The compelling courage of Iran, By Femi Fani-Kayode

To those nations that say Israel felt sufficiently threatened by Iran and has a right to self defence, I ask the following question: Does Iran not have the same right after being attacked? Are the Iranians not entitled to defend themselves too?

The Islamic Republic of Iran has finally hit back and struck the Jewish state with missiles and drones. This was inevitable and it is just the beginning.

The attack on Iran by Israel was not only unprovoked but is also a condemnable violation of international law. It was indeed a declaration of war.

The Israelis not only targeted and bombed key Iranian infrastructures but they also killed Iranian civilians, including women and children, and key Iranian military and civilian leaders and nuclear scientists.

Israel has attacked Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and now Iran in the last one year.

The attack on Iran was carried out whilst the Iranians were still in negotiations with the Americans.

Simply put, the Iranians were lured into a false sense of security by the Americans whilst Isreal was preparing for war. This makes Americans complicit in this attack despite their denials.

This is confirmed by the fact that Netanyahu has said that he told the Americans before the attack took place and Trump has confirmed that he knew that the attack was coming.

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To those nations that say Israel felt sufficiently threatened by Iran and has a right to self defence, I ask the following question: Does Iran not have the same right after being attacked? Are the Iranians not entitled to defend themselves too?

Iran MUST and WILL keep retaliating, and in a dramatic fashion. The retaliatory attack that Iran recently launched is just the beginning and by the time this is all over, there may be no Zionist state left.

Worse still, the conflict could escalate beyond the Middle East.

To those who are applauding Israel for this unprovoked attack I say this: It is Iran today, it may well be your country tomorrow.

Those who bend the knee to the Isreali thugs and bullies and who believe that might is always right are nothing but cowards who fail to appreciate the fact that the beast that they are applauding will eventually turn on them.

Whether Christian or Muslim, we ALL have a duty to stand up to the slaughter, barbarism and carnage that Israel has unleashed on the Middle East, Iran and the world.

In the name of God, humanity must RESIST this great evil.

Permit me to add the following.

I cannot understand how Nigeria can maintain diplomatic ties with an ethno-fascist, apartheid, racist, child-killing, mass-murdering, ethnic-cleansing, genocidal state like Israel, which has levelled every standing structure in Gaza and murdered over 200,000 innocent civilians, including women and children, in one year. A state which has slaughtered and incarcerated thousands in the West Bank, bombed and killed thousands in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen in one month, committed genocide and ethnic cleansing, starved innocent civilian populations, bombed defenceless refugee camps, imposed a blockade and starved innocent Gazans, and has now initiated a brutal and unprovoked attack on Iran, killing military commanders, nuclear scientists and innocent civilians, whilst that nation was still in peace negotiations with the America.

Israel is a rogue state that considers itself above the law; it has no respect for or fear of God; places no value on human life; seeks to conquer and occupy the whole of the Middle East in the name of establishing a Greater Israel, which is interested in plunging the entire world into World War III; and which believes in religious and racial supremacy and hegemony.

Nigeria has no business maintaining diplomatic ties with such an evil pariah state and vile entity that feeds on the blood and souls of the innocent, the weak and the vulnerable, and which has now launched an unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The good news is that it appears that the Jewish state is getting far more than it bargained for from the Persians and has learnt the hard way that bombing and butchering helpless and defenceless women and children in places like Gaza and Lebanon is a far cry from taking on a powerful and sophisticated nation with a rich and noble history, and a strong army that is capable of not only hitting back in equal measure but also inflicting maximum damage on those who test its will. Bullies and tyrants always learn the hard way.

Kudos to Iran for showing courage and proving to the world that even monsters and genocidal maniacs can suffer losses, bleed and shed tears!

Femi Fani-Kayode is the Sadaukin Shinkafi, the Wakilin Doka Potiskum, a former Minister of Culture and Tourism and a former Minister of Aviation.