It is time that we learn how to listen and respond accordingly. Ahamjadad like Hitler (Yimach shmom) never hid their intentions they want to wipe out the entire Israel. What a foolish aritcle.

Appeasers are afraid and cowardly, think good thoughts maybe the nazis will go away, christians and catholics preached a hatred clear and definite in theory and practice, and yet there are many jews supposedly intelligent who convert undergo baptism and everything and Jews are according to their scripture, doctrine and ritual the devil incarnate and the repository of all evil, guilty of deicide and guess what there are really no Jews left, what happened, read Appelfeld and you learn what self delusion is all about.

There are certainly proper ways to hinder this process or prevent part of it from materializing. That's his solution to the problem???? What a jerk.

California was settled largely because of gold, not oil. There is a great deal of oil being produced in California itself, so to say that life is not worth living there without [middle eastern] oil is tremendously idiotic. Maryland was settled almost at the same time as New York and not all of it is town-country and suburban. Ever heard of Baltimore? LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Kansas City? None of these are exactly in the sticks. Kansas was settled before the invention of the automobile because it was good farm land. As long as people like to grow corn and wheat, I would assume that they would continue to consider life worth living there whether they have Persian Gulf oil, Gulf of Mexico oil, or no oil at all. What's so bad, is your article started off somewhat interesting, but then you ruined by proving that you don't know what the hell you're talking about. My family has lived in Metro Atlanta since the 1970s, and we moved out of the urban center in the early 80s not because oil became cheap again, but rather because crime went through the friggin roof. Oil is very important, but it isn't the only valuable commodity out there, and Middle East isn't the only region that produces it. Next time consider putting some basic thought into what you are writing if the public is going to see it.

See who speaks of arrogance. All your article is a great expression of arrogance. It would not hurt you to be a little more humble and express your ideas without smearing others as arrogant, because the first one to be, is you

Oh yes, there it is, the usual cop-out. Blame the Americans for everything. The Iran-Iraq war was provoked by Ayatollah Khomeini, and launched by Saddam. During the Iran-Iraq War the US, Russia, Europe, the Arab world, and most of the industrialized world supported Saddam, to prevent the Mullahs' Revolution from spreading. One of the only country's in the entire world which saw Saddam's Iraq as a greater threat than Iran and decided to arm and help train the Iranian military was ISRAEL. So why don't you go easy on the self-flattery and fiction, ok?

We all have our good sides and bad sides. No nation is pure angle and certainly no nation is all evil. Wasn’t this the same Iran who first recognized Israel? Provided oil to Israel during 1967 and 1973 wars? Provided thousands of Jews during the Nazi holocaust with passports and documents to leave Europe for safety? Or, way back when, freed Jews from captivity in Babylon? Didn’t some of the sacred Jewish books named Cyrus as the promised Messiah? And now they are all bad and evil because of stupid talks of lunatic Ahmadinejad? Germans killed 6 million Jews and many more millions of other innocent people just a generation ago. Were they all evil then and are all good now? Did their genes changed in the last 50 years? Your logic is all screwed up. Most things are much more complex than a simple black and white.

How wonderful to read this thoughtful and accurate essay, instead of the wind that passes for analysis.

The periods in which Jews lived peacefully in Persia were before Islam, during Hulagu Khan's conquest of Persia when he revoked the dhimmi laws, and during the Shah's reign. Whenever a Muslim leader ruled Iran, the Jewish population suffered. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Jews

I never claimed that Jews in Iran are all living in paradise. The fact is whenever there is a religious (or any other ideological type of government) everyone suffers not just Jews or Christians. But you can’t deny that the Jews have been living in Iran for thousands of years. There are centuries-old beautiful synagogues and cathedrals in Iran which shows there were (and still are) vibrant Jewish and Christian communities in there.

I liked what the author had to say. How many of the people with critical statements have actually been to the Middle East? I have and learning about the Arab people is going to help us better understand them! Going to war with Iran is the same strategy we always try, but these people will not be bullied. How many of you know about Iran on a personal level? If a child got in a fight in school, would you kill him? Would you suggest that everyone ignore him? No, yet this is our policy in the Middle East. It makes no sense. We should be giving the author an award for having a level, understanding, and considerate prospective.

