Malaysia’s former Premier Mahathir Mohamad slams nations trying to wage war on Iran, saying they want to get control of its oil resources.

Despite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report that there is no evidence of Iran embarking on any nuclear weapons program, these countries claim otherwise, seeking an excuse for war, he said Friday according to Bernama.

“They lied regarding the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. Clearly, they are lying now. Once again they want an excuse for going against another oil-rich country which is also a Muslim country.”

“Israel has now called for the dismissal of (IAEA chief Mohamed) ElBaradei for reporting the truth about the current state of affairs in Iran. Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown has issued a statement that Britain would support and lead in the war against Iran.

“(US) President (George W.) Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney are equally, if not more, belligerent in calling for war against Iran,” Mahathir said in a statement.

He said that after the devastation in Iraq where more than a million Iraqi citizens had been killed, millions displaced in neighboring countries and the barbarity committed in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, one would have thought that war as an option to resolve international disputes would be rejected except as a last resort or in self-defense.

“The war drums are beating loudly again and young men and women are being trained to wage another murderous war, this time against Iran. The alleged crime, for which the world’s citizens are called in to support, is that Iran is producing nuclear weapons.

“It is uncivilized. Is the world going back to the age when disputes for honor were settled by duels in which the more proficient with weapons always have the upper hand?”

“Are we to condone the mass killing of innocent civilians because of the folly and bloodlust of their government leaders as was the case in World War I and World War II?

“Let us not repeat a century of killings and mass murder by WMDs with another century of mass murder and killing of the innocent. Peace and peaceful resolutions of disputes must prevail.

“I therefore call upon all world leaders, secular and religious, to join me in this global effort to condemn wars and to promote the peaceful resolution of the present US/Iran dispute and all future international disputes,” he said.

The ‘positive’ report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday found Iran to be ‘truthful’ about key aspects of its nuclear history.