Why Should We Care about Iran?

A valid interpretation of current U.S. Relations with Iran must be predicated on an acknowledgement of the history of British and American colonialism. The incessant conflict in Iran is undoubtedly the result of anglo-centric capitalist foreign policy. Any modern conflict between these nations proceeds directly from, or is exacerbated by western power subverting the political process and the will of the people for the purpose of exploiting the natural resources of their land. To be specific, for the purpose of commodifying their oil supply, concentrating control of the wealth of Iran’s land in the hands of a corrupt, murderous cartel of foreigners. These policies which the U.S. Maintains overseas are engines of inequality, domination, and social chaos.

In 1953 Iran’s democratically elected leaders lead by Prime Minister Muhammad M0ssadeq passed legislation to seize Iran’s oil industry and Nationalize it in an effort to end poverty in their country. Along with a refusal by U.S. Owned companies to transport Iranian oil due to the disadvantagement of British and American oil barons, the CIA and British MI6 orchestrated a successful coup of Muhammad Mossadeq’s government. To protect the interests of the rich in Britain and the U.S., they returned the anglo-friendly Shah to power after his return from exile for fear of his own people.

Dispute over control of the wealth of Iranian oil has been longstanding and has been aired on the global stage since the early 20^th century. In 1932, Britain brought the matter before the international court of the League of Nations. Contrary to Britain’s efforts “Presentations there proved Iranian grievances that its national wealth was being squandered through a concession that was originally granted by a non-constitutional government under duress.” F. Kazemi ( 2012)

The obsession of Western countries with the rights of private domination of resources at any expense is what is to blame for Iran’s troubles. The story of Iran in the 20^th and 21^st Centuries has been one of great superpowers using their access to capital to take advantage of an undeveloped, undemocratic country for the commodification of its most valued resources. The U.S. Has spread massive death and violence across the world in the name of “freedom” “open markets” and “democracy” while overthrowing democratic governments so long as the interests of those in power are served.

Religious extremism grew throughout the 1960’s and 70’s in Iran due to the harsh and unnecessary economic conditions imposed on the Iranian people by colonial exploitation and eventually culminated in a revolution in 1979 and the installation of a government by an overwhelming popular referendum.Newly elected Prime Minister Medhi Bazargan, a moderate, did what he could to normalize relations between the U.S. And Iran. However, over the next decade or so the U.S. Would back Iraqi aggression which would rise up opportunistically due to the slump in Iran’s economy caused by U.S. Sanctions on Iran’s oil industry. Maintaining policies indicative of western capitalism’s priorities, the U.S maintained its support of Saddam Hussein, even after his use of chemical weapons on Iran in the Iran-Iraq war. The World (2020)

President Ronald Reagan personally approved a back channel weapons deal in exchange for the release of certain U.S prisoners held by Iran. The proceeds from these illegal weapons sales were used by Reagan administration officials to back a murderous pro-American coup in Nicaragua against a duly elected socialist government which was working to improve living conditions and increase literacy for the country’s population. Officials indicted in what came to be known as the “Iran-Contra Affair” were later found guilty of lying to congress about the matter. Kuang Keng Kuek Ser (2016) One such official, Eliot Abrams, lied to congress and whitewashed covert operations which resulted in the massacre of one-thousand innocent men, women, and children in El Salvador. He has recently been named as Special Envoy to Venezuela under the Trump administration. Borger (2019)

The United states and Britain bear responsibility for the suffering of the Iranian people. This history has been marked by the people’s fight to determine their own future, their struggle for rightful energy independence due to the riches of their own home, and Western Capital’s usurpation of democratic will. The powers that be in United States care little for the rights of human beings to live unexploited. In fact, exploitation is all that those powers have come to stand for. Why should Iran buy our myths of freedom and self determination when we as a super power have done all we can to subvert the people’s will anywhere and everywhere it begins to affect change?

Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States recently ordered the assassination of the second most powerful political figure in Iran. General Qassem Soleimani was a former revolutionary fighter and opponent to western interests as well as Islamic State aggression. Soleimani was killed January 3rd, 2020 while carrying a response to Saudi diplomacy, arrangements for this communication were initiated by Donald Trump. Fellman (2020) Iran has promised retaliation for this aggression by the United States. Trump has repeatedly fantasized about outright seizing oil in Middle Eastern countries and even tweeted during the Obama Administration accusing the president of wanting to start a war to win his election. Obama did win that election, he did not start a war with Iran.

Although the Washington Post is more than willing to criticize Trump’s pathetic diplomacy, but they will not tell you why Iran might be at odds with the U.S. in the first place. The great irony of the Trump presidency is that Trump is so stupid and socially inept that he gladly spurts the quiet parts out loud. Trump doesn’t understand why the corporate media jump down his throat for musing about keeping Iran’s oil. Corporate propagandists are well aware that if the American population were aware of the extent to which such crimes have already been committed by US power, their fraudulent reporting would be exposed, and the fraudulence of US foreign policy would lead to the disadvantage of big media players who maintain their credibility as a result of their connections to US government insiders.

The truth is that, although we may not “keep” the oil, we protect it, transport it, overthrow democratic leaders who try to nationalize it, and we keep the profits reaped from its sale. The truth is that although Obama never started a war to help his election, Trump has repeatedly and arbitrarily escalated tensions with Iran during his presidency. Now this aggressive order has been made during the middle of his impeachment, while polls show 57% of Americans believe he has committed impeachable offenses, just before an election in which he polls lower nationally than nearly every other candidate, and the economy slipping closer and closer to a disastrous recession. I have a hard time believing that “terrorism” has anything at all to do with this war.

History of U.S/Iran relations:

https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-01-03/history-us-iran-relations-timeline

Leading up to 1953 USA backed coup:

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/iranian-oil-fields-are-nationalised

Early History of Anglo-Persian Oil Company:

http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/anglo-persian-oil-company

Soleimani Trip to Iraq:

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-qassem-soleimani-was-doing-in-iraq-before-assassination-2020-1

Iran Contra affair:

https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-06-01/where-did-iran-get-its-military-arms-over-last-70-years

Elliot Abrams:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/26/elliott-abrams-venezuela-us-special-envoy