THE people of Iran are up in arms, the streets of all major cities in Iran are now in an upris-ing the likes of which was seen back in 1979 when the protest movement against the rule of Raza Shah Pahlavi was launched.

The state agencies have launched a brutal and violent crackdown on the tens of thousands of street protestors and the death of hundreds of demon-strators has shaken Iranian society and the country is now in the grip of a dangerous confron-tation with the United States. Donald Trump has issued many warnings to Tehran of taking action if the killing continues and the Iranian Government has issued counter warnings that all American bases in the region will be attacked in case of any retaliation from America.

If war breaks out between the US and Iran, it will have repercussions all over the world. The ripple effect of internal repression and external pressure, particularly by Washington, affects global markets and eventually countries like Pakistan suffer from higher prices and low growth. Iran is the epicentre of the energy world. It is not only a major producer and exporter of oil but it is also very close to the strategic Straits of Hormuz the channel through which most of the oil is shipped to the countries of the world. Any escalation in this part of the world spooks the oil markets and prices start to escalate........

© Pakistan Observer