Media Myths about Iran By Phil Wilayto March 18 at McMaster College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Joint Statement from
Mobilization AgainstWar & Occupation
& Iranian Community Against War
Hands Off Iran!
No War on Iran!
February 1st, 2012
Once again the United States and its little imperialist stooges like the UK, France and Canada are about to create another bloodbath in the Middle East, as they prepare for war and destruction against Iran. Iran is an independent sovereign country, whose heroic people have stood up for more than three decade against the U.S. and other imperialist countries’ aggression and intimidation. The Iranian people have been targeted simply for exercising their inalienable right to self-determination and living with dignity by rejecting imperialist bullying and domination. For more than thirty years, the U.S. and its allies have imposed all kinds of sanctions, war, sabotage and terror on the people of Iran, but they have never been able to force them to accept the terms and rules of imperial powers.
An appeal to Antiwar Organizations & Activists to Oppose the Increasing threats against Iran Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII)
Sunday, March 7, 2010
CASMII Press Release
An appeal to anti-war organizations & activists to oppose the increasing threats against Iran Around the world, anti-war activists are preparing for major protests this spring to oppose the continuing U.S.-led occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a storm of developments is dramatically increasing tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. In response, the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) is issuing this appeal to the anti-war movements in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries to raise the demands of “No war, no sanctions, no internal interference in Iran!”
Iran is a country that hasn’t attacked a neighbor in more than 200 years. Even when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran after the 1979 Revolution and, with support from the West, used chemical weapons against both civilians and combatants, the Islamic Republic did not retaliate in kind. And yet the U.S. government claims that Iran represents a serious threat to the Middle East region and the entire world. Without a shred of evidence, the U.S. charges that Iran's program to develop nuclear power for peaceful energy purposes is just a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Never mentioned is the fact that, as a signatory to the U.N.'s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran's right to develop nuclear energy is enshrined in international law. Just a few months ago, the U.N's International Atomic Energy Chief, Mohammed ElBardai, the person responsible for monitoring compliance with that treaty, stated that “Nobody is sitting in Iran today developing nuclear weapons. Tehran doesn’t have an ongoing nuclear weapons program. But somehow, everyone in the West is talking about how Iran’s nuclear program is the greatest threat to the world.” (Interview with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Sept. 2009) Instead, warning of world disaster if Iran should succeed in its imaginary goal of obtaining nuclear arms, Washington argues that Iran must be forcefully brought to its knees, through a combination of increasingly crippling sanctions, taking advantage of Iran's internal divisions and preparing for a possible military attack.
MAWO Statement on the Situation in Iran Hands Off Iran! June 23rd, 2009
Since the June 12th 2009 Iranian election results, there has been constant coverage of opposition protests in Iran on every major Western news source, with all sorts of “experts” on the situation in Iran and statements from the leaders of imperialist countries, as well as countless cell phone videos replayed despite their origin and authenticity being unconfirmed. As the internal issues of the Iranian people are suddenly the prime concern of media outlets and imperialist governments, this begs the question, where is the coverage of the US atrocities in Iraq, or the Canada/US/NATO crimes in Afghanistan? Why do protests of civil dispute warrant a media frenzy, but there is barely any reporting on the US drone attack on Northwest Pakistan which on Tuesday June 22nd killed at least 80 Pakistani people? As was done with the May 4th US air strikes in Afghanistan which killed over 140 Afghan people, will this be excused by the US government with another claim of “mistakes?”
One only needs to look at the progression (or regression) of US, EU and UN policy towards Iran in the last few years. While crocodile tears are being wept for the Iranian opposition protesters now, the US government and their EU allies and UN lackey have no problem imposing four sets of crippling sanctions against the people of Iran. Remember the impact of the US/UK/UN sanctions on Iraq, and the over 1.5 Million Iraqis, mainly women and children, who suffered and died under these sanctions? This does not sound like they really have the interests of the Iranian people at heart. Furthermore, the bloody occupation of surrounding countries of Iran’s neighbours Iraq and Afghanistan, military bases in every surrounding country and a massive build up of military in the Persian gulf, show more and more that the US is acting upon their agenda of having complete hegemony in the Middle East, a goal that is only possible with the control of Iran.
An Open Letter to the Anti-War Movement: How Should We React to the Events in Iran? ByPhil Wilayto July 8, 2009
The “Iranian people” have not spoken.
What’s happening in Iran today is a developing conflict between two forces that each represent millions of people. There are good people on both sides and the issues are complicated. So before U.S. progressives decide to weigh in, supporting one side and condemning the other, let’s take a little closer look.
Who Won the Election?
On June 12, 2009, nearly 40 million Iranians, some 85 percent of the electorate, cast votes for one of four presidential candidates. The following day, the government announced that the incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had won 62.63 percent of the vote, enough to avoid a run-off with his leading rival, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, who was said to have received 33.75 percent of the vote (CNN, June 13, 2009).
“Before the vote count ended, Moussavi [sic] issued a sharply worded letter urging the counting to stop because of ‘blatant violations’ and lashed out at what he indicated was an unfair process” (CNN, June 13, 2009).
Mousavi denounced the results as a fraud and hundreds of thousands of his supporters poured into the streets of Tehran and other major cities to protest the election results.
