We support the right of the Iranians to defend their borders

Remember the long propaganda build up to the decision to invade Iraq? Remember all the selective incidents that were used to make the case that Saddam and his regime were a danger to the region, to the west and to his own people?

In case anyone has forgotten how the UK and US governments built up their case for war back in 2001-2003, we are getting another chance to see the system at work, this time with Iran as the target regime.

We have had various cynical allegations from the US administration claiming that the Iranian regime is arming the resistance in Iraq – while a blind eye is turned to the sectarian Shiite connections of the US installed Iraqi government.

We have the stand-off over nuclear processing with the clear implication that Iran, despite its denials, is at work creating its own weapon of mass destruction – while again a diplomatic silence surrounds the well-known Israeli nuclear threat. And now we have the UK taking the lead, publishing misleading maps and seeking to mobilise world opinion against the Iranians after a Navy boat and its 15 crew were taken prisoner in contested waters between Iraq and Iran.

Socialist Resistance does not support the clerical fundamentalism of the Iranian regime, or the chauvinist nationalism of its president Ahmadinejad: but we support the right of the Iranians to defend their borders against incursions by British or US troops, especially in the light of carefully-leaked rumours that US Special Forces and/or the SAS may already be active inside Iranian territory.

Iraq, like Afghanistan, has shown that the worst and most destructive means to achieve regime change is through external invasion. And however much the rabid western media may like to paint Iran as a land in thrall to “mad mullahs”, the craziest policy of all would be for the UK and US to follow up their botched and bloody invasion of Iraq, a relatively small country of 20 million people with an equally unjustified war against Iran, a much larger country of over 70 million.

There are signs that wiser counsel is prevailing, as the Iranian regime offers negotiations to defuse a crisis created and stoked up on both sides to the point it was getting out of hand. But we must stand ready to challenge each and every new step along the lines of propaganda war against Iran that could be intended to pave the way for the real thing.