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Iranian Students Combat Shah's Repression

By VVAW

Recently, hundreds of Iranian student, across the country and in Europe, went on hunger strikes, held rallies and vigils, and marched in demonstrations. This storm of protest was triggered when the Shah of Iran jailed nine revolutionaries and sentenced them to death (without a trial) for the killing of two US "military officers," well known to be CIA agents. Despite this world-wide protest, the nine were executed on January 23rd.

A member of the Iranian Students Association (ISA), which sponsored the actions, explained that the protests are part of the huge upsurge of the Iranian people against the brutal dictatorship of the Shah. A wave of struggle was touched off about six months ago when the Shah ordered that a great leader of the people's struggle against the dictatorship (who had been imprisoned for the last five years) be put to death. The killing of the two CIA agents was in retaliation for his execution.

Iran is a middle Eastern country located in the oil-rich Persian Gulf area. Because of the wealth of oil concentrated there, US monopoly corporations (especially the oil companies) decided long ago that they needed a ruler who would protect and further respect their interests in the region. They found "their boy" in the Shah, who was put in power through a CIA-directed coup in 1953. Now US investments control 80% of the economy, and ruing the last five years the US government has given the Shad $22 billion worth of military equipment and weapons. Additionally, there are about 1,000 military advisors and technicians stationed in Iran about 19,000 other Americans who serve US businesses in one capacity of another.

Iran has an income of approximately $20 billion per year from oil revenues, but the living conditions of the people practically unbearable. The unemployment rate is approximately 35% and the people live in poverty and misery while the Shah and his cohorts stuff their shirts with incomes and the US companies siphon billions in profit from Iran's resources.

These conditions have given rise to tremendous resistance to the Shah's regime. In order to clamp down on this resistance, the Shah has resurrected the "Black Laws of 1310," which state that anyone who protests against the regime will be sentenced from 3-10 years in jail and that anyone leading organized opposition will be executed.

There are many similarities between the struggle of the Iranian people and the fight of the Indochinese people and US domination. Veterans who were in Vietnam saw just what US military forces were doing there and saw in whose interests we were serving--and it wasn't for the great majority of people but rather for Thieu and his clique, who were puppets for US corporations. The Indochinese people for years fought against foreign intervention and against the rulers of their country who were exploiting and oppressing them. Even though Iran doesn't have thousands and thousands of foreign troops stationed there, the same conditions exist where the Shah and his regime serve the interests of US businesses and use terrorism against the Iranian workers and peasants.

But the terrorism won't stop the people from fighting their oppression. The killing of the nine revolutionaries will not end resistance to the regime. The continuing demonstrations of the ISA attest to this fact and accurately reflect the growing struggle of the Iranian people.