Iran: hunting for golf balls on the Caspian coast
I was there! Thirty-one years ago, wedged amongst a chanting, seething sea of black-clad woman in chadors moving through downtown Tehran. So dense was the throng that even filming what we were witnessing proved almost impossible.
It was exciting, we knew the Islamic revolution – a people’s clamour for change, for spiritual renewal in the aftermath of the feeble fading of the Shah’s corrupt pro-Western regime – would change the balance of the world in which we lived, but we could not fathom how.
We knew too that we were “in on a moment of modern history”.
So impossible was it to detach ourselves from the throng that we decided as soon as we had completed whatever we could do for that day’s news transmission (thank god for the time difference with London), we would leave Tehran and head north.
Before the day was ended, as the crowds began to disperse, we crammed into our Ford transit minibus and headed for the Caspian Sea.
Why? Firstly I wanted to know how the revolution was playing beyond the metropolis, but secondly I wanted to find out what had happened to the facility that represented the West’s gravest concern.
Somewhere on the coast of the Caspian, the Americans had built an early warning “listening” station – a series of golf ball shaped domes from which they monitored Russian nuclear tests in the Urals on the other side of the sea.
I had spotted the profiles of the golf balls ten years earlier as a student.
I had driven a bus from Liverpool to New Delhi and passed this way. The problem was that I had no idea which end of the Caspian’s southern coast I had seen them, and no one would tell us.
At daybreak we started from Tabriz and headed east. We drove for much of the day, seeing little evidence of revolution beyond a few knots of khaki-clad guards in the streets.
Just as my crew was beginning to conclude that I was weak in the head and an inventor of golf ball structures – there they were! Squeezed on a hill top, white beneath the low grey cloud base.
Two teenage revolutionary guards sat on metal chairs at the gates, with guns on their laps, oblivious to what it was that they guarded.
The golf balls hummed. “Don’t go in,” I shouted. “They may have been booby-trapped. We threw stones through the open door of one of the structures.
No boom, no bang. We entered to a find a cacophony of whirring computers. Purple inked zig-zagging graphs on gridded paper spewed from the machines.
In the residential block, clothes lay on the beds, children’s toys on the floors, food on the kitchen tables. Someone had left in a hurry.
Back in Tehran, armed with fabulous film of it all, I clambered into bed and slept the sleep of the dead. I was awakened by a knock on my hotel room door. X was an intelligence officer from the British Embassy, he wanted to know what we knew and what compromises lay in our films.
I did a shameful trade. I eventually let him advise which shots concerned him in return for information as to the whereabouts of the recently delivered state-of-the art Foxbat US fighter jets.
My love-affair with Iran was in full spate, an exhilarating rollercoaster of a story that is still in full spate. No-one knows where the revolution will lead – we are no clearer today than we were in those brittle, cold February days thirty-one years ago.
Related posts:
- Why expanding trade with Iran rather than sanctions will terrify the agents of repression
- Bahari’s insights into real-life Iran
- Tiger Tiger burning bright, in the forests of the night
- Wall to wall in Tehran
- CIA contact reveals Israel-Iran fears
There are 42 comments on this post
Why do revolutions that at first glance suceed -not deliver the goods – are humans basically corrupt-?Maybe the Iranian Revolution will suceed yet – maybe SA will change for better -II have severe doubts . The old saying re Power comes to mind – eg re Power corrupts etc . It was same here in ROI . James Connoly one of the executed leaders of the 1916 rising – which eventaully led to War of ” Independence ” summed it up well ”The day has passed for patching up the capitalist system; it must go. And in the work of abolishing it the Catholic and the Protestant, the Catholic and the Jew, the Catholic and the Freethinker, the Catholic and the Buddhist, the Catholic and the Mahometan will co-operate together, knowing no rivalry but the rivalry of endeavour toward an end beneficial to all. For, as we have said elsewhere, socialism is neither Protestant nor Catholic, Christian nor Freethinker, Buddhist, Mahometan, nor Jew; it is only Human. We of the socialist working class realise that as we suffer together we must work together that we may enjoy together. We reject the firebrand of capitalist warfare and offer you the olive leaf of brotherhood and justice to and for all.”
So they had plenty of hallucinogens then as well.
its a pity every socialist run government does nothing for the masses except reduce their standard of living
I think the hallucination is that Capitalism has the remotest interest in the good of ordinary people – you may have noticed there has/is a recession induced by Capitalism . The main aim of Capitalism is to make money for its investors – at the least possible cost to themselves – it has no interest in people – other than to use them – when they are no longer of use – discard them . It was a Labour Govt. that started the NHS – as for Socialist govts . causing lower standards of living – this can happen – usually because of sanctions from big Capitalist goverments eg USA . The big Capitalists themselves benifiet from Socialism – as we have seen over past couple of years – running to the State for help when their madcap schemes go wrong .many of the big Capialtist companies in US – go to SE Asia for semi slave labour which is of course cheaper – so that US is now importing from its own companies . Im sure the same could be said about Capitalist companies thro’out the planet[ ie - go where they can find the cheapest labour ].- Does that show the remotest interest in the people – rather the reverse I would have thought .
