Last week’s NUS Conference was deeply encouraging for the anti-war movement as the NUS finally took steps towards reflecting the anti-war sentiment across our campuses. Very rarely does anti-war policy get discussed at annual conference but this year, taking place amidst the backdrop of increased threats against Iran, conference voted strongly in favour of opposing a war on Iran. However, the real sign of the growing movement against an attack on Iran was the inclusion, within the motion, supporting occupations of universities and direct action if such an attack were to take place. The NUS is also now committed to organising a first term speakers tour on Iran with the Stop the War Coalition, which can only help to further the support amongst students for the anti-war movement. It’s wonderful that the NUS has taken such a strong stance on Iran as students have always made up a vibrant part of the anti-war movement and it’s important that they continue to do so. Elsewhere at National Conference Rose Gentle from Military Families Against the War, whose son died in Iraq, was elected as an Honorary Vice-President and in the rest of elections there were victories and good results for other anti-war candidates. If you are a student and wish to get involved with Campaign Iran on your campus please contact Dominic at dominic.kavakeb@gmail.com.

The following Early Day Motion (EDM) was submitted by Labour MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn and calls for the government to publicly oppose a military attack on Iran:

IRAN AND THE MIDDLE EAST 18.12.2007
Corbyn, Jeremy

That this House notes the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency-Iran work plan of 27th August and the IAEA’s report of 15th November clarifying and clearing a number of major outstanding issues in relation to Iran’s past nuclear activities; notes the judgement of the recent US National Intelligence Estimate that Iran does not have an active nuclear weapons programme at present; is strongly concerned about the continued threats of a military attack against Iran which could start another catastrophic war in the Middle East; urges immediate, direct and unconditional negotiations between the US and Iran on all points of dispute; and calls on the Government to oppose publicly any military intervention by the US and/or Israel in Iran.

This model motion for British trade unionists opposing sanctions and war on Iran has been formulated by Campaign Iran and CASMII. This is to be circulated amongst trade unionists inside Stop The War and CND with a view to getting trade union branches and/or conferences to take a stand against war and sanctions on Iran.

We would urge all trade union members who are against an attack on Iran to take this to their trade union branches. For those who would like it to be submitted to their trade union conferences, please check deadlines for submissions as these may well be months before the conferences actually take place.

For further advice please contact us on 07729 464497. We are pleased that a similar motion was passed at BECTU conference in 2006 (see second motion on the page) so the precedent has already been set.

Model Resolution on Sanctions and War on Iran

This Branch/Conference notes that:

1) There are indications that a military attack on Iran has been planned and could be executed before George Bush leaves office in 2008 and that this military attack would target Iranian military, economic and civilian infrastructure and might include the use of tactical nuclear strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

2) The IAEA has found no evidence of a weaponisation programme in Iran and the US intelligence agency, The National Intelligence Estimate, has estimated that Iran would be at least 10 years away from obtaining a nuclear weapon should it decide to follow this path. However the US, supported by the UK and France, are persisting that Iran cease uranium enrichment or face more sanctions, with the military option kept ominously open.

3) Over a million people died as a result of sanctions on Iraq.

4) All the completely discredited accusations of supporting terrorism, links to AlQaida and clandestine WMD programme, used to make the case for war on Iraq, are now being used against Iran.

5) As the nuclear accusations are losing credibility, in a shift of focus, the US has been systematically attempting to implicate Iran in Iraq, to justify an extension of the war across the border into Iran.

This Branch/Conference believes:

1) As tragically evidenced in Iraq, sanctions against Iran hurt ordinary people, damage their economic and civil institutions and are prelude to war.

2) Iran’s nuclear issue should be returned from the Security Council to the IAEA and resolved through continued negotiations and not sanctions or war.

3) Sanctions, foreign state interference, destabilization programme and any military intervention or its threat are greatly harmful to the cause of human rights, democratic rights and the civil society organisations in Iran and have therefore been opposed by the leaders of the vibrant democracy movement inside the country.

This Branch/Conference resolves:

1) to demand from the Brown government to:
i) support the IAEA-Iran work plan and allow it time to work
ii) to withdraw British troops from the Iranian border and publicly oppose the military
option against Iran.
iii) to end its support for any new security council sanctions and EU sanctions against Iran.

This Branch/Conference also calls on the TUC to publicly oppose sanctions and war on Iran

Notes to the proposer (Oct 2007)

George Bush’s speech on 28th August, authorizing the American military to “confront Tehran’s murderous activities”, and the deployment of British troops to the Iranian border to guard against Iran’s “proxy war” in Iraq, signify a qualitative shift towards war by the US and a systematic building towards a casus belli for another illegal pre-emptive war.

Currently, IAEA and Iran are engaged on a work plan with strict time limit until November 07 to clarify all the ambiguities over Iran’s nuclear programme which the West purports as the basis of its suspicions of a weaponisation programme in Iran The first findings of the work plan announced the clearance of Iran’s plutonium experiments – labeled by the US as evidence of weaponisation – and verified non-diversion to weaponisation and peaceful use of all declared nuclear activities in Iran. However the US, supported by the UK and France, is persisting with its demand that Iran must cease uranium enrichment or face another round of sanctions whilst the threat of military strike remains ominously present.