Iran’s foray into fire

Whatsoever a man sows, he shall reap.

Whatsoever a nation sows, it will reap.

Iran chose to invest in nuclear weapons and nuclear enrichment. It devoted decades of sweat and concentration on it. It sank trillions of dollars deep inside rocks and beneath the earth surface to achieve its dream of becoming a major nuclear power. It employed, funded and deployed scientists, perhaps the best of the stock, in the field to build massive sites and facilities for this special weaponry. An analyst on CNN said the weapons were to wipe out Big Satan (United States of America) and Small Satan (Israel) off the surface of the earth along with their other infidel cousins. That startled me and I sat up in bed. I am sure there are a few good uses nuclear weapons can be put to but its evils, at least the brand in Iran, far outweigh the good. But Iran was determined and focused on its goal. It sowed and ploughed and fertilised its nuclear weapon seeds, watched it germinate and flourished. The world watched. Powerful nations understood what was going. President Donald Trump watched too, under hooded lids . And we all know he is not much of a ‘sitdown-look’ leader. He is most likely the most restless American President in history. I can imagine him running his fingers through his hair and pacing up and down the Oval Office.

Who the fuck do these guys think they are?

How the heck did they come this far?

I’m gonna blow their balls off.

I’m gonna show them who is boss.

I can see, in my mind’s eyes, assistants offering Mr Trump chamomile tea to calm him down. You and I know no tea is going to work there. It did not. Instead of all that anger and adrenaline combo causing Trump to have a stroke, he struck. America went flying into Iranian air with superior force, more focused determination and whooosh, the Iranian nuclear house fell flat. One Operation Midnight Hammer and Iran’s nuclear investment was left in rubbles, a once lofty dream became a nightmare. Maybe Trump’s bunker busters did not burst everything but Iran, where and when the camera are not watching, must be writhing in pain and gnashing its teeth. I want to believe America’s Vice President J.D. Vance’s assuring words: ‘What we know is that they no longer have the capacity to turn that stockpile of highly enriched uranium to weapons-grade uranium, and that was really the goal here. Enriching uranium up to the point of a nuclear weapon, that was what the president put a stop to last night.’

Iran’s trillions of dollars that could have gone into developmental projects is what America put a stop to on Saturday night, just like that. Don’t forget that Israel had earlier gone in and killed 17 Iranian nuclear scientists before Trump’s 12 bunker busters. So, whichever way you look at this war, it has set Iran back several years.

But this piece is not about 60 percent or 90 percent weapon-grade uranium. It is about misplaced priorities. It is about humanity. It is about doing what you need to do when you need to do it. Here is where I ask for 10 resounding ‘gbosa for Trump. He did not waste time fiddling when there was a job to be done. The world was in enough pain without uranium raining on us.

I know a certain country where this decision to destroy the enemy’s weapon would have come to nothing.

Her lawmakers would have held public hearings to get the opinion of the people. There would have been security summits. Many committees would have been set up. The two lawmaking chambers would have had to work ‘tirelessly’ to prepare a special budget for the operation. Then ethnicity would have shown up in all its nauseating ugliness.

The back and forth would have eventually made it to the media.

All the showoff and colorful preparation would have provided the enemy ample time to hide their weapons and even reinforce. A country with leaders that talk non-stop about its problems can never progress. President Trump knows he has only four years to do everything in his head and he’s just doing them. Not that I agree with all of them, no. But the man is shaking the tables and doing something. In the other country, somebody would have proposed a bill for uranium to be sold in open markets.

I know the leaders of that country are reading this and I hope they do more and talk less from here on.

Back to Iran and the law of harvest. Iran could have chosen to be like China, a nation Mr Trump had to sit down with and negotiate tariffs, a nation that the world cannot ignore. Iran could have invested its 50 years and trillions of dollars in building manufacturing complexes. Above all, it failed in cashing out in the area where it has comparative advantage: religion, Islam.

You will be shocked at the number of holy places in Iran.

There is the tomb of Imam Reza, a holy shrine. Imam Reza was the eighth Shia Imam. The place is a major pilgrimage site with a complex of mosques, courtyards, and other structures. The sister of Imam Reza, Fatima Masumeh also has a shrine dedicated to her.

The intricate mirror work and architectural beauty of the tombs of Sayyed Mir Ahmad and Muhammad, brothers of Imam Reza could have been promoted as a tourist attraction for faithfuls. The place is called Shah Cheragh shrine.

Shah Mosque, also known as the Imam Mosque, and Jameh Mosque of Isfahan are both UNESCO World Heritage sites with breathtaking Islamic architecture.

There are reports that show that Iran has thousands of shrines and tombs of descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (SWT) or Imams, scattered throughout the country.

Imagine if the country had promoted its great mosques and heritage sites, would Iran be collocating in the same sentence with nuclear war, weapons of mass destruction and air strikes? Of course not, it would have been competing with Saudi Arabia to earn significant revenues from  annual pilgrimage, both directly and indirectly. While exact figures fluctuate, it is estimated that Saudi”s direct earnings from 2023 hajj was about $12 billion.

Saudi Arabia requires pilgrims to purchase all-inclusive packages through approved tourism agencies, which can range from $1,000 to $20,000 or more. In addition to that, Saudi still makes money from accommodation, local transportation, flights, food and other services that pilgrims require year in year out.

The Saudi government benefits from taxes and fees associated with the Hajj, further boosting its revenue and creating jobs.

Iran could have been like any of the Middle East nations like Qatar, Dubai or Saudi Arabia. Iran could have been an exporting nation, known for great industries but it opted to build piles and bunkers of weapons of war. Now, it is caught in a hail of fire of missiles between Israel and America. Who knows which country will join the fray next. And I wonder why a nation of brilliant minds can choose this path of fire and brimstone, where neither the leaders nor the led can sleep.

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