Media Analysis

Mainstream media ignores how Israel continues sabotaging the Iran nuclear deal

Once again, the danger of conflict between Israel and Iran is rising. Once again, the mainstream U.S. media is either ignoring or distorting the news.

Once again, the danger of conflict between Israel and Iran is rising. Once again, the mainstream U.S. media is either ignoring or distorting the news.

A drone attacked an Israeli-linked oil tanker in the Arabian Sea last week, and after a few days the U.S., Britain and Israel all accused Iran. The Washington Post report briefly noted that the drone strike is the latest in “tit-for-tat attacks” by both Israel and Iran, but stopped there. The Post nowhere mentioned that Israel is credibly charged with sponsoring attacks inside Iran, including assassinating Iranian scientists. At least the Post carried a report: the New York Times so far has ignored the latest escalation. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised a “collective response” to the allegedly Iranian drone attack, but the new Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett warned that Israel could act against Iran on its own.

You have to turn to Fred Kaplan in Slate to find out what’s really going on here. Kaplan, who is not known as a foreign policy dove, accurately points out that the escalation must be considered against the backdrop of the negotiations to restore the Iran nuclear deal, which have reportedly stalled. He starts by noting that in the past two years “Israel has launched at least 10 attacks on Iranian vessels,” a statistic missing in the Post. Even more vitally, Kaplan explains that Israel stokes the tension to try and sabotage the deal. He says that once Biden took office, then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “stepped up attacks on Iran — knowing that Iran would strike back, which would make a new nuclear deal still more unpalatable politically.”

Kaplan connects the dots:

On April 6, hours before U.S., Iranian and European diplomats assembled in Vienna to reopen talks on the nuclear deal, an elite commando unit of the Israeli Navy attacked an Iranian military vessel.

Netanyahu is gone, for now, but Kaplan argues that Bennett must maintain the same hardline, anti-nuclear deal policy: “Israel’s fragile new government is in no position to take daring moves toward engaging with Iran.”

Contrast Kaplan’s insights about the Iran deal with a July 31 New York Times report on the same subject. The Times article does warn that the negotiations have stalled. But somehow the paper does not mention Israel one single solitary time. 

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Drone hit in the Gulf of Oman reeks of False Flag. It was a sloppy job. Iran doesn’t do sloppy.
Plus, not in their interest to give a new President and new PM in Israel a chance to look/be
tough.

https://www.wednesdayswars.com

The US media’s blind eye for Israel must be a miracle.

Meanwhile:
Rail link to be created between Iran, China through Afghanistan – ISNA

Iranian Students Agency, May 16/21

“Rail link to be created between Iran, China through Afghanistan”

Tehran (ISNA) – “Following the inauguration of the Khaf-Herat Railway Project and announcement of Iran’s readiness to invest $2.2 billion in Afghanistan to complete the final phase of this railway and to connect it to Mazar-e-Sharif, Iran’s railway route will eventually reach China.

“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani officially inaugurated the strategic Khaf-Herat railway project on December 10, 2020 through a video conference. The 225-kilometers-long Khaf-Herat railway is part of the Iran-Afghanistan rail corridor. The project started in the fiscal year of 2007-2008, connects Iran’s eastern city of Khaf to Afghanistan’s western city of Ghoryan. The project was implemented in four parts, Iran was in charge of completing three of the mentioned four parts, two of which are in the Iranian territory and the other two are on the Afghan side.

“’Herat- Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project with a total investment of $2.2 billion is one of the projects that is planned to be conducted by Iranian companies. This route can provide a rail link between Iran and Central Asia and China. The length of this railway is 656 kilometers and it has been officially announced that this railway will be implemented and put into operation by the Iranian private sector,’ advisor to Iran’s Roads and Urban Development Minister, Hossein Mir-Shafi’ explained.

“He further noted that positive talks have been also held in the field of road construction and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Works has introduced their priority transit and transportation projects to the Iranian side.

“’Following this, the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has held preliminary talks with the Association of Exporters of Engineering Services and announced the areas for mutual cooperation with the Afghan counterpart; Iran is going to invest at least $3.1 billion in Afghanistan’s road construction projects.’”

Anyone else catch Lawrence O’Donnell throw some not so subtle shade at FOX and their hypocritical attitude towards COVID and support of Israel?

”Rupert Murdoch has to authorize the propaganda is on his payroll to attack any doctor, any infectious disease expert, mayor, a governor and President Biden forever suggesting that we should wear masks under any circumstances. But Rupert Murdoch will not allow anyone on the Fox payroll to attack Israel. For the way the Israeli government is responding to the new threat of the delta variant.
Yesterday, Israel reimposed restrictions to stop the rise in COVID infections including allowing only vaccinated people, and indoor gatherings of 100 people or more, and recovering masks at outdoor gatherings of 100 or more people. Every night, Rupert Murdoch said since team out to attack anyone in America who says that any activity should be limited to only vaccinated people, and to attack anyone in America who said masks should be used to outdoors by anyone.
Rupert Murdoch will not allow those super spreaders of lies to attack Israel for imposing vaccine passports for indoor events, and requiring masks outdoors because Rupert Murdoch authorizes this propaganda to only use anti vaccination laws and anti mask laws as leverage in the political battle that Rupert Murdoch has been waging in the United States for decades. Rupert Murdoch created a television network 25 years ago with the sole purpose of helping Republicans and herding Democrats and making as much money as possible along the way.
Rupert Murdoch believes that COVID-19, and vaccinations, and masks, are nothing but political ammunition for him to use and his never ending war against Democrats. If Rupert Murdoch cared at all about how many Americans and Fox viewers even are being infected with COVID-19 and dying from COVID- 19, he could bring a massive amount of persuasion to support good public health policy in this country.
[22:05:09]
But he doesnt do that.
With public health experts trying to warn us about what
s coming while Rupert Murdoch and Republican elected officials continue to spread lies about the situation, the world is trying to figure out what to the do next as the rate of infection is increasing everywhere. New cases in Israel have increased from a low of nine cases on June 9th to 3,834 cases reported yesterday.
This week, Israel became the first country to administer a third dose of the COVID vaccine offering a booster shot to people…”

When it comes to ignoring stories Mondoweiss also stands out. Ignored: Iran elects a hangman as its leader. Ignored: Lebanon faces collapse. How often do we hear that Lebanon is the proof of democracy working in the Arab world? How often do we hear that Hezbollah is a positive influence in Lebanon? Of course these are nonsensical. But the collapse of Lebanon deserves at least a little bit of coverage. Does it get it? No.