Assassination Nation

Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, age 32, along with his driver, was the third Iranian nuclear scientist in two years to be successfully assassinated last week during the morning rush-hour in Tehran by a bomb attached to his car. It was the fifth similar assassination attempt targeting Iran’s nuclear scientists. One scientist managed to survive an earlier plot.   

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top religious cleric blames the United States Government Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Israel’s Mossad Intelligence Agency for the killings, claiming they have hard evidence of their involvement.

"We have reliable information, documents and evidence that this terrorist act was planned, guided and supported by the CIA [to assassins] directly involved in Roshan's killing," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a letter handed to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, who represents U.S. interests there in as much as Washington has no diplomatic ties with Iran.

This shows that "the global arrogance spearheaded by the U.S. and Zionism has reached a deadlock in confrontation with the determined, devout and progressive nation of Islamic Iran," Ali Khamenei declared. They will not own up to it but this "has been carried out by the planning or support of CIA and Mossad, like all other crimes of the network of international state terrorism."

Iran reportedly also delivered a letter to Britain accusing it of having an "obvious role" in the killing. It said that a series of assassinations began after British intelligence chief John Sawers hinted in 2010 at intelligence operations against the Islamic Republic.

The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency is also blamed in light of the fact that it made public a list of Iranian nuclear scientists and officials that "has provided the possibility of their identification and targeting by spy networks."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, both condemned and "categorically" denied any role in the assassinations, but urged Iran to halt its quest for a nuclear bomb. "We were not involved in any way … I'm not sure who was involved, we have some ideas as to who might be involved... but I can tell you one thing: the United States was not involved in that kind of effort, that's not what the United States does," said Panetta.

Israeli President Shimon Peres said Israel had no role in the attack, to the best of his knowledge. "I have no idea who targeted the Iranian scientist but I certainly don't shed a tear," said Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, a spokesman for Israel Defense Forces.

Iran has accused Israel in the past of causing major mishaps to its nuclear program. Israeli officials never comment on their involvement but some have publicly expressed satisfaction at the results. The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the nuclear dispute. Iran says it would retaliate if attacked.

Republican presidential candidate and bombastic war mongering chicken-hawk, Rick Santorum, said afterwards that the U.S. was wrong to condemn the assassination. "Our country condemned it. My feeling is we should have kept our mouth shut," Santorum opined at a campaign event in Greenville S.C.

"If these are people who are developing a weapon to be used to either destroy the state of Israel or to spread terror -- a reign of terror -- around the world, we shouldn't be sitting on the sidelines and letting it happen," Santorum added. "They cannot have a nuclear weapon, because you, in Greenville, will not be safe."

So Rick Santorum, the American prince of jingoistic sanctimony, believes that our nation is perfectly justified in indiscriminately going around the globe sponsoring assassination squads to murder in cold blood innocent civilian scientists simply because they are involved in projects such as nuclear facilities with which he disapproves.  

The last time I checked, America, Russia, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, France, the U.K., and especially Israel, can all boast of having nuclear scientists, nuclear weapons, and nuclear facilities. Many more nations on the planet have nuclear scientists and nuclear facilities if not also nuclear weapons of mass destruction. If Santorum’s reasoning is sound then any nation is justified in assassinating the nuclear scientists of another nation in the interests of safety.  

This is just an educated guess on my part, but my gut tells me, despite all the pious denials, condemnations, and disingenuous denunciations, that America, Israel and the U.K. are up to their eyeballs in this appalling violation of international law. No other entities have the motive, means and opportunity to carry out such a vile scheme. It has CIA written all over it.

If they are involved, and if our own government believes that this kind of criminal conduct is justified by any stretch of reasoning, then they must accept the plain truth that the Al Qaeda attacks of 9/11 on the United States, and all other terrorist acts before and after, are perfectly justified as well. After all, those criminals likewise didn’t approve of our aims and projects either.

Sadly, it appears likely that the United States of America; the land of the free and home of the brave, has become a criminal assassination nation.