Defense of Iran needs some work

Re “Railroading Iran,” Opinion, Dec. 30

I disagree with Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations M. Javad Zarif’s portrayal of Iran as a victim of the U.N. Security Council. Zarif is semantically correct when he states his country has not attacked any country for nearly two centuries, but supplying weapons, money and people to support attacks and political assassinations still spell war.

His lament that Israel and the U.S., two countries that have done intelligence assessments and believe Iran is making nuclear weapons, are liars that hate Iran directly conflicts with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s constant battle cry to destroy Israel and infidels, who happen to be most Americans. My guess is Iran already has the technology and its victim role is just a ploy to buy time to make nuclear weapons.

HILDA ASHWORTH

Fullerton

*

Zarif contends that “Iran has not attacked or threatened to use force against any member of the United Nations.” His nation’s president has proclaimed, however, that a world without the United States and Israel “can be achieved.” At a regime-sponsored military parade in Tehran, banners read: “We will wipe Israel from the map.” Are these statements now inoperative, or is it Iranian policy that the goal is to be achieved solely through divine intervention?

JEROME M. BALSAM

New York

*

I want to thank the Iranian ambassador for pointing out shortcomings in European and international diplomacy as regards his nation’s efforts to develop nuclear power. However, as long as the most visible member of his country’s government continues to sound like an uneducated lunatic, nothing much is going to improve in those areas.

TIM SHULLBERG

Long Beach