Sanctions: Another step towards war?

We have seen this before! The Bush Administration, with no visible opposition from the Democratically-controlled Congress, has taken another major step toward war. This time against the people of Iran.

On October 25th, the Bush Administration announced a harsh new program of sanctions leveled against the people of Iran.  Executive Orders 13382 and 13224 target the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces, and three of Iran's largest state-owned banks, freezing any of their assets held in U.S. banks and prohibiting any U.S. citizen or company from engaging in financial transactions with these organizations.  Sanctions themselves are an act of war! This is understood internationally. The Bush Administration latest announcement is clearly a precursor to military action against the people of Iran – as such actions and language were in 2003.

The sanctions package, combined with the sending of a second US carrier group to the Gulf earlier this year, comes at the same time when the media is reporting that Bush is determined to strike Iran before the end of his term. More than half the U.S. Navy is not off the coast of Iran.  ABC News reports that the Bush Administration has requested $88 millionto modify B-2 bombers to carry a newly developed 30,000-pound bomb super "bunker-buster" designed to destroy hardened targets deep underground.

Just as in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Bush Administration is using claims about "weapons of mass destruction" to build support for military action. The Democrats in Congress have done nothing to oppose the growing threat of war — in fact, many of them, including leading Presidential candidates, are actively supporting the Administration's drive to war against Iran.

Bush’s war in Iraq has already caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and almost 4,000 U.S. deaths. The cost will be over 2 trillion dollars with no end in sight – while infrastructure in the U.S. is collapsing.

Help Stop another war in the Middle East

It is clear that we cannot rely on politicians to stop a new war against Iran. The only force that will stop an attack is a massive international grassroots movement of opposition.

NOW is the time for activists from across the globe to sign on to a call from Stop War on Iran (http://stopwaroniran.org/statement.shtml) saying, "We urge an immediate end to Washington's campaign of sanctions, hostility, and falsehood against the people of Iran. We oppose any new U.S. aggression against Iran. We need funds for human needs, not endless war for empire."

Every message signed will go automatically to members of every top congressional committee, the Bush Administration, the UN Security Council and to the major corporate media. Together let’s make out voices heard – NOW!

Stop War on Iran Campaign’s activists and organizers have held teach-ins and forums across the U.S. We have marched in antiwar demonstrations with Stop War on Iran placards and banners. We have distributed thousands of Stop War on Iran broadsheets and collected tens of thousands of petition signatures.

But we must do more and we need your help to do it. Here's how you can help:

• Sign the petition now, located at http://stopwaroniran.org/petition.shtml.
• Download the petition from http://stopwaroniran.org/petition.pdf. Take copies to your school, workplace, union hall, church or mosque, community center, etc.
• Help get the word out.  Pass the word along to your email lists.
• Donate - Help us with the enormous expenses of organizing meetings and rallies, printing leaflets, placards, and banners, and producing educational material. You can donate online at http://stopwaroniran.org/donate.shtml.