How Obama Missed The Boat On Iran

Back in 2007 I received a mysterious call at the New York Sun from a man who said he was referred to me from someone at the New York Times and he needed to meet with me on an issue too important to speak about on the phone. The NY Times reporter told him her paper was not the one to cover the story. Cloak and dagger is not my forte and against my better judgment I met with the gentleman who turned out to be an Iranian dissident who filled me in on what was happening in his native country. I wrote about the startling upheaval and potential revolution that was occurring in Iran and I knew that then President Bush read my column which might explain why his administration took no overt military action against Iran's nuclear program. By the time the revolution had grown to fruition, Obama was in office and in 2009 he let it die and would not help. Remnants of the coup, however, still remain and it seems to be the only thing thwarting Iran's progress.

Recently there have been reports of multiple explosions at Iran's nuclear facility that the regime has deemed accidents. But there have also been numerous attacks on its refineries that have created a buzz that a stealth war has been in effect since 2010. Israel claims that it is not behind this situation nor do we believe that the CIA under this administration is capable of it. Is it really unimaginable that Iranians themselves may be at the bottom of this?

What I learned from my Iranian friend was that there is a Persian Renaissance in force that is actively seeking the overthrow of the mullahs. Many Persians do not consider themselves Muslims and under the tutelage of a Persian professor, they have secretly burned the Koran and returned to their ancient Zoroastrian faith. My friend, a former Muslim, showed me his pendant with the ancient symbol which is prominently displayed every year at the annual Persian parade in New York City. The display of colorful floats and beautiful women in fashionable garb is a distinct reminder that this cheerful exuberance is sorely absent in today's Iran.

In my Feb. 2007 column I wrote:

"The Persian Renaissance, known as Anjomane Padeshahi Iran, is being spearheaded by a charismatic leader, Dr. Froud Fouladvand. He has offered Iranian people the reason to fight by awakening their semi dormant national identity, an identity that was overshadowed by radical Islam. In fact, my friend said, 'the API draws on centuries of experience handed down by those who have battled this enemy from its virtual inception. We slew the first three rulers of Islam as Persians - and many of their military governors. Few people - even our own - are taught that even Imam Ali, father of the Shiites, was sent to hell by a Persian.'

"There are more than 7 million Persians living outside Iran, and many are connected through online communications, meaning theirs may end up being the first revolution fueled by Internet technology. According to API's English-language Web site, at iransara.info, Dr. Fouladvand is nearing Iran, and the overthrow of Islamic rule is scheduled to take place before the Iranian New Year, March 21. My Iranian contact says America should leave Iran to the Iranians, and that may be what is happening. Liberal pundits are continually criticizing the administration for not going after Iran because of its support of the Iraqi insurgency. Maybe President Bush has read his history and knows the Persians are coming, the Persians are coming."

In 2009, we watched in horror as the beautiful Neda Agha-Soltan lay dying on the streets of Iran during the green revolution, shot by a government sniper. She was a Persian. I had asked my friend how America could help and he said that the best way would be to provide access to communication so that the Persians could contact one another in secrecy.

Dr. Fouladvand has disappeared since venturing to meet with insurgents in Iran and is suspected to have been killed. There is a $1 million award for information on his whereabouts but it is doubtful he and two of his companion travelers are still alive. According to my friend who wishes to be known only as Babak Iran, the Iranian mullahs keep the Iranians subdued with easily available drugs but that may no longer be working.

Earlier this year we learned of a computer virus called Stuxnet that hit Iran's nuclear program delaying its progress for some years. This brilliant tactic is allegedly a concoction of the CIA and Israel scientists that was conceived with help from the Bush administration. In Jan. 2009, David Sanger wrote in the New York Times, believe it or not the following: "President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage Iran's suspected effort to develop nuclear weapons, according to senior American and foreign officials."

Gee, I thought that Bush was supposed to be a dummy. Rick Perry is being labeled as dumb as Bush but he seems to have a better idea about how to deal with Iran than Obama. While Secretary of State Clinton urges international support for sanctions, Perry wants to go after the money. In a statement released last month Perry said, "We must revisit the options President Obama has taken off the table, including tough sanctions on the Iranian Central Bank. ... The U.S. should also act with renewed vigor to support those seeking freedom in Syria, Iran's critical Arab ally, as well in Iran itself, where millions were repressed in 2009 when President Obama tragically ignored the Green Movement to pursue the folly of engagement. Our policy toward the Iranian regime should be based not on hope or on steps that have failed repeatedly, but on thwarting this dangerous regime that pursues nuclear weapons as we help the Iranian people choose their own destiny. Unlike President Obama's failed approach, this would be a realistic and principled policy to keep America safe."

Another dummy Texan in the White House with the same penchant for mangled syntax and gaffes? Sounds good to me.

Alicia Colon resides in New York City and can be reached at aliciav.colon@gmail.com and at www.aliciacolon.com