Plenty of hallucinogens still around then. No “socialist” economic system has ever worked because it is reality-remote and needs money to fund its wishes. It then taxes and spends until collapse. I would argue that socialism tramples the individual so cannot be claimed as a people friendly creed. It has been proved time and again that the only way to raise everyone’s living standards is by raising the level of overall wealth. Socialism destroys wealth. Always has: always will. We’ll never agree, Jim.
Could not disagree more – if its taxes you want – you already have plenty – and plenty more to come under guise of Carbon Taxes for the ” environment ”. As for the rights of the individual – what planet are you on – one of Capitalism ‘s main aim is to trample the individual’s rights – this is happening right now – bit by bit .
You’re rambling. Capitalism is not a political system but an economic one so can’t actually have an “Aim”. Socialism is a pernicious political belief system that requires the subjection if the individual to the masses. No socialist regime has ever advanced individual liberty.
It is no accident that Capiatlist companies go to SE Asia for cheap labour . Cheap labour is one of their aims – as is use of child labour . Is that furthering the rights of the individual – –working 10-12 hours a day in sweatshops to maximise Capitalist profits . To say Socialism is pernicious [ Socilaisnm is a fair deal for all -]- and capitalism by implication of what u say – increase peoples liberty — tell that to the people who work in these sweatshops – to the millions who have lost their jobs becasue of this Capiatlist induced recession – the millions who have lost paid for pensions, homes – all due to believing the capitaist ” dream” / nightmare. The evidence is all around you. – Well if you dont want to know you dont want to know . There are none so blind — etc . .- -
By ‘eck, Jon. No wonder you enjoy journalism so much
Love the video, Jon! You look kind of like Richard Dawkins’ long-lost brother!
Hi Jon,
Sorry to be a complete anorak, but the Iranians had just taken delivery of a brace of F-14 Tomcats from the Americans. The Mig-25 Foxbat was a Russian plane – unlikely Iran under the Shah would’ve bought military stuff off the Soviets. Otherwise a fascinating blog post.
Cheers
Matt
Love you Jon!
Addiction to adrenaline . Trouble is, I bet you can’t keep still. Love the buzz and connected to all .Your personality is to go along with it. That takes courage. Most resist and dig their heels in for self control and preservation.
You have made a difference . Others speak the thing many of us want to speak
Jim how do you explain that every labour government in this country has ended up broke and the country having to be put back on a financial footing by the capitalists.Labour will never learn you can’t spend what you do not have.I agree the banks greed bought about the financial crisis , but the financial success before was built on unfettered debt
I cant speak fully for UK – but here in ROI – Capiatlism has been a disaster – . We have had mainly right wing goverments – and ever since I remeber – it has been bad – forget the celtic tiger – that too was a myth – at its height the tax cuts were 1% and income tax /20 to 41%- while the capialtist companies paid 13% tax. The social services were dredful as regards health , transport , education. The few goverments we had that had a significant socilsist influence achieved quite something – hospital building , free school transport/ secondary education [ now gone] – now you pay for everything – and are taxed to hilt – while having wages cut to pay for Capitalist Crimes .. The Banks made huge profits -paid 13% tax – and got billins – and still not enough – a supplementary bailout was organized for some of the banks bad decisoions [ £50Billion - called NAMA] – on a poulation of 4 Millions = an extra bailout if it had happened in UK of approx £600 billion – yest it is all not 2 b taken too serious – the people who suffer most will return a right wing consevative govt again – idiots -..
Jon, I don’t know where you go to on Fridays but might you consider weighing in with a juicy blog to keep the addicts going over the weekend?
Please!
Enjoy your weekend
Give the bloke a break – he’s getting on a bit, you know!
You always fall in love with a country through its people. Iran for me were Amir and his wife. We met in Athens in the late 70s. Some of us were foreign students with scholarships. They were exiled students running away from further torture and imprisonment by the Shah, dreaming of the day of their return. We were all so young and he played the guitar so beautifully…
I left Athens in 77 to return to Spain to vote –first time for me, and for my parents. It was years later that I learned that Amir had indeed returned home. It was not the revolution he had hoped for, and he had been executed, for communist. Nobody knows what happened to Nadia, but they think she exiled herself again. I hated Iran for a long, long time.
It was not till many years later that I fell in love again, with a little girl’s face… in a film, of all places.
With The White Balloon I made my peace with Iran. You can never predict these things, can you.
But everytime they celebrate that revolution, I remember the beaches of Greece and a young Iranian couple playing the Spanish guitar. And I just know I wish well to all the Amirs and Nadias of Iran.
Jon Those Foxbat US fighters you mentioned in your blog today were GRUMMAN F14 ,TOMCATs. How did they maintain them since the US cut off the spare parts supply after the Embassy seige debacle ??
