Is of teachers demands for ale on pontical lared: *We are pay but an ena unconditional political force.
who have becoming ights, are also through mass artial law and factories. Workers links and expressing dI DEISUICIS joined by messages and actions ters in Tehran, orkers.
demands wauc uno our caucacy. untry and the The regime is very ts imposed on is now having to retreat are demanding ders for int prices from say that lants could be freedom by LIBERAL ich has so far essions by lne sly freer press, Tehran daily hich is widely nanced by the coalition rike in protest bourgeois opposition. ditor to impose opposition cen a revival of and protests. seems inds of people n Tehran and vIews.
Khomeini, f martial law Tehran. Shah. The of Tehran e heart of the referendum Focus the turday troops fire on campus. re reported to to compromise. violent clashes n the country accompanied loyal preserving stability in the whole region.
The guerrillas in Dhofar were amongst the first victims of this policy.
were crushed by the combined weight of British military raman manpower Thirdly Iran's geographical proximity to the Soviet Union gives it a key strategic place in American military For the imperialist therefore, the emergence of even moderate which distance from the United States would not be acceptable. But what they fear is a growing instability and a growing mass radicalisation. And these fears are our hopes. For if there is a democratic and many are reported to have been The growth and now the rabid politicisation of strikes is a very important new development in the •situation in Iran. The working class is all ary first time, workers are organised around strikes meetings their are establishing this through or sondarity.
Every day workers are gaining fresh expenences mourn mer own acuons. which are unfettered by any established worried by the situation. It has failed to control the situation by martial law and violence. It daily. The release of more than 1,100 political prisoners was a major concession.
Now it has been forced by workers to promise the release of all other political prisoners. In another concession, it has sacked many of the important figures in SAVAN, among mem rariz sabel, the former head of Internal SecurityThe bourgeois liberal opposition is also very worried by the rise in workers' struggles. It is frantically trying to find a compromise solution before it is too late. Tehran is full of rumours about a government involving the The National Front (main bourgeois group) leader Karim Sanjabi has been in Paris trying — it unsuccessfully so far Ayatollah Khomeini to moderate his who is a key figure because of his popularity in Iran, has so far insisted on the overthrow of the National Front's compromie on this question is that a should be held, determine the future of the monarchy.
At the same time, the former Prime Minister, Ali Amini, who has links with the National Front, has been visiting the Shah in the hope of persuading him These behind-the-scenes wnceung and acalings nave Deen by propaganda rapidly.
They The attack continental techniques and apo powers, took don't find it.
campaign about an impending "blood bath and ultra-reactionary coup in the hope of scaring the masses into a compromise solution.
But the Iranian masses who, unlike the bourgeois politicians, have stood up to real blood baths and ultra-reactioncoups, are likely IHHICICUSOCSOV interregnum the left could grow very on the Tehran Inter- will Hotel Lord Chalfont normally stays) a few days DUT significant manifestation of how the masses regard links Western support for the Shah. Carter and his British poodles are supporting the Shah because thev re desperate. But if his removal becomes vital, they will search for another alternative ranian revolutionaries must ensure that they What would be the effect of the fall of the Shah on neighbouring countries?
be Mass meeting last week THE SITUATION in Pakistan is already precarious. If the Shah falls it accelerate the break-up The Baluchi people, in particular, would seriously consider establishing the Iranian Baluchis, especially if a democratic government was established effect it wolle nave Afghanistan it is difficult to forsee. The -COMELE BratSoviet on hotle to the in However, right-wing opposition does developing could expected strong support from the Shah ONE OF the first effects of the Iranian oil crisis will be felt across the Indian Ocean in South Africa.
KICHARD CAKYER reports.
developed over the past few years is historically appropriate.
During te Reza Shah, Shah, to Johannesburg for his pro-Naz sympathies.
Shah's son was country's most with John Vorster, interned in wartime Johannesburg for his pro-Nazi positions.
LOOSEN sides, by a wish to loosen ties with the major particularly the United States.
adrift completely would never have tolerated it — but on a day-to-day level both came into conflict with US tactics and wanted more toon tor manoeuvre South Africa, for example, fought a bitter Treasury over power in the Indian Ocean in its own right.
