Once again, on the ex-left and Iran

[Hannah Bell]

The Obama administration, along with the European powers, has initiated a propaganda campaign designed to ratchet up pressure on Iran. The campaign, which recalls that carried out by the Bush administration in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, is, in part, calculated to bolster the “green” opposition movement in Iran.


In fact, the sudden escalation of threats against Iran strongly suggests a policy turn that was prepared well in advance, of which the furor over the “stolen election” and the promotion of the movement headed by opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi was a central component. The aim was to destabilize and delegitimize the current Iranian regime in order to strengthen international support for crushing sanctions, leading to regime change either from within or with the aid of external military force.

On Sunday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pointed to “fissures in Iran that we have not seen before, not in the 30 years since the revolution.” He expressed the hope that these divisions, combined with the new allegations over Iran’s nuclear program, would compel Iran “to change their policy in a way that is satisfactory to the great powers.” If not, he threatened severe sanctions and left open the possibility of military action.

The latest orchestrated provocation against Iran has further exposed the social and political character of the Iranian “green” movement, as well as its international supporters. In the wake of the Iranian elections in June, the entire fraternity of middle-class ex-left and “socialist” organizations jumped to support the campaign led by US-backed opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi...

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/sep2009/iran-s29.shtml

[Ghost Dog]

1. See Scott Ritter's analysis "Keeping Iran Honest" (Guardian, Friday 25th)

and comments: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/25/iran-secret-nuclear-plant-inspections?showallcomments=true

[Hannah Bell]

2. or this: The Iran ‘bombshell’: Obama knew all along

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/54019,news,the-iran-nuclear-bombshell-barack-obama-knew-all-along-about-secret-facility

"There is no quarrel about the actual sequence of events, concerning the supposed bombshell disclosure of another Iranian nuclear facility near Qom.

US intelligence knew about the site back in Bush time. Obama was briefed about it during the transition. Last spring US surveillance ­ from satellites and maybe from spies on the ground ­ concluded that a speed-up in the plant's construction was underway. US intelligence then supposedly learned that the Iranians knew the plant was under US observation.

After that it was all news management. The White House was readying Obama's dramatic disclosure. Maybe someone tipped off the Iranians, maybe not. In any event, Tehran sent a note about the facility to the International Atomic Energy Agency a week ago notifying it that the plant was under construction. (The Iranians insist they were under no obligation to do so earlier because the plant was only in preliminary stages of construction.)"

[Ghost Dog]

4. Yes, so it seems.

And the US (and perhaps UK and France) apparently didn't inform the IAEA, which would be a breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty on their part.

[Democracyinkind]

3. Saddam reloaded. Non-compliance my ass.

[malaise]

5. Good post

They can fool some of the people some of the time...