On Saturday the 4th of February 2006,
following a concerted effort by the US administration supported by European
countries the IAEA passed a resolution to report the Iran to the United Nations
Security Council
No one in the scientific community,
is in any doubt that this particular decision, regarding Iran's nuclear industry,
was politically motivated and nuclear experts agree it will take from three to
eight years for Iran to obtain nuclear weapon capacity.
However all this is academic, the
decision had already been made following an agreement in a meeting between
Britain, France, Germany, the US, Russia and China in London earlier last week.
Of course no one should have any
illusions about the IEAE. In the words of the head of this organisation, Mohamed
ElBaradei, speaking in Davos: "The present system for preventing the
proliferation of nuclear weapons is at an end, is bankrupt." The nuclear
non-proliferation treaty is not adequate to the task and is often honoured only
in the breach. The most telling charge against established nuclear powers such
as the US and Britain is that of double standards: why is there one rule for
you and another for the rest? Timothy Garton Ash – Guardian 2 Feb 2006
Countries which themselves possess
sufficient nuclear weaponry to destroy the world several times over - and are
continuing to add to their arsenal - are laying down the law to others - or
some of them. The US and its EU allies have for decades turned a blind eye to
Israel. To some Iranians it looks like
some people have sovereignty while others do not.
The development of nuclear power
plants and enriching Uranium are not the fastest ways of obtaining nuclear
weapons,however it is quite clear that Iran's nuclear program has only one aim,
the development of nuclear weapons. Repeated attempts to purchase nuclear
detonators contradict the regime's claims of pursuing a peaceful program. Of
course Iran's bravado in pursuing this policy can only be understood if one
considers its current strength in the area (as a regional power) itself a
direct, be it unwanted consequence of US /UK invasion of Iraq and the coming to
power of a Shia pro Iran government in Baghdad. The recent pronouncements by the governments of USA and UK
regarding Iran's nuclear program have more to do with Iran's close relations
with all factions of the occupation government in Iraq and the long term
consequences of such influence.
That is why before the anti war
movement falls into the trap of supporting Iran's reactionary rulers, they
should consider if such a move would lead to indirect support for the
occupation government in Iraq and in confrontation with ordinary Iranians and
Iraqis who are victims of these regimes. Whether under the turban or as
civilians, the privatisation policies of super rich corrupt Shias in power in
both countries has created nothing but dictatorship, poverty and destitution
for the majority of the population., in other words the enemy of my enemy is
not necessarily a friend.
The anti war movement should also
remember that two wrongs don't make a right and just because the United States
is opposed to Iran's nuclear policy, or just because Israel has nuclear
weapons, the Left inside and outside Iran cannot take an opportunist position
of defending nuclear proliferation in Iran while opposing it in the rest of the
world. First of all-Iran, a country with the second largest oil and gas
reserves in the world doesn't need nuclear power secondly defending the Iranian
people is not synonymous with defending
the repressive, corrupt regime in power in Tehran:
A capitalist government that has
embarked on an unprecedented program of privatisation, accompanied by
systematic non payment of workers wages including those in the state sector, while
constantly blaming financial difficulties. Many in Iran are questioning the
wisdom of spending astronomic sums on the purchase of nuclear technology in the
'black market' by a government that claims to be short of funds that it cannot
paying the wages of its public sector employees.
Over the last few years every day,
and at times more than once a day, workers in Iranian cities and towns have
protested against non payment of wages, unemployment, job insecurity, and low
wages... For most Iranians, Shia Islam in power, has become synonymous with
corruption, greed and clerics gathering huge fortunes. In Iran they call them
'Mercedes' driven mullahs, accumulating astronomic wealth, at the expense of
the poverty of the masses.
Of course the Left inside and outside
Iran should oppose any sanctions, limited or protracted war, not only because
it is Imperialist and capitalist countries who call for such measure but
because the main victim of any action,
be it sanctions or war will be ordinary
people in Iran most of whom are opposed
to the current regime and many of whom have been involved in social and
political movements against this regime.
The anti war movement should oppose sanctions against Iran emphasizing
that it will make the rich clerics richer and the poor poorer.
Some of the worst periods of
repression and mass execution of socialists and communists in Iran took place
during the Iran Iraq war as the Islamic regime, used the excuse of war to unleash terror on its own civilians The anti war movement should oppose any
military action against Iran NOT in support of the current regime but in
defense of ordinary Iranians and in
particular to avoid another period of mass murder of opposition forces by the
Shia state .
-The practical solidarity of the anti
war movement should be directed primarily towards the Iranian people and in
support of the daily struggles of Iranian workers for the right to survive.
In the week when news about Iran is
dominated by the decisions of the IAEA, it is worth reminding everyone outside
Iran that inside the country the most important event of the week was the
brutal attack of the security forces on the bus strike of 28th Jan 2006 and the
subsequent arrest of 1200 workers who defended the right to set up independent
unions. Families of labour activists,
including children as young as two years old, were taken hostage to force their
husbands to go to work. Many of these workers were on strike defending fellow
drivers/workers who have not received wages for 8months.
If you want to show solidarity with
Iran support the majority of its population, Iran's workers and toilers against
international capital, against war mongers but also against the pro capitalist
Islamists in power in Iran. I