Excellent article, and to moronic comments like those made by so called "Persian Jew"- you are the ones that do not know Iran or Iranians, and falsify history to support your stupid claims. The Iranian people protected Jews multiple times in history, from ancient times to during the Holocaust. Your idiotic allegations against the Muslims of Iran have no historical basis in reality, unlike the crimes perpetrated to this day by "Jews" against the people of Palestine and Lebanon, but that is another story....

but they'll soon get what they need. We've spent 50 years and a trillion $ on Pals and they're more hateful and violent than ever, we spent years negotiating with Saddam to no avail, we've spent 30 years with these iranian throw-backs and all has failed. . All of them are liars who pride themselves on deceit. We can develop our huge energy resources, most of the free-world relies on oil thru the Gulf. Forget negotiations and appeasement, democracy and "nation building", these terrorist states that sponsor and incite Jihad (and we all know who they are) must be separated from the oil wealth that allows them to finance it-that's the "bottom line". The American strategy will soon change to one of making the cost of supporting terrorism too costly to its host state.. We are one attack away from re-arranging the ME. It's no coincidence that 14 murderers of 9/11 and the head of the attack on the US Cole were saudis. We can't let these arrogant barbarians hold the world hostage while they use their oil wealth to attack us. In a way, they will get what they want- senseless "martyrdom". Get it straight and clear, we will never "submit".

Very, very seldom one reads such a well written article like this one about Iran. Being a historian myself, you have hit it on bulls eye.The day Mofatz made the threat about bombing Iran oil went up $10.7e cents.p.b. Iran can threaten no one, except Iran.Yu are correct they were a big power, they like to be once again, but in their Persian Gulf only. We are making Iran and Russia very, very rich with statements that have no base. We are arming both countries every time we say we are going to attack Iran, Russia for every dollar that oil goes up they make hundred of millions more in profit, same with Iran. Let us all for the sake of peace and sanity talk about making peace and living our lives the way we should do and God wants us too. Israel is thereto stay, Iran knows this much, so does Syria and so does Egypt and Saudi Arabia. There is nothing any country in the Middle East can do to Israel , no one,not yet any way. How about creating a new North African Union of States , like the E.U with Israel and Egypt as the leaders of that union.. From Moracco to the Gulf what a union that can be. Thank you,

"European traveller reported a degrading ritual to which Jews were subjected for public amusement: At every public festival — even at the royal salaam [salute], before the King’s face — the Jews are collected, and a number of them are flung into the hauz or tank, that King and mob may be amused by seeing them crawl out half-drowned and covered with mud. The same kindly ceremony is witnessed whenever a provincial governor holds high festival: there are fireworks and Jews" In the middle of the 19th century, J. J. Benjamin wrote about the life of Persian Jews: "…they are obliged to live in a separate part of town…; for they are considered as unclean creatures… Under the pretext of their being unclean, they are treated with the greatest severity and should they enter a street, inhabited by Mussulmans, they are pelted by the boys and mobs with stones and dirt… For the same reason, they are prohibited to go out when it rains; for it is said the rain would wash dirt off them, which would sully the feet of the Mussulmans… If a Jew is recognized as such in the streets, he is subjected to the greatest insults. The passers-by spit in his face, and sometimes beat him… unmercifully… If a Jew enters a shop for anything, he is forbidden to inspect the goods… Should his hand incautiously touch the goods, he must take them at any price the seller chooses to ask for them... Sometimes the Persians intrude into the dwellings of the Jews and take possession of whatever please them. Should the owner make the least opposition in defense of his property, he incurs the danger of atoning for it with his life... If... a Jew shows himself in the street during the three days of the Katel (Muharram)…, he is sure to be murdered." Oh what kind people the Iranians are. But in all fairness, you don't have to convince me that the ancient Persians were much nicer. The Persians were indeed a great people before they bent over for the Arabs.

Yeah!!! And I'm sure there was someone who honestly thought Adolf Hitler wasn't really going to exterminate over 6 million Jews, either. Don't be so naive Mr. Kaniuk. This World didn't begin as soon as JFK came to power.

