The Socialist Menace Piercing the corporate veil of deception

US threatens war with Iran

An Iranian navy military exercise

Media propaganda can be a powerful tool for distorting history, as well as distorting current political events.

Shortly before the United States entered World War II, for example, it placed an embargo on Japan, blocking its access to goods like steel and oil.  These things were critical to its economy, and as a small island nation, it depended heavily on imports.  The Roosevelt administration knew the overwhelmingly likely effect of this embargo would be Japanese retaliation - and sure enough, the move forced Japan into attacking the U.S. at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.  The U.S. media has long portrayed America as the victim of totally unwarranted Japanese aggression, but the truth is, the U.S. provoked Japan into attacking and knew exactly what it was doing.

Similar events are taking place with respect to Tehran today.  While the media would have us believe that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, is a madman and dictator, bent on acquiring nuclear weapons and "wiping Israel off the map," there is more to the story than this absurdly pro-U.S. account.

Both the United States and its allies, as well as the UN Security Council, have previously imposed sanctions on Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons program, which have significantly harmed its economy.  Tehran denies that it is developing nuclear weapons.

President Obama will soon sign into law restrictions on Iran's central bank, through which most Iranian oil sales flow.  Specifically, it would freeze assets of any foreign financial institutions doing business with the bank, which would have the effect of severely impeding Iranian oil exports.  Meanwhile, the European Union is considering placing an embargo on exports of Iranian oil.

Sound familiar?

It's no surprise that, in response, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz.  Having been sufficiently provoked and attacked economically, Iran is lashing out at the true aggressors - the U.S. and its allies.  However, the American media has unleashed a barrage of propaganda, making it appear that Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz is totally unwarranted.

The U.S. Department of Defense issued a statement saying that this would "not be tolerated," an implied threat of military action.

As the Obama administration deliberately heightens tensions with Iran, arguing that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable, bear in mind that the U.S. deliberately manufactured lies about Saddam Hussein building WMDs in Iraq in 2003.  It makes no difference whether Iran is actually building nuclear weapons - the U.S. has its own strategic reasons for justifying a war with the country, including its huge oil and gas reserves.