April 4—Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute, opened the 96th consecutive weekly meeting of the International Peace Coalition (IPC) with a warning to United States President Donald Trump’s administration, regarding its contemplated attack on Iran. She characterized it as a trap, designed by the war party for President Trump, and predicted that such a war could lead to dramatically higher oil prices and could trigger a financial collapse. This leads not to a “decapitation” of Iran, but a “decapitation” of President Trump. Many of the MAGA supporters during Trump’s election campaign had hoped for a reversal of the “endless war” policy, and they are now disillusioned; angry over the war with Yemen and possibly Iran. Zepp-LaRouche reminded the participants that Iran has the right to a peaceful nuclear program, like every sovereign country.

Turning to the European situation, she said that the EU is proving U.S. Vice President JD Vance to be right, that Europe is no longer democratic. The latest evidence is the court decision barring Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally party, from participating in the French presidential election. Le Pen was found guilty of misappropriating funds. Zepp-LaRouche compared her case to that of European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, who was convicted of misappropriating a much larger amount, but served no jail time because of her “international reputation.” Zepp-LaRouche described this as a “double standard to the hilt.”

Not ‘Unprovoked’

She also stressed the importance of a “breathtakingly shocking” article which just appeared in the New York Times on the Ukraine war. It decisively debunks the neocon narrative that the Russian invasion was “unprovoked,” and according to Zepp-LaRouche, “It confirms that the Russian version of the story was the correct one.” U.S. military and CIA operatives in Wiesbaden, Germany have been engaged continuously throughout the war in planning and technical support. The Biden Administration officially withheld permission for certain operations, but secretly gave it. It has been a proxy war from the start. Zepp-LaRouche urged participants to demand that their politicians “correct what they have been saying about it.”

Steven Starr, former director of the University of Missouri’s Clinical Laboratory Science Program, presented video excerpts, with his own commentary, from several of his colleagues. These included Patrick Henningsen of 21st Century Wire Media, who observed that Iran is not the only nuclear threshold state, but Trump doesn’t threaten these others. Starr recalled that Israel has 200-300 nuclear weapons. In another video excerpt, Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector, charged that Iran “is waving the red flag in Trump’s face,” and the consequence could be an all-encompassing strategic air campaign against Iran, including the use of nuclear weapons. Iran has 60% enriched uranium which could be made quickly into weapons.

While Ritter focused on this as a regional war, his colleague Larry Johnson, a retired CIA analyst and member of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, who participated in the same video interview, said that he does not think the Russians could just look past an attack on Iran. In response, Zepp-LaRouche said that Ritter overlooks the larger game. The Middle East is just the cockpit of the Anglo-American geopolitical ambitions. The fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump began a dialogue is what is motivating the war drive, both there and in Europe. Starr added that if Trump thinks he can compartmentalize his relationship with Russia and keep it separate from a war against Iran, he is mistaken. He also warned that the Christian Zionists in the Trump Cabinet are not rational, and their policy stems from fundamentalist religious beliefs, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio as an example.

A Scandal Every Day

Hillel Schenker, a longtime Israeli peace activist who is co-editor of the Palestine -Israel Journal, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in deep trouble, with scandal after scandal erupting every day. A clear majority of Israelis opposes him. Schenker asserted that in multiple political polls, the majority of Israeli citizens want to return to the ceasefire agreements with a clear disapproval of the Netanyahu government. Despite the fall of approval, Netanyahu still holds 87 seats in the parliament.

Schenker called for a global alliance for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. He is optimistic based on the role of the Saudis, the de facto leaders of the Arab world, who need good relations with the U.S. and Israel in order to build a modern post-oil economy. Saudi Arabia will embrace those relationships, provided there is a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Gershon Baskin, an Israeli columnist, social and political activist, and a researcher of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peace process, in a video interview conducted by EIR’s Gerald Belsky, said that Netanyahu claims renewed military pressure on Gaza is intended to free the hostages, but we know from experience that it is actually a hindrance, and that Netanyahu has entirely different motives. Baskin reviewed the ongoing efforts to get a two-state solution, and said we must break the deadlock where both parties believe that they have no partner for peace on the other side.

Jose Vega, interventionist, political organizer, and congressional candidate in the Bronx, reported on activism being carried out all over New York City by his campaign.

Former Guyanese President Donald Ramotar castigated the corporate news media for refusing to report on the true extent of the tragedy in Gaza, and noted the efforts of the Trump Administration to silence any criticism of what the Israelis are doing. He agreed with Zepp-LaRouche that the New York Times article should be widely circulated. He echoed the concerns of other speakers about a war against Iran, and praised the courage of the Houthis in trying to combat the genocide in Gaza. He also observed that the American Administration is engaged in an attempt to discredit international institutions including the UN, while also undermining the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

IPC co-moderator Dennis Speed cited Martin Luther King’s response to the Six-Day War: what is needed is security for Israel, and development for the Arabs. Zepp-LaRouche said in response that we may consider King an implicit supporter of the Oasis Plan.

Discussion

IPC co-moderator Dennis Small responded to a question on the new tariffs by warning that they could unleash the total blow-out of the financial system. He likened the policy to lighting a match in a room full of dynamite.

A participant who is the author of several books on nuclear weapons responded to Scott Ritter’s comments by saying that Iran enriched uranium to 60% only after Trump blocked their access to medical isotopes, and said as well that an attack on Iran would lead to global, not regional war.

Choosing her words carefully due to the present environment of censorship, Helga Zepp-LaRouche said that European leaders “deserve a criminal investigation.” In Europe, they are going into schools, trying to recruit 17-year olds for military service. In her concluding remarks, she returned to a common theme of the IPC meetings, her proposed “Ten Principles of a New International Security and Development Architecture,” a remark that received an impassioned endorsement from one of the participants during the discussion.