This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Re "To attack or to deter a nuclear Iran?" by Steven Lobell (Opinion, Jan. 2):
It is surprising that The Salt Lake Tribune printed such a dogmatic, opinionated and undocumented article by an academic who not only is not an Iranian specialist but also appears to have no sense of history.
Iran has not called for "the annihilation" of the Jewish people. Approximately 25,000 Jews live in Iran, and they have their own parliamentary representation. In recent history, Iran has not initiated an attack on another country.
Lobell does not seem to have learned any lessons from the United States' two catastrophic wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and their costs in human life and capital. He blatantly suggests that the United States and NATO should strike Iran repeatedly with total disregard for the ensuing nuclear radiation and civilian deaths in the thousands. He also suggests that ground troops should land in Iran, if needed, and more American lives would be lost.
To compensate for Lobell's op-ed, and in the interest of a balanced view, I recommend the recent article by Zbigniew Brzezinski, "Iran should be key topic at hearings," in the Jan. 3 Washington Post.
Shireen Mahdavi Khazeni
Salt Lake City