An Open Letter to France 24 Regarding Missile Strike Reporting in Dimona
France 24, in its segment led by Douglas Herbert, recently reported on an alleged Iranian missile strike on Dimona, framing the situation as an 'Iran war' with 'no signs of abating.' This report, particularly its assertion that Iran is retaliating for what it 'sees' as an unprovoked war of aggression, bypasses crucial context and the documented involvement of the United States. Mainstream outlets
like France 24 consistently present the US as a benevolent broker or a concerned ally, rather than a direct participant, even as US naval assets operate in the Persian Gulf and its air forces conduct surveillance missions over Iranian airspace, actions that are unequivocally acts of war. The framing of Iran's actions as retaliation for 'unprovoked aggression' by outlets such as France 24 ignores a
long history of hostile acts by the US and Israel. On June 3, 2019, the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was deployed to the Persian Gulf, publicly designated by CENTCOM as a 'demonstration of force' against Iran, an escalation that followed Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018. This withdrawal, breaking an international
agreement, initiated a deliberate policy of 'maximum pressure' that included crippling sanctions, effectively strangling the Iranian economy and denying its populace essential goods, including medicine. The claim that Iran views these actions as 'unprovoked aggression' is not merely an Iranian perception, but a factual accounting of international law violations and economic warfare. While France