Proposal for a statement on the situation in Iran
by UCLyon, 6 January 2020
Existing translations
We strongly oppose the escalation of war in the Middle East. The USA is once again unmasking itself as the world's leading war bearer.
General Soleimani, a high-ranking officer in the Iranian army and an influential figure in the regime, was killed by an American strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020. He represented Teheran's foreign operations and in particular the links with the Shiite militias. His death has been appreciated in many different ways both in Iran and in the Middle East. Some have hailed him as a hero, others as an executioner. We ourselves have never seen him as a torchbearer of freedom, but as a reactionary agent, albeit one opposed to the dominant US imperialism.
Still, his death is a hard blow to the Iranian government. It is indicative of US aggression and Iranian vulnerability.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been rising steadily for years. There are many reasons for this attitude:
- An economic issue: American greed for raw materials and oil, including Iran's is beyond the control of the American majors.
- A question of domestic policy: by an incredible irony of fate, the same Trump denounced the fact that the Democrats wanted to attack Iran to ensure their re-election. Trump also gave in to the desires of some of the "hawks" in order to rally them.
- A geopolitical question: the Strait of Hormuz is a vital passage for the Western economy. Its opening or its closing plays on the health of capitalism. Moreover, behind the question of Iran lies the question of Russia. Preventing Russia from gaining access to the warm seas has been a constant in US and British geopolitics since the middle of the 19th century.
The very nature of the regime, on the other hand, does not pose a problem. Saudi Arabia, clearly more reactionary, is however the perfect ally of France and the USA, and also an agent in the fight against Iranian and Shiite influence in the Middle East.
The European powers have called for de-escalation, but have not condemned the assassination in itself. In the communiqués, the culprit has invariably been Iran and its "negative role in the region". This attitude of benevolent neutrality towards American action is revealing: the hypothesis of a war is considered acceptable.
Donald Trump stated that if Iran ever attempted anything, 54 military, civilian or cultural targets would be hit in retaliation. The number refers to the number of hostages at the US Embassy in Tehran during the hostage crisis of 1979-1981. This action would be a war crime.
Trump has already reinforced the contingent present in the bases around Iran.
We express our deep concern about the risk of escalating conflicts and the escalation of the region. This escalation of tension is not the result of the Third World War, but it is a sign of the profoundly explosive turn of events in international relations.
The ICOR has no sympathy for the reactionary Iranian regime. It is hostile to any social progress and in particular to the emancipation of Iranian women. However, we do know who, in the situation, is the aggressor and who is being attacked. Putting the two on an equal footing would mean condoning extra-judicial killings and acts of war.
Despite our antipathy for the Iranian regime, we are resolutely hostile to any military intervention by the USA or any other army in the region. The results of these military operations are well known: devastation, chaos, misery, death and, ultimately, the installation of ultra-reactionary powers. The solution to reactionary regimes lies in supporting the popular masses and their democratic and revolutionary organizations. When the popular masses of Iran rose up against the ayatollahs' regime, we supported them.
Foreign armies of occupation are not sources of peace and prosperity for the workers in these countries. They are nothing but evils for those who live in the dominated regions, and serve only to turn the occupied areas into colonies.
We are hostile to any military escalation in the region, just as we recognise the right for the countries of the Middle East to expel foreign occupying armies. Driving out imperialism is the precondition for the liberation of capitalism!
Stop US Aggression!
Stop the threats of war!
General Soleimani, a high-ranking officer in the Iranian army and an influential figure in the regime, was killed by an American strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020. He represented Teheran's foreign operations and in particular the links with the Shiite militias. His death has been appreciated in many different ways both in Iran and in the Middle East. Some have hailed him as a hero, others as an executioner. We ourselves have never seen him as a torchbearer of freedom, but as a reactionary agent, albeit one opposed to the dominant US imperialism.
Still, his death is a hard blow to the Iranian government. It is indicative of US aggression and Iranian vulnerability.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been rising steadily for years. There are many reasons for this attitude:
- An economic issue: American greed for raw materials and oil, including Iran's is beyond the control of the American majors.
- A question of domestic policy: by an incredible irony of fate, the same Trump denounced the fact that the Democrats wanted to attack Iran to ensure their re-election. Trump also gave in to the desires of some of the "hawks" in order to rally them.
- A geopolitical question: the Strait of Hormuz is a vital passage for the Western economy. Its opening or its closing plays on the health of capitalism. Moreover, behind the question of Iran lies the question of Russia. Preventing Russia from gaining access to the warm seas has been a constant in US and British geopolitics since the middle of the 19th century.
The very nature of the regime, on the other hand, does not pose a problem. Saudi Arabia, clearly more reactionary, is however the perfect ally of France and the USA, and also an agent in the fight against Iranian and Shiite influence in the Middle East.
The European powers have called for de-escalation, but have not condemned the assassination in itself. In the communiqués, the culprit has invariably been Iran and its "negative role in the region". This attitude of benevolent neutrality towards American action is revealing: the hypothesis of a war is considered acceptable.
Donald Trump stated that if Iran ever attempted anything, 54 military, civilian or cultural targets would be hit in retaliation. The number refers to the number of hostages at the US Embassy in Tehran during the hostage crisis of 1979-1981. This action would be a war crime.
Trump has already reinforced the contingent present in the bases around Iran.
We express our deep concern about the risk of escalating conflicts and the escalation of the region. This escalation of tension is not the result of the Third World War, but it is a sign of the profoundly explosive turn of events in international relations.
The ICOR has no sympathy for the reactionary Iranian regime. It is hostile to any social progress and in particular to the emancipation of Iranian women. However, we do know who, in the situation, is the aggressor and who is being attacked. Putting the two on an equal footing would mean condoning extra-judicial killings and acts of war.
Despite our antipathy for the Iranian regime, we are resolutely hostile to any military intervention by the USA or any other army in the region. The results of these military operations are well known: devastation, chaos, misery, death and, ultimately, the installation of ultra-reactionary powers. The solution to reactionary regimes lies in supporting the popular masses and their democratic and revolutionary organizations. When the popular masses of Iran rose up against the ayatollahs' regime, we supported them.
Foreign armies of occupation are not sources of peace and prosperity for the workers in these countries. They are nothing but evils for those who live in the dominated regions, and serve only to turn the occupied areas into colonies.
We are hostile to any military escalation in the region, just as we recognise the right for the countries of the Middle East to expel foreign occupying armies. Driving out imperialism is the precondition for the liberation of capitalism!
Stop US Aggression!
Stop the threats of war!
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