"Neocons Acting As Vanguard For Israel" To Push War With Iran: ZH Debate Recap

As Netanyahu threatens to upend U.S. talks with Iran by launching a unilateral strike himself — it’s unclear what the Trump admin plans to do and whether war is on the horizon. Last night, ZeroHedge hosted two category experts for a hawk-versus-dove showdown to answer what Trump should do. Negotiate or bomb? Who’s the aggressor: Iran or Israel?

Libertarian Institute founder Scott Horton lobbied for peace and outlined the long list of U.S. provocations that scarcely surface in western media. Israeli professor Dr. Meir Javedanfar warned of Iranian aggression and support for terrorism. Interestingly, they both agreed on one point: withdrawing from the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) was a mistake.

Here were the highlights for those short on time:

Iranian or Israeli/US aggression?

Javedanfar made a laundry list of Iranian acts of aggression and regarding their push for obtaining a nuke, including:

• Iran was caught secretly building the Natanz nuclear facility without informing the IAEA.
• Iran was again caught building a hidden enrichment facility at Fordo.
• Iran conducted research on a nuclear trigger mechanism at the Parchin site, including testing surrogate explosives.
• Documents retrieved by Mossad confirmed Iran’s intent to maintain a nuclear weapon development capability. 
• Killed 240 U.S. Marines in Beirut (1983 bombing).
• Took U.S. hostages and attacked the U.S. embassy in Beirut.
• Orchestrated the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia (1996), killing 19 U.S. servicemen.
• Planned a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C. in 2011; plot was foiled by the CIA.

To which Horton replied point-by-point:

• U.S. and Western interventions (via USAID, NED, IRI, NDI, Soros orgs) aimed to provoke regime change in Iran, such as the 2009 Green Revolution, prompting Iran’s fear and secrecy.
• Natanz facility secrecy was due to Iran being blocked by the Nuclear Suppliers Group from purchasing legal nuclear technology, forcing it to buy from AQ Khan’s black market network.
• The discovery of Natanz was not initially by Israeli intelligence or the MEK, but by David Albright, an American nuclear expert.
• MEK (Mujahideen-e-Khalq), cited in claims of exposing Iran’s nuclear program, is described as a “communist terrorist cult” with a history of switching allegiances and spreading false intelligence.
• The claim about Iran developing nuclear triggers at Parchin is refuted:
  • The scientist involved was Igor Danchenko, an expert in nano-diamonds, not nuclear weapons.
  • There is no credible evidence linking him to nuclear weapons research.
• The 2007 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program, largely due to the removal of Saddam Hussein, which eliminated Iran’s primary deterrent need.
• Israel itself engaged in nuclear espionage, including stealing Krytrons (nuclear triggers) from the U.S., highlighting hypocrisy in Israeli accusations. 
• The 1983 Beirut bombing:
  • Occurred 42 years ago and was carried out by proto-Hezbollah, not directly ordered by Tehran.
  • Israel was aware of the attack but didn’t warn the U.S., according to former Israeli spy Victor Ostrovsky.
• The Khobar Towers bombing (1996):
  • Attributed to al-Qaeda, not Iran. Specifically, Osama bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were responsible.
  • CIA experts, including Michael Scheuer, and bin Laden himself, confirmed this.
• The 2011 Washington D.C. restaurant plot:
  • Dismissed as a hoax involving a used car salesman with no real ties to the Iranian regime.
  • The target was a minor diplomat, and the plot was more of a drug deal gone wrong than a genuine Iranian terror plot.

Neocon-Israeli alliance

“Acting directly as agents of the Israeli state.”

While Javedanfar dismissed the claims of Israeli influence in U.S. foreign policy as mere coincidental alignment of interests, Horton charged the neocon alliance that occupied the ranks of the George W Bush administration as essentially acting as foreign agents.

“The war could not have happened without the neocons acting as the vanguard for the Israeli state.”

Be sure to check out the full debate here and subscribe to ZeroHedge Spotify, Rumble, and YouTube channels for more debates and for next week’s debut of our podcast hosted by comedian Rob Bernstein for weekly recaps on our most crucial articles.

FULL DEBATE: