government, Clapper admitted that it was aimed at fostering unrest among the public.

On March 2013, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, in his address to the speaker and members of the Assembly of Experts, had said that “sanctions purportedly address nuclear program, but its main objective is long-term, which the Westerners have long sought.” The Leader believed that creating divide between the system and people as sanctions’ main purpose. “West was hoping that pressure on people would deploy them against the system, but what happened in Bahman 22nd, was against their intentions,” the Leader added.

Anti War report added that “Not mentioned in the session, of course, are the decades of repeated affirmations by senior Iranian officials that Iran rejects nuclear weapons on strategic, moral and religious grounds.”

“Furthermore, reports that Iran has continued converting its stockpiled 19.75% enriched uranium into fuel plates for its cancer-treating medical research reactor gained absolutely no traction within the Committee or Clapper’s comments,” Anti War report added.

“In response to questions, Clapper stated that the relationship between the American and Israeli intelligence communities has “never been closer or more pervasive,” the report said.

While each state continues to maintain its own unique sources for intelligence gathering, Clapper said, “generally speaking,” the United States and Israel are “on the same page” when it comes to Iran.

Meanwhile the New York Times reported yesterday that a $ 10b US weapons agreement in the Middle East has been finalized, saying that the objective being improving defensive capabilities of US allies including the Zionist regime, Saudi Arabia, and UAE against what they call ‘an Iranian threat.’