Iran's legitimate nuclear energy interests

June 23, 2025

I find it quite astonishing that Andrew Thomas, a lecturer in Middle East Studies, repeats one of the most mendacious and persistent claims about Iran — that it has a nuclear weapons program — at this most dangerous of moments when the US and Israel have launched an unprovoked and totally illegal attack on several of Iran’s nuclear installations.

Not only does he repeat this false claim, thereby sharing responsibility for the escalating war, but he builds a story and case around “regime change” and the “removal” of Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei, as if such a discussion were reasonable and legitimate – with this case supported by the equally false claims that Iranians don’t support their government.

My distaste at Thomas’ article is tempered considerably by the article from Greg Barns, to whom he might refer for some advice – not only is “pre-emptive bombing” against international law, but so is assassination and regime change. We might notice also that there is now overwhelming evidence that former president Raisi and foreign minister Abdollahian were the first of Israel’s victims when their helicopter crashed unexpectedly a year ago, triggering and facilitating everything that followed.