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Dear Kepha

Reader comment on item: Washington Puzzles over the Mujahedeen-e Khalq
in response to reader comment: Dear Debanjan

Submitted by Debanjan Banerjee (India), Dec 10, 2011 at 12:27

Mr. Kepha ,

"And you haven't really challenged my assertion that Mossadegh was a bold lion towards British interests, and a crippled mouse towards the Soviets, who not only looted the northern part of his country, but actually wished to dismember it as well."

My Answer --- > You need to understand that during the time of Mossadegh (and still now) the biggest asset of Iranian nation was oil. The Anglo-British Oil corporation (now called BP) was amassing an unfair amount of money by simply stealing the revenues from it. Now this company did run Iranian oil for 50 years previously but throughout that time it failed to include any Iranian either as an oil man , engineer or board of the directors. This was what a visiting Israeli gentleman had to say about the Abadan refinery run by the British.

"They lived during the seven hot months of the year under the
trees. . . . In winter times these masses moved into big halls, built
by the company, housing up to 3,000–4,000 people without walls
of partition between them. Each family occupied the space of a
blanket. There were no lavatories. . . . In debates with British col-
leagues we often tried to show them the mistake they were mak-
ing in treating the Persians the way they did. The answer was
usually:"We English have had hundreds of years of experience on
how to treat the Natives. Socialism is all right back home, but out
here you have to be the master.""

(Source : All the Shah's men)

Now the thing here is that it was the British who was all along against Iran standing on its own feet . When Mossadegh nationalized the oil industry , the British refused to allow the oil tankers to export Iranian oil. The British navy had put in place an oil embargo to destroy Mossadegh and show Iranians their places. If Mossadegh wanted at that time , he easily could just phone Stalin and Iran would not need to be worried about selling its oil to the rest of the World.

But you know what Mossadegh did. Instead of calling Stalin , he decided to take his case to the US and to the International community albeit he knew that the old disease of Anglophilism of the "new World" would defeat his purpose.

When in 1952 , President Trueman under pressure from Churchill had sent a jointly signed letter to Mossadegh asking him to accept the hegemony of Anglo-Iranian oil company , then it would have been natural for Mossadegh to just ring up Stalin and accept the "Das Capital". Yet he choose not to.

Another point here. Whenever in doubt , he used to invoke the Quran like for example , he decided to swear upon the Quran twice during his confrontations with the Shah. Do you think any communist would do that ?

The thing is that Mossadegh was one of the first statesmen from the Muslim World and also from the entire developing countries , who actually understood the nature of colonialism and how it prevents the growth of the colony.

You know had the US government of the day accepted Mossadegh at the day probably the Iranian revolution and the Gulf oil disaster of Mexico would be stillborn in the womb of history. So please blame Mr. Eisenhower (Ike) for Iranian revolution and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill for not reigning in the bad habits of BP.

Regarding MEK , well it does not matter to the people of Iran as well as to the posterity that MEK whatever the state department wants to call a bunch of terrorist thugs. I mean this is a group which openly fought alongside Saddam's army during Iraq-Iran war and even now continues to kill Iranian nuclear scientists on behalf of Mossad and CIA. It does not matter whatever are they considered inside Washington , to the people of Iran they will always remain murderous thugs.Period.

Now after close to six decades from that day when Mossadegh's rule was usurped , Iran owns its own oil. And what about Britian ? The name of BP lies in infamy and Britian , as usual , without its colonies have turned into a country of "Old beer and herrings". I suggest British should think about mortgaging their god-forsaken Island to the Gulf Arabs and the Chinese so that they can continue their wretched existence.

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Reader comments (17) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
correct me if I'm wrong... [337 words]Peter HerzNov 29, 2011 22:13191314
more on MEK [101 words]Peter HerzDec 1, 2011 05:55191314
revised thinking [147 words]russell wohlfordMar 7, 2013 11:19191314
linkage [8 words]Consul-At-ArmsJun 24, 2011 12:19186743
Arabs need a secular dictator [90 words]MotkeJun 17, 2010 01:11174480
Now, should Israel trust Clinton's umbrella [60 words]Yuval Brandstetter MDAug 12, 2009 11:05160103
Regarding Mujahideen-e Khalq [74 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Debanjan BanerjeeMay 11, 2009 20:51155254
The MeK is a secular alternative -- they deserve our benign support at least [143 words]Charles MartelAug 13, 2009 11:20155254
Remember Mossadeq [121 words]Charles MartelAug 16, 2009 05:34155254
As for Mossadegh... [117 words]Kepha HorNov 29, 2011 21:53155254
Seems to me that Mr. Kepha needs to study history more [369 words]Debanjan BanerjeeDec 4, 2011 11:26155254
Dear Debanjan [227 words]Kepha HorDec 9, 2011 16:49155254
Dear Kepha [743 words]Debanjan BanerjeeDec 10, 2011 12:27155254
2I met these folks [518 words]russell wohlfordAug 24, 2006 11:2053901
Read some history [436 words]The Historian...Nov 19, 2006 12:4953901
response to "The Historian" [1093 words]russell wohlfordNov 22, 2006 02:4053901
Response to "the Historian" [305 words]RSTAug 9, 2009 00:0653901

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