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Von: "A. Wosni" <>
Betreff:
No war on Iran! For
regime change from below!
Datum: Donnerstag, 26. Jänner 2012 10:21
Make your voice heard:
No war on Iran! For regime change from below!
The war drums against Iran are beating ever louder. The
new embargo on
Iranian oil, to come into force on July 1, is only the
latest in a long
list of measures imposed by US and EU imperialism. It
bans all new oil
contracts with Iran, and cuts off all existing deals.
Also, all of the
Iranian central bank’s European assets are to be frozen.
We are told that the sanctions are designed to weaken the
regime and
“force Iran back to the negotiating table” over its
nuclear programme.
This is clearly nonsense:
lIn reality, the ‘nuclear danger’ is used by imperialism
as an excuse to
deal with an increasingly unstable situation in the
Middle East.
Imperialism has recently lost a number of friendly
regimes in the region
(like Egypt) and needs to reassert control in this
oil-rich area. War is
also a useful distraction from economic misery and the
current crisis of
capitalism.
lFormer International Atomic Energy Agency analyst Robert
Kelly has
debunked the latest report purporting to show that Iran
is developing
nuclear weapons. Of the three pieces of ‘evidence’ that
are not out of
date, two are entirely unverifiable, and one an obvious
forgery (see
http://hopoi.org/?p=1841). But the regime draws
sustenance from these
rumours: the threats against Iran help the theocracy to
stay in power,
neutralise the opposition and unite the people behind a
regime under
attack from imperialism.
lThe new sanctions will make it even more difficult for
Iran, Opec’s
second largest producer, to be paid in foreign currency
for its oil
exports (which were worth more than $100 billion in
2011). Previous
rounds of EU and US sanctions targeting Iran’s financial
system have
already caused a shortage of foreign currency. A shortage
of foreign
currency means that Iran cannot import food at a time
when food prices
have already risen to astronomical levels. The Iranian
rial has tumbled
to a new low.
lBut the sanctions are unlikely to dramatically weaken
the regime. The
rich and powerful are able to protect themselves to a
large degree from
the effects. In fact, leaders of sanctioned regimes are
almost always
strengthened (and enriched) by sanctions.
lHowever, the sanctions will mean even more misery for
ordinary
Iranians: many workers will not receive their wages in
time (if at all)
and even the BBC has warned that social security payments
and the
remaining food subsidies could be the first to be cut by
a theocracy
under financial pressure. This will only increase the
hardship and
miserable conditions that our brothers and sisters in
Iran have had to
endure for many years.
lFurther, the military provocations of US-led imperialism
-
assassinations, sabotage and preparatory military
manoeuvres in the
region - have also dramatically upped the tension in the
country and are
being used by the theocracy to increase repression.
lAs the examples of Iraq and Afghanistan prove beyond
doubt, democracy
can only come from below, from the people themselves. But
a people
driven to their knees by brutal sanctions are hardly in
the position to
overthrow dictatorship.
We know from history that sanctions are only the first
step in wars
being waged against ‘unfriendly’ regimes. A military
attack against Iran
is very much on the agenda. Should the regime in Tehran
really decide to
close the Strait of Hormuz, this could happen sooner
rather than later.
That is why it is so important that we side now with the
people of Iran
in their struggle against their own theocracy and the
threats by
imperialism!
Make your voice heard now! Send us a message in the form
of an email,
voice mail, short video or a photograph holding the
poster attached and
encourage your comrades and friends to do the same. We
will post all
messages on a special section on Hopi’s website and on
YouTube, Facebook
and other social media sites. Plans are also afoot for
solidarity
events, film screenings and fundraising events. Can you
get involved?
In solidarity,
Yassamine Mather
Chair, Hands Off the People of Iran