Hallinan and the Berkeley Daily Planet’s enduring quest to delegitimize the State of Israel took a bizarre turn in an article on January 19, 2007 entitled, “ Iran : Thinking the Unthinkable.”  One would have thought that Hallinan was about to alert readers to the fact that Iran is thinking the unthinkable, namely, that for the holy purpose of bringing on their messiah, the 12th and hidden imam, they would rain nuclear-tipped missiles upon Israel, “wiping it off the map.”  Alas, if you can believe it, Hallinan expresses the very opposite concern, namely, that Israel might preemptively attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.  He even worries aloud that Israel will use low yield nuclear weapons to bust Iran’s bunkered nuclear facilities.  To Hallinan, Iran’s deeply bunkered nuclear weapons sites are more important than Israel’s whole population.  Hallinan then goes on to propose a chain effect that this would, according to him, inevitably produce.  To hear him tell the story, the chain reaction would start with a Shiite uprising in Iraq (which was in full force anyway at the time) and end in nuclear war between Pakistan and India.    Nowhere does Hallinan mention that failing to deal with Iran’s nuclear weapons would more likely set in motion an entirely different set of events such as nuclear war between Iran and Israel, triggering a worldwide nuclear winter; the very end of the concept of non-proliferation, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and others rushing to join the nuclear arms race; and nuclear weapons inevitably ending up in the hands of terrorists who might explode them in the port of Oakland, obliterating Berkeley and the Berkeley Daily Planet.  In fact, Hallinan does not even seem bothered in the slightest by a nuclear armed Iran, and does not even suggest diplomatic alternatives.

Further Update:

August 27, 2009

Conn Hallinan, wrote in the Berekeley Daily Planet that the UN’s IAEA sees no evidence that Iran is trying to build a bomb.  Strictly speaking, Hallinan is correct.  They see no evidence, because Iran will not allow them to inspect their most sensitive sites, nor to inspect any sites without warning as they have demanded.

Hence, there have already been three UN Security Council resolutions against Iran.   "On all other issues relevant to Iran's nuclear program ... there is (a) stalemate," El Baradei told the IAEA board on September 7, 2009.

"Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities or its work on heavy water-related projects as required by the Security Council, nor has Iran implemented the Additional Protocol," which would open its nuclear facilities to unannounced and more intrusive inspections.

"It is essential that Iran substantively re-engage with the agency to clarify and bring to closure all outstanding issues," he said.

"Iran needs to respond fully to all the questions raised by the agency in order to exclude the possibility of there being military dimensions to its nuclear program," he added.

Apart perhaps from Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Conn Hallinan stands virtually alone in being prepared to give Iran a clean bill of health.

El Baradei also criticized Syria for failing to disclose details about a desert site bombed by Israel in 2007. See here for related article.

"Syria has not cooperated with the agency to confirm Syria's statements regarding the non-nuclear nature of the destroyed building on the Deir a-Zour site, nor has it provided the required access to information, locations, equipment or materials," he said.