On the weekend of January 11th and 12th, 2020, Canadians shared deep mourning over the 57 Canadian citizens and 29 permanent residents  killed in the plane that had been mistakenly shot down after take-off from Tehran. As well, Canadians mourned for their families and friends and the vacant holes left in a world to which they would have made valuable, irreplaceable contributions. As someone who spent time in Iran I have always been very interested in its people, history, music and culture. In 1967 my former husband and I were Peace Corps volunteers in Tehran; sadly my husband decided after two months that his position there did not work for him.  I was very heartbroken at having to leave, and had been looking forward to two years of being seeped in all I could experience in Iran. Back in the US I missed the Iranian music on the radio, the scents, stacks of Persian carpets and people in the huge bazaar, the street sellers crying out their goods. No more would I hear the vendors going through our neighborhood shouting “piyazi-e, seeb zamini-e!” (“onions, potatoes!”) or “naft!” (“kerosene!”). I missed the huge watermelons, children’s faces, women in their chadors laughing with each other, the sight of the mosque towers. This was when the Shah had just been coronated as “King of Kings” and freedom was just a wish, for most Iranians.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi crowned himself Shananshah (October, 1967) and changed the beginning of the Persian calendar back to the coronation of the first Achaemenid emperor, Cyrus the Great (from the Islamic Hegira calendar). I suspect he did all this because he stood on shaky ground coming to power only in a coup. In Tehran it was said that he had a Savak (secret police) spy in every higher education classroom.

The cultures of Persia go back into the mists of history. Most of us have seen pictures of the ancient architecture and sculptures from Susa, Persepolis and other sites. Darius (522-486 BCE) formulated laws, inspired by the Babylonians, and set up an impressive judicial system. Truth and justice were emphasized by Darius and were values that persisted in the country long past his time.

Persia brought Zarathustrianism to the world, with its focus on right thoughts, deeds, and actions and its emphasis on Nature and balance. Later, Islam contributed beautiful mosques with their exquisite colored tiles. We admire the ancient art and architecture and the exquisite designs and varied colors of Persian carpets. Today the great Persian sufi poets from the 900’s to 1300’s are still lauded all over the world, such as Rumi, Hafiz, Attar, and Khayyam. The music of Iran can break the heart, and can open it.

Having been elected to Parliament in the 1920’s and again in 1941, Mohammad Mosaddegh became Prime Minister of Iran in 1952; this was a reluctant move made by Shah Reza Pahlavi due to Mosaddegh’s popularity for having nationalized Iran’s oil and for his work to bring secular democracy to Iran. He also tried to limit the power of the crown and brought in land reforms to help the people. Later when the Shah attempted to dismiss the Prime Minister, Mosaddegh’s followers took to the streets. Reza Pahlavi actually fled the country. In 1953 Mosaddegh was brought down in a coup orchestrated by the US and the Britain. A boycott by Britain, interference by the CIA, and Britain’s dealing in Iran’s election were factors in what happened at that time. After the nationalization of Iran’s oil industry, Churchill wanted to regain Britain’s control of it. In 1952, Britain repeatedly asked President Truman’s government to join in planning a coup in Iran. At first Truman was very reluctant, preferring to deal directly with Mossaddegh. Eventually the US and Britain did organize the coup along with a demonstration against Iran’s government. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was then put in power and led his authoritarian regime for over two decades.

In Nov., 1979, students in support of the Iranian Revolution took over the US embassy in Tehran and kept 52 diplomats and other persons hostage for 444 days. In Iran this was seen as a response to long-term US influence and its attempt to impede the success of the Revolution. It was a protest of the US support of the Shah. The hostage taking was in violation of the diplomatic exemption from arrest as given in the Vienna Convention. Negotiations between Iran and the Carter Administration however, did not come to a resolution.

