Arrogant, hypocritical Obama regime's concern for human rights in Iran has nothing to do with human rights

President Barack Obama has ordered what the BBC refers to as, ” unprecedented sanctions against senior Iranian officials”, for "sustained and severe violations of human rights".

The sanctions are against eight men including the head of the Revolutionary Guards, a former interior minister and the prosecutor general, reports claim. Their assets, if they have any in the US, will be frozen and American citizens and businesspersons will be forbidden to do business with them. The US treasury department said they would face a travel ban and asset freeze.

The alleged abuses include the killings and beatings of anti-government protesters after the disputed presidential election in June 2009 reports in the press say.

The White House issued a statement reminding the world that "As the president noted in his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, human rights are a matter of moral and pragmatic necessity for the United States.”

The White House statement adds:

"The United States will always stand with those in Iran who aspire to have their voices heard. We will be a voice for those aspirations that are universal, and we continue to call upon the Iranian government to respect the rights of its people."

Even more sickening is Hilary Clinton: "We speak out for those unable to speak out for themselves" I wonder if she knows about the woman referred to in a previous post.

Now I’m no supporter of the theocracy in Iran, and no doubt these guys are real pieces of work. Iran is a repressive and vicious regime ruled by a religious clique with a 7th century mentality. But I have to put myself in the shoes of a worker in the former colonial world; in Indonesia, or Vietnam or Bangladesh. In Chile or Iraq.

What hypocrisy this is coming form the regime that has more people in prison than any country in the world. "Human rights are a matter of moral and pragmatic necessity for the United States!" Iran would have developed along a completely different path had the US and its British flunkies not overthrown the democratic secular regime of Mohammed Mossadegh. Not only did the US orchestrate that coup, it put in place the murderous Shah and armed him to the teeth. He eliminated all opposition and his secret police, SAVAK, were known throughout the world as ruthless torturers.

What sanctions has the US government ordered on Bangladesh for the horrific human rights violations in its factories there? What sanctions has the US ordered on Vietnam where similar abuses occur? In all these non-Union sweat shops where goods for the American market are produced, violence and rape of workers occurs you can bet on it.

Will there be sanctions forthcoming on Saudi Arabia? This regime has “religious police” that make sure you’re practicing the right sort of Islam and it has financed right wing religious groups throughout the world. Unions are banned.

And what about Israel? Surely the US will throw some sanctions their way. This is one of the most racist and oppressive regimes there is. We all know about the CIA's dealings with the dictator in Kazakhstan. Then there’s all the kidnappings and torture that the CIA is involved in. This is not rumor but common knowledge.

Sanctimonious statements like these from the White House and the sanctions are not looked on with anything but disdain and contempt from most of the workers in this world. As abusive a regime as it is, Iran has not invaded anyone. Iran never killed four million Vietnamese. Iran has not built hundreds of bases and detention centers around the world. Iran, even in its war with Iraq that was encouraged by the US government has not killed as many Iraqi’s or done the damage to Iraq that the US has. Fallujah will be forever ingrained in the minds of Arab, Muslim and workers throughout the former colonial world as a heroic resistance by a Daniel against a marauding and murderous Goliath.

Then there’s Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, and lets not forget one of the masters of mass murderer, Henry Kissinger. What sanctions might they be receiving one might ask? They are also responsible for the deaths of thousands of young American workers whose lives were taken from them in predatory wars on behalf of US capitalism.

I remember some years ago when two off-duty British soldiers drove round a corner and ran smack bang in to an IRA funeral. The scene was horrible as people mounted the car, fired shots through the roof and the side and killed those guys. Naturally, the media focused on this horrific scene, this “brutal” killing of these innocent men. But we have to look beyond this. We have to see the big picture and the role these men played in the occupation of Irelands six northern counties; the Catholic youth they pulled off the streets and the Bobby Sands of this world. What terrorists these Irish were. But the British state was never presented to me as terrorist. The actions of the British state in its occupation, the arrests, torture, killing behind the scenes, this is what has to be taken in to account as well.

The Iranian regime must be overthrown, but so must the US one; yes we have more democratic rights. But workers won these. I am in sympathy with the workers of the world, particularly the former colonial world, victims of British US other occupying powers.

The talk of human rights coming out of the White House should have no credibility with any thinking worker.