When Persians smile and Israelis scowl, we should be nervous
Re: "A view from Iran on the nuclear accord," Tell It As It Is, July 16.
It was very nice of Saleh Miri to write Pornpimol Kanchanalak’s column for her. I have no idea whether this gentleman is qualified to speak for all Iranians. The fact that he was an architect during the reign of His Imperial Majesty the Shahanshah Aryamehr suggests that he might not be in favour with the current regime.
In the course of a wide-ranging narrative, quoted by Khun Pornpimol but never precisely sourced, one statement arrested my attention: “The Persians through their history have never attacked any other country, but cooperated with those who tried to enter Iran and make changes.”
The Persians ruled the biggest empire in the ancient world, extending at various times from Greece to India and from the Balkans to North Africa. You don’t build an empire like that without attacking a few countries. Moviegoers might recall the recent film “300”, which depicts the Persian king Xerxes’ invasion of Greece.
Besides that, when Saddam Hussein “tried to enter Iran and make changes”, I didn’t notice the Iranians cooperating with him very much, and nor did they cooperate with Alexander of Macedon when he tried it.
I’m not qualified to pass judgement on the rest of Mr Miri’s letter, nor on the agreement recently signed by Iran, the US and the UN. But I would point out that when Persians smile and Israelis scowl, it’s time for the rest of us to be nervous.
Chelo Kabab