In 1980, Carter attempted a rescue mission of the hostages. This failed and ended with one Iranian civilian being killed as well as eight US military personnel. Then after Iraq invaded Iran in Sept. 1980, Iran and the US entered negotiations with Algeria as mediator. In July, 1988, in the midst of the final period of the Iran Iraq war, the US downed an Iranian passenger plane in the midst of a battle in the Persian Gulf.  All 290 people on board the plane were killed. A US guided missile cruiser had entered Iran’s territorial waters (yet the US never did admit this), after one of its helicopters was hit by warning fire from Iran’s speed boats. The US claimed its cruiser, Vincennes, had mistakenly identified the aircraft as an F-14 Tom Cat, which was part of the Iranian Air Force. It was in fact a different plane and Iran stated the crew had identified itself using a code for a passenger plane. The US asserted its cruiser sent out a message to the plane but did not receive a message back. In 1996 Iran and the US settled the matter in the International Court of Justice, the outcome being that the US awarded US 61.8 million to families of the victims.

In 1992 I accomplished something I’d wanted to do on and off for some time–this was to move to Canada and become a citizen here. Especially after George H. Bush started the Gulf War the urge to leave the US was strong. One of the reasons I moved was my frustration at the military, political and economic interference in other countries by the US. At that time, 55 to 65% of our US tax dollars were spent on the military and its related expenses. In the 2019 US budget 686.1 billion dollars were allocated for “defense,” which is more than the next seven rated countries put together. I have been a peace advocate all of my life. I consider any wealthy power in the world which creates and maintains nuclear weapons to be dealing in terror: holding the rest of the world and its own people in constant terror of the end of the world at any minute. Can we be surprised that some smaller nations take up building nuclear weapons in response? Now the Doomsday Clock is set at one minute and 40 seconds to midnight. We have gone on about our lives for decades… very near to midnight! It seems as if we are all about to jump off the cliff of no return: I keep seeing the image of the plane’s bomb bay opening and the fellow riding the bomb to Earth in the film “Doctor Strangelove.”

A few years back Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was a key figure in helping the US fight the Taliban and ISIS. Many thought of him as the most skillful military officer in the Middle East. Of course some of his projects helped so-called enemies of the US. After the 9/11 attacks Iran expressed sympathy with the US and collaborated with it at times. It denounced the Taliban and this brought better relations with the US. It opened its air space to aid in the initial invasion of Afghanistan. Dr. Marvin Weinbaum of the Middle East Institute believes Soleimani helped form the collaboration of the Afghan Northern Alliance and factions of the  Mujahedeen, which led to the current Afghan constitution. In 2002 relations between the US and Iran were stressed after President George W. Bush named Iran as part of the “Axis of Evil.” One may well wonder at the subtle effects on some minds this term may have had as it was often repeated in the media.

After the Syrian Civil War relations between Iran and the US fell apart. Soleimani aided Assad, and in Syria US-backed and Iran-backed militia were fighting each other. This was despite both countries being against ISIS. Then in 2014 Soleimani worked with the US to achieve a defeat of ISIS by protecting a Shiite Turkmen town in Iraq from attack. This was not the only case of US-Iran cooperation. And such activities actually led to the 2015 nuclear agreement (the forgoing from http://www.ozy.com).

In 2015 Prime Minister Stephen Harper ended Canada’s diplomatic relations with Iran. Then in May, 2018, President Trump pulled the US out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). This agreement was over twenty months in formation, and included Iran, China, Russia, the US, UK, France, Germany and the EU. With it Iran agreed to limit its stockpiles of enriched uranium for thirteen years, and not to build new heavy-water facilities for that period. In return Iran would be relieved of nuclear-related sanctions. With Harper’s decision to end diplomatic relations with Iran and with Trump pulling the US out of the Nuclear Deal in May, 2018, I was greatly disappointed and had a deep sense of foreboding.

Greg Sargent of the Washington Post stated that NBC News reported President Trump authorized the killing of Soleimani seven months before–in the case aggression by Iran should kill an American, and with the condition that Trump would have final sign-off (according to five current and previous administration officials). This was after Iranian proxies in Iraq attacked and killed a US contractor and four US service personnel. US intelligence determined this attack was not meant to harm personnel. It also determined there was not imminent threat from Soleimani. It has been learned that the seven-month old assassination plan was suggested by Mike Pompeo and John Bolton. The US response to the contractor and four others being killed was to order strikes which killed 24 Iran-backed militia members. This led to protesters storming the US Embassy in Baghdad.