Although your arguement has merit you forget that the leaders of the Iranian state have an apocalyptic view of the world. As you have stated, they are trying to gain control of a majority of the oil and its revenue. But that puts the world at large at a tactical disadvantage for round two, which will be the attempt to rid the middle east of the Israeli presence. The rhetoric will by its intensity cause them to act in such a way whether they really wish to or not, lest the populace they will eventually lead turn against them in the future.

Maybe the Persians bent over for Arabs. But that was a long time ago. You guys however, are bending over for whoever puts a penny in your hand. Your whole existence is paid for by other nations (go figure # of bendings)

you are trying to compare actual Iran people with a kington of 2 centuries ago ? well ,what can we say about that ... For what we know Jews have the same tohught about other people . Just read the Bilble or your holly books (torah). As I recall , jews must not wedding another inferior people , no one is equal to you on God's eyes , and so on ... Please , don't call the past , we often look at the future , future is not past and if you will kept the past present any time of your lives you will not have time to live or make the future. I think all the people have or had complains against others but this will not bring nothing good for the future . Does I go and kill a neighbour of mine just because their past grand-father did sometihng bad to mine ? it just don't make sense . Be armed , be adviced to enemies , go strong but don't be stupid at the point of cinsiderer other people that do not agree with you your enemies ...if you do so I will have more enemies than allies ... It remind me the DOOMS game , it's like shoot to anybody , anywhre ...just shoot ... some day it may shoot to yourself ...calm dow .

Mathew , you are worng , sorry to say. No one knows or wnated to know about Hitlers rage agains jews . Just when allies arrive to camps they knew the truth. But for this you just may read your historical documents or see the history channel on cable tv. But even they knew ! what did US do to stop that ? US just envolved in the 2 ww because of his backyard in pacific ..it's time for me to say , don't be naive . and more , if you are so interested inthe truth , the 2 ww will not have the finish we know if Russia didn't participate , 2/3 of german casualties was on Russian front. BUT when Russia , in the most estalinist times kills thousands of jews no one have the courage to say stop , why ? The world is not just black and white , it has other collors . you may choose to be daltonic but the rainbow will appear every day despite you see or not . The best and most intelligent state or governor will try to understood all versions , all opinions and act with knowledge , Israel was built in this way and had sucess . I'm sorry to say but it seams is lost this quallity , we all saw in the recent strike on Libanon ...

Luis - I have read the Torah and nowhere does it say that non-Jews are unclean. Afterall, Abraham and Sarah were not Jewish. Do you want to say that Jews regard the patriarch and matriarch as unclean or inferior? Use your head. Nemat - That made no sense.

Dear Yuram, What you didn't mention is that today more than 10% of Iranians are addicted to Opium and England rules that. Automobile market master is France. Electrical generators market rules by Russia..... China and others has their slices. Oil is not under control by Iran and Iranians don't need to think about to choose Lebanon to export that, ...Iran is also a pawn in world chess like Israel and you must find your big problem also in another parts of the world. Mullahs are bad students of England and USA that thought to rule Iran after 1979 to make everything simple for west but Mullahs were not too stupid and they decided to build a market named Islamic market to sell everything left from Mughals and Arabs. Islam in Iran is just a name. There you can not find just 50 really Muslims. You don't believe?! Moslems believe that when 133 true Muslims exist the savior Mehdi comes, but there are not 133 true ones until today. Israel as an enemy for Iran is just and just a pretext or mask for mullahs and I agree with you that there will be any attack from Iran to Israel. Yes Mullahs need to build their market and be rich as Arabs and atomic bomb ensures their bussiness. If you think you have serious problem with Iran I must tell you that Mullahs idee came from some people like Khomeini that his family name was "Hindi" before and as what I know and his name shows, he and his idee came from India. Yes they are students of religion movements build by England in India and the World. It shows that maybe you must talk with London, why?! Maybe you tended too to USA and London thinks you must not because they helped you to be there after world war I. Iranians wants to forget what Mughals and Arabs did in the last 1400 years. Yes they want and need to return to ancient Persia. They want to be free. Regards