VIDEO: Phyllis Bennis on Iran’s Arrests of Reformist Leaders
In a timely interview with Al Jazeera English, Phyllis Bennis discusses how the Iranian government’s recent arrest of several prominent leaders associated with the reformist movement could impact diplomatic talks between Iran and the United States.
Phyllis notes that arrests come in the wake of the latest talks between the U.S. and Iran in Oman, which are expected to resume again soon, and ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States.
“There’s no question that [Netanyahu is] going to be raising a demand for a much harsher position towards Iran even than that of the Trump administration,” Phyllis explains. Netanyahu could point to the arrests to underscore a demand for a moratorium on the enrichment of uranium on Iran, a prohibition on missiles, and an end to support for Iran’s allies in the region.
Phyllis notes that while Israel has called for a prohibition on all nuclear enrichment by Iran, the U.S. has historically maintained that Iran should not possess a nuclear weapon, but that nuclear enrichment and a civilian nuclear program can be permitted. In fact, Phyllis points out, Iran has had such a nuclear program for decades, which was first started by the U.S. in the 1960s.
Phyllis argues that the arrests are meant to serve as a message both to Iranians and to the international community: while the government may have pulled back for the moment from the most brutal crackdowns on protesters, observers shouldn’t “get the idea that [Iranian leaders are] going to support a reformist move.”
“We should keep in mind that [the reformists who were arrested] are not people who have been calling for the overthrow of the regime, the replacement of the Islamic Republic,” Phyllis explains. These are more moderate leaders who are calling for economic and social reforms under the current regime.
It’s unclear whether these arrests could lead to more protests, or whether they could have a chilling effect on mass demonstrations. What is clear is that military intervention by the U.S. would make the situation worse.
“If the U.S. were serious about supporting the people of Iran — supporting the protesters, supporting the reformers — the first thing they would do is lift the sanctions that are crippling the economy, crippling the lives of so many Iranians, including of course the protesters, and go into serious diplomacy without pre-conditions to avoid a war, which will be devastating for the people of Iran and inevitably will likely spread to the rest of the region,” Phyllis urges.
Watch the full interview below.