When Trump ordered the drone attack which killed Soleimani on Jan. 3rd, 2020, this act violated international law as well as the US Constitution and the Constitution of Iraq, as it happened in Iraq. The International Court prohibits an act of aggression against the military of another country. Under Article 6 of the US Constitution the US is bound to abide by a variety of international treaties. How this applies is under discussion now.  As it now seems clear there was no imminent threat from Soleimani, the attack violated the US constitution as there was no authorization from Congress. If the US attack was made because of knowledge of a planned attack by Iran, legally it would have had to be reported to the UN Security Council. It was not. Also, immediately after attacking, the US would have had to report to the UN, which it did not. After Soleimani’s killing, Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi stated the General’s visit to Iraq was actually concerned with de-escalating tensions between Iran and the US.

Millions of Iranians turned out to mark the death of General Soleimani. In Kerman where he was buried about 40 people died as the crowd crushed together. Then after Iran finally acknowledged that it had mistakenly fired at the passenger plane filled with Iranians, hundreds of people in seven cities demonstrated in the streets in anger. They called for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s resignation. In Tehran anti-riot police were at the demonstrations and when Khamenei’s name was shouted they fired tear gas and hit protesters with batons (#IRANunfiltered, National Iranian American Council).

In total there were 86 people from Canada killed on the flight out of Tehran; all 176 people on the plane died. Here, Prime Minister Trudeau decided to give $25,000 to each of the families of victims from Canada, hoping that they will eventually receive decent compensation from Iran. Canadians were sent to Iran to help investigate the plane crash. Former Prime Minister Harper’s decision to end diplomatic relations with Iran has made it a lot more cumbersome for dealings between the two countries. Hopefully our government will work toward re-establishing diplomatic connections. As I write this Canadian investigators in Iran working to find more information about the attacked plane. They report that Iran is being very cooperative in this. As the black box recorders had been damaged, the box may be sent to the Ukraine for the proper technology to try to retrieve information from it.

Many who have watched Donald Trump’s self-centered and emotionally driven decisions as President cannot help but notice some things here which stand out. Trump’s pulling out of the Iran Nuclear deal seemed to be a part of his drive to undo major accomplishments made by President Barak Obama. Again the killing of Soleimani can be seen as a case of “I’m more macho,” as both Obama and George W. Bush had decided not to harm the Iranian General. And then of course there is the fact that Soleimani was killed right in the middle of the House impeachment of Trump, which was about to go to the Senate for trial. To play with the life and death of someone when this is related to one’s own ego or anger issues is way beyond what a people can afford from a leader.

I keep going back to my appreciation and my concern for the people of Iran. They have been through so much and their efforts to have a stable democracy have been greatly thwarted. Leaders in both the US and Iran at times have greatly influenced animosity, even hatred between the countries. It is hard to believe that back in the Peace Corps days many Americans forged very strong ties with Iran and Iranians which are maintained today. According to the UN Charter, both countries have a legal obligation to settle disputes peacefully. When I was young I held the hope of re-visiting Iran, and gave up on that because of the state of relations between the US and Iran. So instead I remember the wonderful tastes of red pistachios and Medjool dates, the colors and designs of carpets in the bazaar, the scent of kebabs being cooked on the street. The sketch above I made thinking of our last morning in Tehran in  winter; three street musicians had stopped in front of the house and entertained us. This of course brought an ache in my heart, as I wanted more of this, and did not want to leave. We tossed them some coins.

I wish for peace and freedom for the people of Iran. I send my caring for the families and friends of those killed in the recent plane crash. I shall close with some words from the beloved Persian sufi poet of the thirteenth century, Hafiz, and dedicate them to all Iranians everywhere. From “Worshipping the Outer Form,” translated by Mahmood Jamal (I changed to non-gendered):

Worshipping the outer form, O puritan,
You are unaware of my real state.
Say what you like, I care not for your words of hate!

Whatever the traveller meets on this path
Is for the good.
On this righteous way no heart can go astray!

In this game of chess our pawn confronts the rook
with courage and grace.
In this game that lovers play, the King takes second place!

Whoever wants to enter tell them, 'Come.'
Whoever wants to leave can go as they please; 
this Khanqah has no gate, no gatekeeper, nor keys.