Washington Township— A panel on Iran’s nuclear ambitions took place at the Bergen County Y-JCC on Sunday, Oct. 6, sponsored by the JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council) of the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, and media-watchdog Stand With Us. The two panelists were Dr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense and Democracy, and Ms. Hindy Poupko, Director of Israel and International Affairs for the JCRC of New York. Dr. Ottolenghi spoke about the many problems presented in enforcing financial and procurement sanctions against Iran. Ms. Poupko discussed what the Jewish community is doing to keep our government focused on enforcing and strengthening the sanctions regime.
They were introduced by Gale Bindelglass, Chair of the Federation’s JCRC. She spoke about a nuclear Iran being a threat to Israel and the whole Middle East, and, with the addition of ICBMs, is a threat even to the U.S. The panelists agreed that as Iran continues to defy the international community, Pres. Obama and PM Netanyahu agree that the world must disarm Iran of all nuclear weapons. With Iran’s recent offer to negotiate, we should talk while continuing to enforce the sanctions, which convinced the Iranians to start talking in the first place. At the time, they advocate urging the Senate is to strengthen the sanctions. In other words, a nuclear Iran is a global threat of strategic significance.
The moderator was Dr. Leonard Cole, past chairman of the JCRC and an expert on weapons of mass destruction. He said that there is no issue more important to Israel and the world Jewish community than the threat of a nuclear Iran. Iran, he says, is determined to build a nuclear arsenal and has been since their revolution.
Dr. Ottolenghi reviewed the history of Iranian sanctions. He said they were first imposed by the U.S., then by the Security Council, and then by the EU and other nations. The results are that the Iranian economy is in a drastic decline and it is hard for them to obtain the materials they need to make bombs. As Iran moves closer to being able to build a bomb, the panelists posited two choices: bomb them or continue to apply the sanctions. The latter is far preferable if it works. The Iranians are no doubt offering to negotiate in order to buy time to further their program, but by tightening the sanctions they might be forced to stop. Dr. Ottolenghi believes it is worth the effort, but the talks must be time-bound and the results verifiable and complete. No nuclear weapons, no enrichment. Demands must be clear and strong.
Dr. Ottolenghi traced how the Iranians, since their revolution, have successfully evaded sanctions for 34 years,. They employ networks to move money and sanctioned material that they need to further their program. The networks are complex, and not as efficient as open trade would be, but they help the program move forward. He says their networks are similar to those of international drug smugglers and other criminals–the difference being that criminals are opposed by their home governments, while the Iranian networks are fostered and directed by the Iranian regime.
As audience members pointed out, they are not dissimilar from the networks run by legal corporations through subsidiaries, holding companies, overseas operations, and contractors. The professor said the Iranians’ goal is to have dominance through the possession of a nuclear arsenal. Their aim is not to show that they can build a single bomb, but to have an arsenal big enough to have sway on the world stage. And their stated goal to wipe Israel off the map of the world still stands.
Dr. Ottolenghi discussed several case studies of how they operate their networks. They buy foreign banks and corporations to launder their money by shifting it from one country to another under cover of fake commerce. Their corporations and their leaders frequently change names to make it harder to follow any trail. The network is run by men driven by profits and ideology. The regime gives a loyal operative a large sum of money to buy a bank or corporation. His assignment is to use the money wisely to achieve the aims of the regime. He keeps a large chunk of the profits. He works with family and trusted friends. Personal bonds, loyalty, and trust are crucial to their operations. The operatives, who appear to be normal merchants, must be self-reliant, versatile, and able to multi-task. That is, they must be entrepreneurial. They usually take up foreign residence and have dual passports, so they can easily pass through borders. They communicate through social networks using aliases, post office boxes, phony addresses, phony fronts, and phony websites.
They tend to locate in port cities. They buy companies not so much for their profit potential as for the technology they use. The products they produce can be shipped back home. Or, they may have Iranian engineers come to observe the new technology long enough to be able to transfer it back to Iran. Even if they don’t become as good at the production as the original company, they have acquired useable materials for a low price. They have even bought airlines just to acquire their stock of parts. And some of these operations can be traced right back to the Supreme Leader.
Dr. Ottolenghi says much of this information is openly available. But the trails are very difficult to follow. And governments are limited in their actions by the need to document these trails sufficiently well to take the case to court. The trails are known, but the proof is hard to establish.
Asked to evaluate the position of the U.S. government, Dr. Ottolenghi said we are somewhere between the positions of Israel and the EU. Antisemitism and anti-Israel feelings are much stronger in the EU than in the U.S. But they don’t fear “the Israeli bomb,” because they view it as being in responsible hands. It is up to the Jewish community to push the U.S, administration closer to the position of Israel. He thought that Secretary of State John Kerry is analytically brilliant, but thinks out loud too much. The administration is not ill-intentioned, but uncertain on its stand.
Ms. Poupko spoke about what the Jewish community is doing to keep public focus on the continued need for sanctions. She compared the current situation with the ‘70s and ‘80s. This is era is different from the protest-era in which large rallies were held for Soviet Jewry. Recent anti-Iranian demonstrations fizzled. People now talk on Facebook, not on the street. The public is confused as red line deadlines keep shifting. And the issue does not have a human face. The public accuses anti-Iranian demonstrators of being war-mongers who want to get us into another Iraq. Many are discouraged because they think the problem is too big to handle. And much of the media think that Jewish issues are not especially newsworthy. This campaign had many PR problems.
The NY JCRC orchestrated the Iran 180 Coalition with many other groups. The participating Iranians would rather focus on human rights abuses than on the issue of nuclearization. There is much to protest on that front—including their multitude of political prisoners, uniquely brutal treatment of protesters, sponsoring attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, and support of the Assad regime in Syria. Their attitude is to be open to suggestions until they are proven wrong. Be skeptical, but give negotiations a chance. Demand “action, not words.” They enlist non-Jewish surrogates and use outrageous but memorable images. For example, they organize demonstrations on Human Rights Day, Women’s Day, or at Gay Pride events. At these events, concerned people tell the public personal tales that they can relate to.
The coalition advocates for sanctions that will bring incremental and achievable change. They promote that New York state have its own more stringent sanctions. And there is an Iran Watch List in NYC. They look for easy assignments to give the public, such as signing petitions, following websites, and learning about the history and current state of the issue. It’s a “war for public opinion” that is fought through use of modern spheres of influence, such as social media and networks. They distribute history and news, and work with officials. They advocate writing letters to editors and legislators. Use of the media will encourage dialogue. That can encourage people to see why and how they can take action. What Israel has in its favor is that it is a recognized and long-established democracy, while Iran is run by extremist clerics.
By Stephen Tencer
