A recently released statement published on the Socialist Party USA’s homepage discusses the party’s official position with regards to the potential outbreak of war in Iran:
A military attack on Iran is a real possibility. George Bush, in the waning days of his Administration, may launch an attack on Iran, or Israel, with the US blessing, may launch such an attack on its own. Another scenario is that this administration may ratchet up the pressures on Iran, leaving it to the next administration, either Obama or McCain, to initiate a military attack and occupation. In any case, the Socialist Party opposes the use of military force or economic sanctions to deal with the problems involving Iran.
After a discussion of the last half-century of Iran’s history, in which are criticized the US, Britain, the Shah and the Islamic Revolutionary government, the statement contrasts the nuclear positions of Iran and Israel before offering it’s own vision for Middle Eastern policy:
The Socialist Party believes in the need to create a nuclear free Middle East, with serious, thorough international inspections of every country in the area. If Israel would agree to this, it would be a major step toward ending the rush of the Arab and Islamic states to secure weapons of mass destruction. The race to gain such weapons was an inevitable effort by other powers in the Middle East to feel more secure against Israel.
An attack on Iran by either the US or Israel would have extremely serious consequences, including a sharp increase in the price of oil. (In fact, it is that economic reality that provides some hope that the US or Israeli will not attack.) Iran possesses a fairly advanced military machine, and would be able to strike deep within Israel, and also to intervene more directly in Iraq.
One of the ironies of the Bush policy of invading Iraq was that it created a vast political vacuum into which Iranian influence has moved. The Iraq War weakened Iraq, and left Iran as the strongest single influence in Iraq (many of the current Iraqi political leaders were in exile in Iran during Saddam’s regime).
As democratic socialists, hope to see a secular, progressive and democratic government in Iran, and support all such movements within Iran and elsewhere in the region. At the same time, the U.S. government and its allies need to accept the fact that Iran is emerging as a major power in the area, and diplomatic rather than military approaches must be supported. The Socialist Party absolutely opposes every effort to build up a war hysteria against Iran, as we opposed the attack on Iraq. If the criminal actions of the US invasion of Iraq prove nothing else, it is that the military approach to Middle Eastern conflicts must be resisted