The UK government’s position on the US/Israel war with Iran, is duplicitous. It is on the one hand claiming that it is not being drawn into the war with Iran, while on the other hand it is giving logistical aid to the US by allowing the US to use UK bases. The UK is therefore complicit.
(RAF Fairford, which Starmer gave the US ‘permission’ to use, is a USAF Base. It is the operational centre of the 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron, both are USAF. It supports the B1, Lancer Bomber, and the B52 Bomber, used to bomb Iran, this week.)
The US, Israel and some European leaders have openly admitted that this war is about regime change in Iran.
The UK government has claimed that it will only support ‘defensive’ military actions against Iran, not ‘aggressive’ actions, which is a nonsensical position because it is impossible to draw the distinction between ‘defensive’ and ‘aggressive’ operations because that would require a degree of control and situational awareness that the UK government is unlikely to possess. Also, now that UK has granted the US permission to use its territory, it is unlikely to be able to stop any aggressive military actions launched from the UK.
Iran’s UN Ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, has said that 1,300+ civilians have already been killed. 9,669 civilian sites destroyed, 32 medical facilities, 65 schools and 13 Red Cross buildings. Fuel strikes are causing toxic rain over Tehran. Water plants bombed. This is hardly ‘defensive’ military action.
The mainstream media often omit to mention that Iran has a right to retaliate under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The UK’s own military actions are carried out as ‘defensive’, the justification given is that they are protecting British citizens in the Middle East, which are more than likely British military personnel. The important point is that Iran did not attack British installations until Starmer had agreed to allow the US to use its bases in the UK.
This war is not only causing the death of innocent people in Iran, but closer to home, working class people are/will suffer the effects, disproportionately, through rising fuel costs, and a shrinking global economy. The only beneficiaries will be the industrial military complex.
Allistair Lomax,
General Secretary, SLP