ROSS POURZAL
An Iranian-American human rights activist, Pourzal is president of the Campaign Against Sanctions & Military Intervention in Iran. He said today: “As the Gulf region slides into a cold war, Iran’s maneuvers in the region result from the insecure environment and state of siege that Washington and London are intent on imposing on Iran. Tehran’s capture of British sailors is more a response to escalation than a provocation. Judging from my interviews in Iran last month, the government there enjoys widespread support for its foreign policy.” Pourzal lives in Washington, D.C.
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PHYLLIS BENNIS
Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, comments: “The U.S. is continuing to ratchet up threats against Iran. The current standoff in the Gulf between Iran and Britain may well not have been a deliberate British provocation, beyond the ‘normal’ provocative nature of the U.S.-British strategy of boarding and ‘inspecting’ ships, etc., but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous.”

She adds: “Blair isn’t so keen on an attack on Iran; his rhetoric even after the sailors were captured has been remarkably low-key, and a move against Iran could threaten his already-shaky political standing. The Shatt al-Arab waterway is always a difficult navigation point, even aside from political tensions, and this kind of move has happened before and blown over in a few days. However, it’s likely the Cheney gang is pushing Britain to escalate, to make this Tonkin Gulf II (the false claim of a North Vietnamese attack used to justify the Vietnam war in 1964), though it doesn’t appear Blair/Brown are biting yet. But, once again, having said all THAT, things are very tense and could easily spin out of control.”
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For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020