Left I on the News

With a large hat tip to WIIIAI, I take note of President Obama's message on the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the American embassy in Iran. Obama incorrectly asserts that that "event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion, mistrust, and confrontation," as if the U.S.-sponsored coup which installed the Shah 26 years earlier hadn't done precisely that. (He also claims, arrogantly, and equally incorrectly, that "We have heard for thirty years what the Iranian government is against; the question, now, is what kind of future it is for." Well, for starters, it's for a future that employs nuclear power. Suck on that, Barack.)

Iranians have a different take on both what happened 30 years ago and what is still happening today, the commonality being that the U.S. is trying for "regime change" every bit as much now as it was then. And here's what the students who occupied the U.S. Embassy 30 years ago found out about that:

Documents found at the former embassy showed that Washington had tested 26 different strategies to overthrow the Revolution in the first few months that followed its victory.

According to Rahimpour-Azghadi, some of the strategies that the US had employed included attempts to create sectarian unrest, a campaign to recruit religious minorities with Zionist inclinations, and plan to fuel labor strikes and food shortages.

He also mentioned terrorism, encouraging student protests in universities and schools, and providing financial and media back-up to opposing political groups, as other tactics adopted by the US had.

Rahimpour-Azghadi said that the US had even tried to make use of cultural activities, such as English language classes, scientific gatherings and artistic circles to topple the Islamic Republic.

The analyst said Washington sought to influence the country's top political figures, its religious leadership and moderate Islamic intellectuals.

Same as it ever was.