On January 3rd, Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, which has exacerbated the already horrid relations between the United States and Iran. U.S. leaders have long been targeting Iran in the form of sanctions and military coups. These heightened tensions have brought to the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. As of January 7th, Iran has begun striking 2 United States military positions in Iraq. Only time will tell what will become of this conflict, though, as of now, war seems likely. This violence has its roots in the West’s predatory relationship with the Middle East.
From Neo-colonialism to Revolution
Contemporary aggression against Iran began with the CIA-MI6 (the UK equivalent to the CIA) backed ousting of democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953. Mosaddegh attempted to limit the control of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, a British owned firm that is now a part of BP. When his attempt to audit AIOC ended in the company’s refusal to cooperate, the Iranian parliament voted to nationalize their oil reserves and remove all foreign oil companies. The British government retaliated against this act of national sovereignty by initiating a worldwide boycott of Iranian oil.
However, the boycott was not enough to break the will of the Iranian people, and eventually, the foreign imperialists grew more assertive. They organized a military coup that removed Mosaddegh from power and placed him under house arrest. They then installed the Shah (meaning King in Persian), a monarch who ruled his people with an iron fist while remaining so friendly to Western interests that he was willing to persecute anyone who wanted to lift Iran from Western domination.
By the 70s, the people of Iran were fed up with the Shah’s brutality. Led by Ruhollah Khomeini, an Islamic fundamentalist who felt that the Shah was on the path to destroying Islam in Iran, they started a revolution. In 1979 the revolutionaries succeeded in creating the Islamic Republic we see today.
Sanctions are War
Since the fall of the Shah, the United States has continually tried to bring Iran back under its influence. Sanctions are the most notable example. On June 24th, 2019, President Trump announced the worst ones yet, resulting in Iran’s GDP falling rapidly, and its unemployment rate increasing drastically. The value of Iran’s currency has plummeted, with 1 Iranian Rial equalling just 0.000030 US Dollars. Iran’s oil output has also suffered greatly. In 2017, Iran was producing some 3.8 million barrels of oil per day, but that production dropped in 2018 when the sanctions were reinstated, and as of September 2019, Iran is now producing just 2.1 million barrels per day. Sanctions are as crippling the Iranian economy as military invasion and occupation.
Be Afraid for the People of Iran
Since tensions exploded on January 3rd, people around the world are wondering if this means World War 3. Social media is buzzing with WW3 memes. To set the record straight, we as American citizens should not be afraid for ourselves, but we should instead be scared for the Iranian people. It is doubtful that Iran will begin launching drone strikes in our backyards; it is unlikely that American children will watch their parents die in front of them, and it is unlikely that the United States cultural sites will be targeted by the Iranian Military. However, all of this will likely happen to the Iranian people.
One of the most brilliant propaganda achievements of our government is that it can convince all of us that people we have never met are a mortal threat to the safety and security of our country. I call lies. On February 8th, 2019, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei explained that when the Iranian people say “Death to America,” they do not mean you and me. He said: “‘Death to America’ means death to Trump, Bolton, and Pompeo. We criticize American politicians who are managing that country. The Iranian nation is not against the American people.” Can we blame them for feeling this way after examining our government’s history of meddling in their affairs?
While we as Americans shouldn’t be scared, we should most definitely be angry. Trump pledged to use two trillion dollars to wage war. Let’s imagine what could be done with two trillion dollars. The MBTA has been falling apart for years, and even though the state government has been promising to fix the system since 2015, I still find myself on trains that catch fire or break down in the middle of their routes (forcing me to get off at stops I have never even been to before). There are 552,830 people experiencing homelessness in the U.S., 35% of which are unsheltered. Two trillion dollars could easily house them! Using this money for such war only shatters the constantly used lie that we cannot afford to improve our society. We Americans should be furious. Not only is our government spending vast sums of money to kill innocents, but it is also sending our children off to die in an imperialist war which in no way benefits the working class and oppressed people of America
Join the Anti-War Movement
A new Anti-War movement is arising out of the ashes of the old. If you feel strongly about the harms of US imperialism, it is your obligation as a citizen residing in the belly of the beast — which is US imperialism — to fight it from the inside, by any means necessary. Every new war is a new genocide, new looting. The US government is the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization, never let this fact slip your mind. We are living under an imperialist and fascist state which asserts its dominance over the world, murdering millions of innocents in the process.
On January 4th, the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition (ANSWER) led over 80 protests across the U.S. Thousands of people took to the streets of Los Angeles and New York City. OA students Anthony Gustowski and Ava Schwarz joined me in attending the Boston protest, which was organized by many groups in addition to ANSWER, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Refuse Fascism and Workers World Party (WWP).
As we marched down Park Street, chanting, among other slogans, “Money for war but can’t feed the poor? We’re fired up won’t take it no more!” (a reference to a Tupac Shakur lyric), many bystanders filmed us on their phones. Some people even joined us and then stayed for the teach-in that followed.
Another protest led by the ANSWER coalition on an international day of action will be held on January 25th from 1 – 4 p.m. I will also be attending this one. If you would like to come, please reach out to me via my email: maxherschman@gmail.com. There is one more seat left in my car if anyone would like a ride to the train station.
Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win!
Death to US Imperialism!
All Power to the People!