A Mayo View: Generating our own nuclear power is now a no-brainer
by Dr. Richard Martin
In 2022 a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, was severely beaten in Tehran and died as a result of police brutality.
Why? She was arrested by the religious morality police for not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards.
That’s indefensible.
The root cause of the current conflict in Iran all stems from continual western meddling in the Middle East over the last century.
It’s the imperial playbook.
Take what we want, when we want and then wonder why oppressed people rise up in anger and hatred.
The Irish people can relate. It’s embedded deep within our psyche.
Why did the US and Britain invade Iraq in 2003? We were told they possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Not true. The eventual death toll is unknown. A Lancet study reported 654,965 people died.
Tony Blair and George Bush lied. They lied and innocents died.
Whatever about Bush, I still find it baffling that Blair went along with the invasion.
It’s doubtful they would have invaded if Iraq were selling carrots and tulips. They went in there for one thing and one thing only. Oil.
By invading, they created chaos and a regional instability which has spilt over into Syria.
The slaughter of innocents was another reckless deed.
The current Iranian conflict began on February 28 when Israel launched large air strikes on Iranian military and government sites.
They wanted to wipe out the Iranian leadership and nuclear sites.
One of the strikes killed the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family.
Iran, of course, have retaliated and have attacked Israel and other middle eastern countries hosting US forces with little to no success.
They just don’t have the technology to compete with Israel.
Why are Israel bombing and attacking Iran? There are multiple reasons but the key reason is they want to stop and prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons at all costs.
If Iran were to become a nuclear power, the rules of engagement would change almost immediately in the Middle East.
An Iranian regime with a nuclear weapon is an existential threat to Israel but also curtails western influence in the region.
China and Russia would have greater influence as they have built close ties with Iran over the decades.
This is why the US are supporting Israel. They want to remain as the dominant player in the region.
The other reason is that Iran have backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Houthis in Yemen.
The truth is Iran and Israel have been involved in proxy wars for decades.
The Israeli Iron Dome intercepts most of the Iranian drones and missiles and the ‘war’ is very much a one-sided slaughter.
A missile - believed to be US - hit a girls’ primary school in Minab on February 28. A total of 180 people were killed, most of them schoolchildren.
The current Israeli leaders don’t do mercy or apologies. Or compassion.
The recent genocide on the Gaza Strip has left a bloody stain on their nation. They showed no moral restraint and acted outside the pale of any acceptable military conduct.
Hospitals were attacked and bombed. Innocents massacred.
What have been the worldwide consequences of the crisis?
A sharp increase in the price of oil to over $100 dollars a barrel is having a huge impact and global financial markets are in turmoil.
Up to 20% of the world's oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz and Iran are blocking its passage. We are feeling the effects here in Ireland already. The prices of petrol and diesel at the pumps have rocketed.
Financial markets hate uncertainty and this oil shock will lead to unrest in the west unless it’s abated.
The 1979 Iranian revolution had a huge impact on this country. The wealthy Iranians fled, converting their assets into commodities like gold, diamond and heroin.
There was a sudden massive increase in the availability and supply of heroin in western Europe.
It destroyed communities in Dublin, who still to this day are ravaged by drug abuse and social decay.
Also, the oil shock in 1979 caused a recession in Ireland. The country was beset by huge inflation and unemployment.
Fianna Fáil lost two by-elections in Lynch’s backyard in Cork. It spelled the end of Lynch’s tenure as Taoiseach and Haughey rose to power in a backbench revolution in FF.
Would Haughey have been a Taoiseach otherwise? It’s debatable.
Ireland is a small country with an open economy. We depend on trade. Our economy is incredibly sensitive to any global conflict which affects oil, gas or shipping routes.
The only long term solution to cushion these shocks is nuclear energy. Seventy per cent of French energy is nuclear.
A Celtic Interconnector is being built connecting us with the French grid so we will be effectively importing French nuclear energy in the near future. At a price of course.
Wouldn’t it be better to have our own nuclear power plants and generate cheap electricity which leaves us on a stable economic footing into perpetuity. It’s a no brainer.
The bottom line is we are all interconnected. Whether we like it or not.
These Israeli rockets are killing innocents and destabilising the global economy. The Iranians know their greatest weapon is to cause turmoil in western economies.
As long as Israel keep firing missiles, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed.
A ground invasion of Iran is just totally out of the question. The US and Israel can keep murdering Iranian military commanders and leaders but they will always be replaced. It only hardens the position of Iranians and strengthens the regime in power.
Anything that can’t go on forever will end.
The only solution is a compromise on both sides.
Iran must commit to ending their nuclear programmes and the west remove the crippling sanctions and allow Iran to profit from their massive oil resources.
Right now, I can’t see that happening.