Making sense of the Zarrab case

By Güray Öz

Yayınlanma: 20.10.2017 - 14:23
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The “truth” is not to be sought in relations between an imperialist state and a state that for some reason has incurred its wrath. We must follow the trail of the truths that the clash thrusts before our eyes. Who are these states and why are they clashing? We are speaking of Iran, Turkey and the USA. As to the bit players, these are Zanjani, who is on trial in Iran, Zarrab, who is on trial in the USA, “the others” and, for sure, those in Turkey who cannot be tried.
 
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First: the USA imposes very wide-ranging sanctions on Iran with the stated aim of preventing the manufacture of nuclear weapons and proclaims to the whole world that it will brand anybody who breaches these sanctions a criminal. Second: Iran quite naturally announces that it does not recognise the sanctions and avails itself of all means to continue trading. A small detail: it does not excuse its citizens who exploit the opportunity in search of easy earnings. Third: Turkey is uncomfortable with these sanctions, relations are harmed and it seeks ways of circumventing the sanctions. We learn that this endeavour, which we might condone if done through normal methods, sets the wheels of large-scale graft in motion and certain politicians who hold office at the highest levels of state profit from these dealings.
 
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I need to explain here how this circumvention functions. An example: we know that everybody is taken in by fabrications such as making trading in gold appear to be the buying and selling of grain. That the USA, however, is not taken in becomes apparent from the probes with ever-widening scope launched by prosecutors and the trials that are filed. The clash between the USA and Iran has a long history. Its relations with Turkey, in turn, have been lukewarm ever since the notorious 1 March resolution. Even if the administrations would like to reinvigorate trust, relations are, as is said, “complex”.
 
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With the quite juicy profits, graft and easy earnings in the course of breaching the sanctions attaining gigantic proportions that are not to be sneezed at and with it emerging that certain people in top positions in Turkey are also embroiled from head to toe in this affair, all hell breaks loose. Who blew the whistle? The ruling party’s close partner, the gang whose leader lives in Pennsylvania that was minded to eliminate its partner through a coup and proclaim a Shariah state by the back door. Well, what happens when the shoe boxes and so on come to light? The same thing as always. The truth is concealed with a great commotion, the quarrel between the partners heats up, ministers are made to resign having been “whitewashed” and so on.
 
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A bloody coup attempt and other things have intervened. The AKP and the USA have fallen out. See if the government ruling the country under a state of emergency did not embark on a course frequently taken by those who fall out with the imperialist USA and more or less proclaim itself to be anti-imperialist. However, as “reconciliation” was indispensable and pressing, this anti-imperialism did not do a lot of good. But, the USA has not stopped pursuing this matter and is digging and delving, saying “Where are those who breached the sanctions?”
 
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What is to come of this? Nonsense such as vindication of US imperialism and the decisions it takes will not. Vindication of those who say, “We are breaching unjust sanctions, we are defending the country’s interests and the invoice for the watch, well, it is on the napkin you know” will not. Heedless thinking such as, “Somebody or other exposed this game and it came to light during a quarrel, but let us close our eyes to it or they will call us so-and-sos later” will not.
 
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What befalls to us is, in an objective manner, to look at where this affair is headed, who is pressing the charges and who is being charged, and to monitor this international trial closely. For, it is abundantly clear that the affair is huge. This is the kind of affair that comes to plague those who have truck with imperialists. The point is not to permit those so plagued to portray this as being the country’s issue and to stand up for the people’s right to obtain news. For, it is the people’s right to find out what is happening.


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