In a meeting in the House of Commons, Middle East experts will today challenge Tony Blair’s statement that Iran and Syria are to blame for the latest crisis in the Middle East. They will also condemn decision by the Foreign Ministers in Paris to refer Iran to the UN Security Council. The unsubstantiated allegations regarding Iran’s involvement in the current Lebanese crisis and the decision of the foreign ministers of the Security Council permanent members, pave the road not just to sanctions but to military action against Iran.

The meeting organised by CASMII, the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran, will be addressed by a number of parliamentarians and Middle East experts including Iranian academic Professor Abbas Edalat, Professor Pirouz Mojtahedjadeh, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Paul Ingram (British American Security Information Council) and Alys Elica Zaerin (Action Iran). CASMII have also extended an invitation to Jack Straw whose opposition to military intervention was reportedly the cause of his demotion from his role as Foreign Secretary earlier this year.

Earlier in the day, a delegation will deliver a declaration to the Prime Minister containing the signatures of foreign ministers of 56 nations and stating that "the only way to resolve Iran's nuclear issue is to resume negotiations without any preconditions and to enhance cooperation with the involvement of all relevant parties".[1]

Professor Abbas Edalat said today;
“Allegations that Iran is to blame for the activities of extremists in Gaza and Lebanon are unsubstantiated and incendiary. Tony Blair is quick to join the Israelis in apportioning blame and painting a picture of an Iran orchestrating terrorism and defying the reasonable demands made by “the rest of the world”. In fact Iran has denied providing weapons to Hizbollah and is exercising its legal and inalienable right to pursue civilian nuclear technology. There is no evidence whatsoever that Iran has any nuclear weapons programme. What’s more, the demands of Paris foreign ministers represent neither the views of their populations nor the views of other counties. They certainly do not represent the 56 nations that signed the Baku Declaration which we presented to Tony Blair today.”

CASMII are concerned that the accusations levelled against Iran and repeated uncritically in the media and are helping to ‘soften up’ the public to the idea of that military action against Iran is unavoidable.

Professor Edalat said:
“If there is proof that the current Iranian regime is supplying weapons to Hizbollah we would like to see it. If there is proof that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons programme we would like to see it. The US and UK governments must reconsider their confrontational approach to Iran. They should not make inflammatory accusations and they should enter into direct negotiaiotns without any preconditions on with Iran while recognising Iran's right for a civilian nuclear technology including uranium enrichment up to fuel grade as granted by the Non Proliferation Treaty. “