Very few people have the credibility to speak on Iran’s nuclear capabilities like Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1997 to 2009, and one of the key figures who tried to prevent the illegal invasion of Iraq on spurious WMD grounds in 2003. Former nuclear watchdog head Mohamed ElBaradei joined Mehdi Hasan to discuss the US-Israeli war on Iran, the shaky nuclear justification for the attack, and why the conflict could push more countries to pursue nuclear weapons. ElBaradei also criticized America’s “colonial approach” to war in the Middle East, arguing that it is ultimately counterproductive. He pointed to the irony of Israel—a nuclear-armed state—attacking Iran in the name of preventing nuclear proliferation. The Nobel Peace Prize winner—who shared the 2005 prize with the International Atomic Energy Agency—warns that the current system creates dangerous double standards. “We cannot have one country with nuclear weapons while others are left completely naked,” ElBaradei told Mehdi.
