Torab Salehi addressed the agm of HOPI Britain on the continuing threat of Imperialist aggression towards Iran. Here are some extracts from his speech. Full article at link.
What we said and should continue saying is very simple: to build an effective and broad campaign opposing US war against Iran means we should not align ourselves with those who in the name of support for the Iranian people are actually aiding the plans of US imperialism to control and dominate the Middle East. Nor should we align ourselves with those who in the name of anti-imperialism and anti-US militarism, apologise for the Iranian mullahs’ theocratic hold on power. To this day, not one of our critics have given a straight answer as to why this statement is wrong.
None of us are saying there will be another world war in five years time, but if during a period of global economic growth and relative peace US imperialism was busy building military bases around the Middle East, do you think in a period of decline, when its interests are more likely to be challenged, it will not become an even more blatant force of aggression against the people of the region? In the course of the coming period we must therefore expect to see a more belligerent and aggressive imperialism.
We therefore insist once again that the threat is real, it is already there and it is being used against the Iranian people on a daily basis. We must not only continue to campaign and mobilise against this threat and demand an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all imperialist forces from the region, but further increase our efforts to oppose imperialist sanctions - sanctions which hurt most of all those who are the only real force for change.