US Warships Off Iran: A Perennial Spectacle of Manufactured Crisis
📰 THE STORY: CBS News reports that Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned the U.S. that its 'finger is on the trigger' as American warships, including an aircraft carrier strike group, head towards the Middle East. The story frames this as a response to 'bloody crackdown on protests' in Iran, suggesting Iranian aggression in the face of internal dissent. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical
Context: The narrative of an aggressive Iran defending against US intervention ignores the foundational event of 1953, when the CIA, in 'Operation Ajax,' orchestrated a coup to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, installing the Shah and setting the stage for decades of anti-Western sentiment. Decades later, from 1980-1988, the US armed Saddam Hussein's Iraq,
which used chemical weapons against Iran, killing tens of thousands, a fact rarely mentioned in discussions of Iranian 'aggression.' Double Standard: When China sends warships near Taiwan (which the US does not recognize as an independent nation, yet sells arms to), it's framed as 'provocative aggression' threatening international shipping lanes. When the US sends aircraft carrier groups 'toward'
the Persian Gulf, thousands of miles from its own borders, it's merely a 'deployment' or 'presence' for 'stability.' The implicit message is that countries are allowed to defend their own borders, but Iran is not allowed to react to a vast foreign military presence on its doorstep. Follow the Money: The revolving door between defense contractors and government continues to spin. Increased tensions