WMDs? No. Oil contracts? Yes!

Nov 22, 2004

European Union spokespersons were happy to announce on November 15 that they had a deal with Iran. Iran would halt programs to enrich uranium up to weapons grade. In exchange, European Union countries (and others, like Japan) would sponsor Iran for World Trade Organization membership, and establish normal trade relations.

Of course Europe and Japan are happy. Iran is OPEC's second biggest oil producer. "Normal trade relations" in this case is diplomatic code for oil contracts.

The U.S. government's reaction came a few days later, when Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters he had seen intelligence that Iran was working on a missile to deliver weapons of mass destruction.

Since this claim was precisely the same "intelligence" that Powell and others made to justify the invasion of Iraq – and precisely as much a lie – his statement was also a kind of code. Iraq in 2002 had signed some oil exploration and delivery contracts with British, French, German and Russian companies. Shortly afterward, the U.S. claimed to have this special "intelligence" about Saddam's secret missile program, and weapons of mass destruction.

The only weapons involved are oil contracts that target U.S. oil company profits!