Minneapolis, MN – On August 14, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee hosted an event at the Lucy Parsons Center with author Dan Kovalik and discussed the history of U.S. imperialism in Iran, centered around his book, The Plot to Attack Iran: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran.

The event began with a discussion among attendees, addressing issues like, “How has this book and the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June affected how you view Iran?” and “What narratives around Iran do we need to get ahead of as the anti-war movement?”

Kovalik’s book follows the history of American intervention in Iran, starting with the U.S.-backed coup of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953 and transfer of power to the repressive Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, all the way through to the U.S.’s harsh economic sanctions and support for anti-Iran terrorist groups.

The Anti-War Committee explained the purpose of the event, “With Trump threatening Iran with regime change yet again, understanding the history of U.S. imperial meddling in Iran is the first step in fighting back against it.”

AWC organizer Gabriel Miller states, “When Israel and Trump attacked Iran in June, many in the Palestine movement were seeking answers on how to assess the 12 days of war. By bringing Dan Kovalik to Minneapolis, we aimed to consolidate our community around strong anti-imperialist values, including how the struggles of Palestine, Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Venezuela and many more are intimately connected.”

The 1979 Iranian Revolution was a fight against the American imperial forces backing the Shah. Iran’s resistance to Western interference since then has resulted in a strengthened opposition to Israel as a tool of U.S. imperialism in the Middle East.

A goal of the event was to dispel some myths the U.S. has created around Iran. Iran's opposition to Israel presents a threat to U.S. hegemony in the region, prompting the U.S. to spread propaganda against Iran and its current leadership, as it has done since the 1979 revolution.

AWC members began organizing the event soon after the 12-day war in June in hopes of educating others and combatting propagandistic narratives. “We had the event because of reports indicating that the war is set to continue very soon,” says AWC organizer and co-interviewer Naveen Borojerdi.

A quote from the very first page of Kovalik's book, published in 2018, has proven prescient, “By many accounts, the United States, and its close ally Israel, have been preparing for a war with Iran for over a decade now.”

With the Trump administration furthering the United States' imperialist goals in the Middle East, understanding the history of U.S. intervention is essential in effectively promoting countries' rights to national independence.

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