[…] The current situation with Iran has strong “similarities,” said Blix. The US and Israel – potentially with UK support – are “both using the suspicions of acquisition of nuclear arms as a main argument in favour of action. In reality, what they want is regime change.
“Regime change is illegal, and it is also very dangerous. They thought removing Saddam would solve the situation, and they brought the Middle East to the worst situation I can imagine… The whole region has been embroiled in the consequences.” […]
Speaking to The i Paper from his home in Sweden, the former diplomat accused Western leaders of hypocrisy for their response to Israel’s call for people in Iran’s, capital, Tehran to evacuate.
Nevertheless, Blix doubts the regime in Tehran intended to go ahead in building a bomb before it was attacked.
Iran has enriched uranium to a 60 per cent level – far above the 3.67 per cent needed to generate electricity, but still below the 80 or 90 per cent required to produce a nuclear weapon.
Blix thinks Iran has done this purely with the “highly understandable” aim of securing bargaining power for negotiations, in retaliation at Trump unliterally withdrawing in 2018 from an internationally agreed deal – which Iran was adhering to – and imposing sanctions.
“I don’t see sense in the Israeli plan, because if they now reduce the Iranian programme, can they expect that Iran will stay away in the future? It’s only pushing problems some years ahead.” […]
However, he says Trump is likely to encourage more conflicts through “this ignorance and this arrogant attitude” over Iran: “Preventive, pre-emptive or anticipatory self-defence are not recognised in international law, so they are moving towards erosion of the UN Charter – and they are helped by the Russians in their aggression in Ukraine.” Läs intervju