Richard Mellor
According to reports in the mass media, the US and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire and what is being described as a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed this Friday in Geneva.
If the last three months or so have taught us anything with regards to the illegal and unprovoked war waged on Iran by the US and its settler colony in the region, it’s that we should take these pronouncements with caution.
But for now, they have an agreement and you can read the man points below.
The significance of this defeat cannot be underestimated and it’s important to recognize the extent of the damage to US military equipment (from a helpless opponent) that has cost the US taxpayers billions of dollars. When we add the cost of constructing US bases that were supposed to protect the despotic semi-feudal Arab regimes in the region, we are talking about trillions. And the failure of the US to defend these corrupt regimes has changed the balance of forces in the region permanently.
But the responses from the politicians of both capitalist parties are something to behold. They reflect on the one hand the sheer arrogance of an imperial power, in this case the world’s hegemon, and also the embarrassment at what is a major defeat for US imperialism in West Asia by an adversary with no air force no navy etc. And it comes after the endless boasting of the US president who thought the war would be over in a few days after the US assassinated the head of state in Iran and numerous government officials.
Naturally, many Republicans are livid. Florida Sen. Rick Scott is opposed to Iran’s frozen assets (their own money) being returned to them; “….if we have any of their money, they ought to pay for what costs us to do this, to try to bring them to their senses, to stop killing us.", he says. He’s been reading Golda Meir who famously blamed the Palestinians for forcing the Zionists to kill them.
Lindsey Graham, generously states that if the Iranians behave, "If they become normal, they'll get relief. The question is, are these people in charge of Iran capable of acting normal? Have they abandoned their goal of creating a master religion for the world? I don't know."
Lindsey Graham is normal?
And the pathetic excuse for an opposition party, (opposed to having a king in the White House) the Democrats never fail to offer no serious responses. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says we should be “glad” about a ceasefire but that it’s “essentially surrender”, and we all know that this contradicts our most famous slogan, “these colors don’t run”. How will Hollywood make a Fallujah moment out of this one?
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) thinks the agreement is, “a terrible deal” and “basically a surrender document from Donald Trump to the Supreme Leader of Iran.”
Cory Booker calls it a “utter disaster” the US “releasing billions of dollars” to an “enemy”
An opposition party that claimed any allegiance to the working class at all would support Iran's side here. The support has been there for the Israeli gen*cide in Ga*za.
The Iranian people are the victims here, not the aggressors. Given, the US and its proxy, Israel, bombed a sovereign nation, assassinated its leadership and destroyed as much of its infrastructure as possible, Iran owes no concessions to the US at all. It is demanding what is its right. An end to the aggression by the US and its proxy on Iran and Lebanon.
It is demanding its own money that has been frozen and an end to the crippling sanctions the US has imposed on the country for decades. Recent reports have been published about the actual cost of US sanctions which deprive poorer countries in particular of medicine, food, and other necessities. Millions die.
The compensation, a suggested $300 billion, to Iran for the damage the war has caused to its infrastructure aside from the human toll, should not be borne by the US taxpayer but by those that have supported and promoted this aggression including US billionaires, Zionists that have personally funded the Israeli genocide and its war machine and others complicit in this crime; perhaps the Christian Zionist organizations can cough up some dough. The vast majority of people in the US were opposed to this war and were not consulted about it either directly or though their political representatives. They should not pay for the damage.
Those families and loved ones of the Americans that have died through this adventure that we never voted for, should also receive compensation for their losses. Again, not from the working men and women of America in the form of taxes but from the billionaires, arms investors and dealers and others that promoted this crime.
As I write I see that Trump has openly stated at the G7 a truth that needs to be heard, that Israel’s violent aggressive behaviour could not have been possible without the United States backing. The tail does not wag the dog in this relationship.
What will happen now is difficult to say. It is clear that this defeat for US imperialism reflects a change in the relationship between the great powers as the likes of China, Russia, India and the Brics are pulling for a multi-polar world at the expense of US hegemony, and its unipolar mission.
Whether the toothless UN can be rebuilt is another matter. Like most people, I have more questions than answers. The only thing I can say with certainty is that capitalism cannot overcome its inherent contradictions that inevitably lead it to war and destruction.
Capitalism will, if it is not cast in to the history books like so many civilizations past, destroy life as we know it. Only the working class internationally building a new global society with the formation of a global federation of democratic socialist states can provide a future for humanity.
Here are the points of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran. Source is I24tv News Israel
Points of the Memorandum of Understanding
1. Iran and the US declare an immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and will not launch any hostile action against each other and will refrain from the threat or use of force against each other.
2. The two countries will respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs.
3. There will be a negotiation to reach a final agreement within a maximum period of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent
4. Immediately upon the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding (which has already happened), the US will lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and prevent any interference against Iranian shipping. Traffic is to be restored within a maximum of 30 days to its full capacity and shall be proportional to the pre-war volume on the part of Iran. The US will also withdraw its forces from the surrounding areas within 30 days.
5. Iran will immediately take steps to ensure that the movement of merchant ships from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa is resumed within 30 days to the pre-war volume, taking into account the need for the removal of technical obstacles and the neutralization of mines.
6. Together with regional partners, the US will create a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate and assist in the economic development of Iran. It will also ensure financing of at least $300 billion. The implementation mechanism of this plan, as part of the final agreement, will be formulated within 60 days.
7. The US will commit to ending all types of sanctions currently facing Iran, including resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and all unilateral US sanctions, both primary and secondary.
8. Iran reiterates that it will never produce nuclear weapons, with the fate of enriched material and all other mutually agreed nuclear-related issues, including Iran’s nuclear needs, being addressed in a final agreement.
9. Pending a final agreement, they will maintain the status quo: Iran will maintain the status quo on its nuclear program, and the United States will not impose new sanctions on Iran or strengthen its forces in the region.
10. The United States Treasury Department will issue waivers for exports of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products and their derivatives, and all related services, including banking, insurance, transportation, and the like.
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1. Frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be released and made fully available. These funds, whether held in the master account or transferred, will be used for any final beneficiary payment determined by the Central Bank of Iran and will be fully available for use. The US will also issue all necessary permits and licenses on this basis.
12. A mechanism will be established to oversee the successful implementation of and future commitment to the final agreement.
13. Upon receipt of assurances regarding the commencement of implementation of Articles 4, 5, 10, and 11, Iran and the US will enter into negotiations for a Final Agreement solely with respect to the remaining Articles.
14. The final agreement will be approved through a binding resolution of the UN Security Council. Source I24 Israeli News
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