In an International Manifesto Group webinar held on 1 March, prominent Chinese scholar Victor Gao – Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization – gives a powerful critique of the latest Israeli-US aggression against Iran.
Victor correctly characterises the war launched by Israel and the United States as “a war of aggression and a war of injustice”. He goes on to unambiguously uphold Iran’s right to self-defence:
I listened very carefully to UN Secretary-General António Guterres when he spoke at the Security Council of the United Nations. He condemned the war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran, which I fully support. But he also condemned the military attacks launched by Iran against quite a few countries in the Middle East.
I tend to disagree with Secretary-General Guterres. Why? Because Iran, in my view, has the full right to strike at any military bases, facilities, installations, or military personnel of the United States in other regions in that part of the world—including, for example, in Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and so on.
Otherwise, it would be completely odd for Iran to be attacked in such an aggressive manner by the United States and Israel, and yet be expected to sit like a sitting duck under such military attacks – attempts to overthrow its government, probably also to destroy its civilisation – while being bound by the futility of not striking at the military facilities and installations in its neighbourhood, which most likely have been used one way or another in launching this ongoing attack against Iran.
He proceeds to reiterate China’s orientation towards peace and its clear interest in seeing an end to hostilities: “China’s imported oil accounts for about 75 percent of the total oil we consume annually. Much of that comes from the Middle East, and much of it needs to go through the Strait of Hormuz. So we have a vested interest in keeping peace in the Middle East rather than seeing the continuation of the war and the deterioration of the situation.”
Victor concludes with a stark warning:
The US and its allies want to expand. They want to take over land, oil, gas and other minerals from the legitimate possession of other countries. They want to violate sovereignty and territorial integrity. They want to impose war – and this will not be the last war. They want to impose war after war against other countries. If we do not unite to put a stop to this aggression and war, I think they will push the situation – not only involving Iran, or the Middle East, but the whole world – into an abyss of turmoil, chaos, instability, and destruction.
The video of the speech is embedded below.
Highly respected Leadership of the People’s Republic of China,
I must confess, i had to take a sabbatical from all political and social activism after what was allowed to be committed against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
I am back here in the context of the tragically painful USA-Israeli bombardments of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to international law, when a country is unlawfully attacked and is victim of unprovoked aggression and war, all UN members have the obligation to help and assist that country to defend itself and end that aggression.
No country should assist and/or help the aggressor.
On the contrary, all countries have the duty to impede, oppose, weaken and punish the aggressor and/or assist in holding the aggressor accountable.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is being unlawfully and groundlessly aggressed by USA and Israel.
Why isn’t this happening in, around and for Iran?
Why aren’t you and Russia following this path?
Why are you not organizing the rest of the world in defending the rights of Iran and in assisting the Iranian people in their lawful, legitimate and righteous fight?
And where is BRICS?
And what about the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – which even has special security and counter-terrorism dimensions and departments?
Why are they silent, so passive?!?
Truly, China, Russia and other members of BRICS and indeed of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization should at the very least speak with one voice here, act together, coordinate their diplomatic, political, economic and financial steps in this situation of blatant unlawful aggression: like summoning the ambassadors of the aggressors, recalling their own ambassadors, issuing sanctions, taking steps to exclude the agressors from international organizations and sports events,… – just like the European Union, although a political and economic (not military) entity and much of the West did and are still doing for Ukraine, with lesser reason, lesser rights and lesser legal grounds.
Please!
With solidarity and hope from The Netherlands