Iran: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Is Iran a threat? And what would happen if it was attacked?

Currently 59 comments

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but Israel and its allies think otherwise. And tension is escalating.

The United States is tightening sanctions, a move supported by Australia. The European Union has also agreed to ban Iranian oil imports and freeze the assets of Iran’s central bank, hoping to push them back into negotiations.

But Iran claims the sanctions will have no effect, calling them "psychological warfare".

Should diplomacy fail, the U.S. and Israel have not ruled out military action - and Iran has warned of retaliation if that happens.

So is the Iranian regime really a threat? And what’s the best way to deal with it?

Producer: Fanou Filali
Associate Producers: Scott Mitchell and Sarah Allely

Meet the Guests

Mohammad Marandi

Professor Mohammad Marandi is an academic at the University of Tehran. He says there is no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear bomb and calls the sanctions on his country “barbaric”. He is the son of Alireza Marandi, a former Iranian Health Care Minister and now a member of the Iranian Parliament.

Peter Jenkins

Peter Jenkins was Britain’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency between 2001 and 2006. During that time, Peter changed his mind about the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program. He now thinks the international community should trust Iran and let them enrich uranium, as long as there are safeguards. Peter consults on issues including nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

Michael Herzog

Brigadier General (Ret.) Michael Herzog is a former chief of staff for Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak and former head of the Israel Defense Forces’ strategic planning division. He retired from active duty in 2010 and is now with the Jewish People Policy Institute. He is the son of the late president of Israel, Chaim Herzog.

Sam Eshghyar

Sam Eshghyar, 30, is an electrical engineer who fled Iran in 2009 after a photo of him protesting against the government was published in the New York Times. Sam believes a strike against Iran would be detrimental to the cause of the opposition. But he supports stronger sanctions on the country as a means to put pressure on the government. He now lives in Australia.

Shokufeh Kavani

Shokufeh Kavani was born in Iran in 1970 and came to Australia in 1997. Shokufeh says Iran should not pursue a nuclear program, but she opposes an Israeli attack on her country. She is a journalist who files for SBS Persian radio. She also works in healthcare.

Ben Salar

Ben Salar was born in Iran and moved to Australia in the 1980s. He thinks an attack on Iran would simply galvanise Iranians against Israel and the West and believes the sanctions are just about trying to stop Iran being a politically powerful country. Ben says other major countries have nuclear weapons, so why not Iran?

Efraim Halevy

Efraim Halevy was the head of Israel’s secret intelligence service, the Mossad, between 1998 and 2002. Efraim warns against an attack on Iran as he believes Iran’s nuclear capabilities are still far from posing a real threat to Israel. Efraim is now a senior advisor at the U.S./Middle East Project.

Reza Akbari

Reza Akbari is a Sydney nurse who left Iran 17 years ago. Reza was a political prisoner for 11 years - both before and after the Islamic Revolution. Seven of those years were spent in Evin prison. Reza thinks an Israeli attack on Iran would be a big mistake, as he believes it would unite Iranians in support of the regime. He is against Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.