11-01-05, 11:39 am

From 'Nameh Mardom' Central Organ of the Tudeh Party Iran No. 723, Originally published on October 11, 2005

The events of the past week demonstrate that the United States and its European allies – especially Britain – are intent on creating a climate in which to isolate the Iranian regime and to manipulate world public opinion to increase pressure on Iran and to justify taking harsh measures against our country in the UN Security Council.

In his speech last week, George Bush accused the Islamic Republic of supporting terrorism. During his meeting with Jalal Talebani, the President of Iraq, Tony Blair claimed that the new wave of terrorist attacks in the southern Iraq was financed and militarily supported by circles linked to the Iranian regime. The spokesman for the US State Department, accused the leaders of the regime in Iran of deception and likened them to the Iraqi regime during Saddam’s era. This well-orchestrated propaganda campaign is not accidental or without significance. Although aspects of this attack can be seen as the continuation of US policy of recent years aimed at developing its 'Greater Middle East' plan and strengthening its domination over the region, the grave danger this poses to the independence of our country must not be overlooked. Recent provocations by the monarchists, and reactionary forces associated with imperialism, should not be considered as coincidental or unimportant. The unwise speech given by Ahmadi-Nejad at the UN General Assembly last September paved the way for US policy-makers and their European allies to accelerate the propaganda campaign against Iran's nuclear industry. The lack of sensible policy on the part of the Iranian government, to gain the confidence of the international community and reassuring them about the nature and direction of Iran’s nuclear programme, has created the conditions for a concurrence of US and EU position, leading the issue of the strongly worded resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against Iran.

The referral of our country's nuclear case to the Security Council, puts the people of our country under the threat of international sanctions and its consequences, and could endanger the sovereignty of our country and have obvious destructive results affecting the lives of the toiling people. Our party, like other national and democratic forces cannot remain indifferent to the events that can potentially turn the future of our country into a pawn of the war-mongering policies of imperialism. At the same time, we are concerned with the way the regime is taking Saddam-like policies in the matter.

At the time when political and economic pressure on the Islamic Republic is mounting, there are reports that the weekly paper, Partow-e-Sokhan which associated with the extreme right Hojattieh group and Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi, has declared: 'The Islamic Republic has only one option: to break the seals and start uranium enrichment.' Ali Larijani, head of the National Defence Council and the regime’s chief negotiator, threatened that if the pressure and persistence from the US continues, Iran will use all its resources to strike at Washington.

We are witnessing, with serious concern, the regime’s leaders taking advantage of their war of words with Washington in order to distract public attention from the dire economic, social, and political crisis currently gripping our country. The irresponsible, immature, and provocative statements and posturing of the political representatives of the regime have largely helped the United States justify its position regarding Iran's nuclear case. Mir-Damadi, former head of the parliamentary National Security Commission, has said in criticism of the Iranian diplomatic mission in these negotiations that: 'While the rest of the world sends their best diplomats for negotiations of national interest, we have sent some junior interns under the guise of diplomats.'

The regime’s leaders and the important players in the high ranking government officials are competing to aggravate the already tense situation instead of trying to understand the seriousness of the threat facing our political independence and our sovereignty. The provocative statements of the regime’s military and security circles regarding the complex situation in Iraq, the mobilization of militia groups in the provinces, the government-controlled, orchestrated demonstrations in front of the British embassy and the issue of irresponsible statements in response to the current fiasco are not accidental. Ahmad Tavakoli, the head of the Parliamentary Centre for Research, announced that Iran is ready to face any 'consequences related to use of nuclear technology.'

In the beginning of September 2005, in an interview with the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), Masoud Jazayeri, speaker of the Revolutionary Guards said: 'while the referral (of Iran’s nuclear programme) to the Security Council, may inflict some damage, if managed properly, it may also have some benefits as was the case with the Iran-Iraq war.' He then continued: 'we must block any voices in the country that the West might interpret as weakness, and the U.S. and its allies should realise that each blow will be met by a corresponding blow.'

Can one expect that such positions will encourage international support for Iran against imperialist threats? Instead of helping mobilize international opinion against pressure from the US, the leaders of the Iranian regime, are actually helping to sustain and facilitate the policies of imperialism. Ahmad Jannati, speaker of the reactionary 'Council of Guardians' and the temporary leader of Friday prayers Tehran, during his October 7 sermons mentioned that 'we must not fear sanctions, because despite the hardships and problems it might bring it will bring more benefits. All the progress we have achieved to-date in various industries – the military industry, and ballistic missile technologies – were all due to sanctions.' Furthermore the Revolutionary Guards warned in statement: 'in the event of sending Iran's nuclear case to the Security Council, the capabilities of the Islamic Republic will overcome this historic injustice.'

The dissemination of such a view will not only frustrate the chances of our country using nuclear science but it will also lead to a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks in Iran’s relations with the United States and its allies in the region. While we categorically and strongly oppose and condemn any foreign intervention in the internal affairs of our country, we call upon all progressive, patriotic and nationalist forces to take a united stance and mobilize the people in for a peaceful solution to the current crisis, through international talks. We must put a stop to the regime’s adventurist policies.

The Tudeh Party of Iran believes that with the current balance of power in the world, Iran’s interests can only be served by creating an atmosphere of international support for Iran's right to obtain nuclear technology under the resolutions of IAEA and UN. The continued talks with UN and IAEA must be facilitated through the adoption of a clear diplomatic strategy, and no effort must be spared in giving serious guarantees about the peaceful intentions of nuclear industry in our country, thus building confidence among the non-aligned in the IAEA. We must not allow the negotiations to fail. We believe that by mobilizing public opinion within our country the regime must be forced to put a group of experts in charge of the talks to end the conflict with IAEA - who will protect our national interests with wisdom and intelligence.

We are deeply concerned with the regime's present policies. The interests of the toiling masses, and the future of peaceful resolutions lie in ending this verbal and diplomatic tirade and avoiding war and conflict. Imperialism should not be allowed to start another military adventure in the Middle East.