But more momentary tiff with the US was the effect of the 1973 Middle East war.
been multinational oil companies' control of refining, transport meant that they could afford to lose -macca oren wanted to lose — direc control of drillin self-sufficiency in oil, US imperialism OUI of somewhat strengthened. But this does not mean that the complete sham countries hit hardest was South Africa.
oil price rise, because that also sent the gold price shooting up South Africa what oil is to most of the Arab countries.
SANCTIONS political sanctions by cutting off oil to South Africa because of its military amance with israe which has partially continued.
Iran stepped into the breach. With an admirable combination arse-licking and economic nous, the Tehran regime became a major supplier of both Israel and South Africa.
One of the features of late capitalism Is the distorted industrialisation certain semi-colonial countries through the export of technology from imperialist powers.
This also has its military aspect, with In the Gulf states the overthrow of the Shah could have the effect o of aestabusing some or the sheikndoms particularly in Oman. Nor should the effect of the Iranian example in Saudi Arabia be underestimated.
So, in this sense as well, the concern of imperialism is perfectly comprehenSIDIC What should those who support the mass struggle in Iran do in this country?
IF YOU'RE at a college, school or be university you should have meeting on the subject immediately. Speakers are available Committee Against Repression in Iran, Sane Iran, The Tehran-Pretoria axis that has British exiled Sure the father of the present Thirty years later Reza South Vietnam. LO scal OnC important alliances who had beer alliances The alliance was impelled, on both imperialist powers, Neither regime wanted to cut itself - indeed the US had War WIL the us gold prices. The Shah on South important than any The oil crisis which followed the war greatly exaggerated. The maintained and distribution energ) -CESIS oil crisis Tor example, And of the the For Pretoria the problem was not the — and gold is to SHOW of South Africa.
But the main Arab oil producers took an embargo French of political cent.
That, The Labour to OrganISt far-left groups the ITOL creation of a series of middle ranking third world powers which act as a regional police force.
South Africa and Israel are good examples of such powers. Brazil, Australia and South Korea are others Their role has taken on particular Since me aceous direct intervention to aciena anomer or taese regional cops But these regimes are not imperialist puppets'. They have a considerable autonomy and are increasingly forming each other. The Tehran-Pretoria axis is a case in point Even more sinister is the nuclear development of these powers. Earlier this year it was reported that, along with South Africa, Israel and South norea, Iran nad entered a mutual defence pact with specifically nuclear The impact of the present crisis on srael remains unclear. Some reports have suggested that almost all Israel's oil imports come from Iran, though the financial press over the past few due has stressed that Israel has diversified her oil suppliers in case of a further war. But that could just be bluff What is certain is the serious effect Africa. United Nations sources reckon that Iran supplies 90 per cent of South Africa's oil needs.
STOCKPILES South Africa is not primarily an oil-based economy and it has always large stockpiles against serious oil embargo, but it still cannot afford a For one thing, a rundown of reserves CLIC vulnerable to an embargo. There may not be much chance of the imperialis powers imposing such a boycott but low oil stocks could strengthen the bargaining power ot South West Africa Organisation in Namibia Potentially one of the most dramatic consequences of the drain on South African reserves could be in Zimbabwe Ene bingnam report nas revealec oil companies have suppicu me knodesian regime by was The companies involved - British Petroleum and Shell - hold between them 54 per cent of the Iranian Oil COLL DaLLY which collaborated in the Rhodesian 'swap' arrangement and te ngure is ou pe and the directness of the Iranian-South African oil link, suggest that a large amount of that illicit oil started life beneath Iran.
supply will dry up completely, but equally the Iranian oil workers will have a political impact far greater than they can have imagined. Box 4, 182 Upper St, London N1. If Owen or a member of the Labour Government is visiting your place of study you should intervene forcefully against Labour's support for the Shah.
If you are in the Labour Party or in a trade-union branch you should raise the question of inviting a speaker. You should call for Owen to be sacked and break all military links forthwith. You should pass a resolution to that effect and send it to Transport House and the local press If you belong to the CP or any of the you should agitate within your organisation to ensure that solidarity extends beyond articles in newspapers and develop various actions Socialist Challenge 9 November 1978 page 9