I was a GRUMMAN test pilot at the time and we were happy and proud of our New York Congressman’s deal with the DOD. Prior to this Israel ordered spares for their GRUMMAN A6 Intruders Through the DOD. Now Israel could order the parts directly from GRUMMAN,saving time.But Israel began ordering parts for F14s,an airplane they did not have. And Iran’s F14s kept flying.
One of these F14s tucked up close beneath an Iran Airlines Airbus a few months later .Fighter airplanes have a particular radar signiture. A US fleet was in the Persian Gulf.One of the picket Air Defense destroyers perceived a great threat and blew both airplanes out of the sky with a couple of Terrior missiles.
War and profit make strange bedfellows !!
Capitilisms aim is to do just that..collect capital and therefore keep wealth to the few. Is that not political ?
Socialism is concerned with every single individual in society and its aim is to give equality to those individual rights. Don’t confuse socialism with old fashioned union rights or communism.
unfortunately socialism wants equality for all.Take 3 people ill put in £297 , the next one puts in£ 3 and the next £ 0. So under socialism thats£100 each. That is the problem with socialism to start with . The feckless are equal to the hard workers and in fact each would get $150 each .That is why it always fails
It’s not about equality for all, it’s about less inequality.
I’ve never understood why people earning enormous sums of money squeal so much at havnig to pay taxes to help those who have less. If you earn a million a year and had to pay 50% tax you would still end up with half a millioni. How long would it take a cleaner or a dustman to earn that?
Yet once again we hear that the next rise in tax is likely to be on VAT so the poor will pay just the same tax as the rich and thus a much higher percentage of their income.
Socialism is not abouit putting all the money together and sharing it out, it is about making sure the burden is spread more fairly.
The problem is once people give their consent for practices such as capitilism to take off unrestrained , the slippery slope of rich /poor accelerates. What is now coercian, where practices can gain wealth by stealth, changes into giving permission for unbridled pursuit of the gold stuff. The giskies come out in full force and the chief boars take their places at the high tables.
Some times I am not sure whether bloody battles and revolution are more honest than the creeping of silver edged ivy around Babel. But ugh !still abhor violence. Mosharak .coming. together ? Spot the deliberate mistakes in missiles going off course? Talking of balls again.
No that is not equality ,that is inherent disparity. It is a misunderstanding of the concept of equality. Socialism talks of reciprocation in equal amounts , so for those putting a certain amount into a social setting then they will receive, in equal amounts. Rawls then speaks of a clause of ability , which takes into consideration peoples capabilities . Those which render them too unfortunate to physically or mentally fend for themselves will be catered for.
The misnomer is, that people will receive in equal amounts and share what is in the pot equally.. this is not so, as it makes a mockery out of the mathematical abstraction of an equation, which equality is built upon.
In an equation both sides need to balance i.e. what goes in and what comes out.
Saltaire is that what Russia, China Cuba did???I am afraid if you believe that you have only Brown to vote for then accept the blame for the bloody mess we are in and the morass we will continue to be in
No, but the fact that despots used the system to feather their own nests says more about them and mankind than it does about socialism.
And I don’t really think of Gordon Brown as a socialist. He and Blair were both the acceptable face of the tories. Now they are not even that so we will be lumbered with the old unnacceptable face.
I was there too! Stuck on the Russian Border near Mashad listening to it all via Beeb in Farsi! hoping for a flight out. The waste of money on weapons, the behaviour on religious holidays has not enamoured me to USA since. The young Iranians wanted democracy. I hope I see it in my lifetime .
There seem to be a lot of theoretical socialists here who ignore the reality that socialism has never worked in practise for very good reasons. Stalin wasn’t leader of the Union of Communist Soviet Republics. Hitler led the National Socialist party.
Fair distribution of wealth is rarely opposed by “capitalists”, who function without a political party as economics can only work in capitalist form. Chavez will prove this over the coming months.
I agree with Wondering that capitalism can’t have “aims” as it is a system, not a political credo.
1.”Fair distribution of welath is rarely opposed by capitalists – ” – that is so blatantly inaccurate as to be a joke – a very sick one – so it is due to some other factor- chance ?- hard work? [ tell that to the S African miners who go down to depths of earth to mine gold ] that the Capitalists get richer and Richer – and the poor get poorer – NO – it aint by chance – it is the aim of the capitaists to get rich – and exploit – in most cases their work force as much as possible – pay them as little as possible . The history is there – and recent history shows just what Capiatalists do .
2. The Capitalists function without a political party – are u seriuos – they own many/most political parties – and who gets elected to office without the big capitalists backing.?
I think Sam has already underlined the split between theory and practice. The argument you posit is grounded in the misperception that people will be true to their words ,putting aside hypocrisy.
It is the capitilist INSTINCT which takes over and leads egalitarianism astray.
Religion does it too.. ‘thou shall not kill ‘ ( unless it fits in with my own instincts for greed and survival)
Right Saltaire you accept that Blair and Brown are not true socialists but i would argue that you are wrong. So now you want the unacceptable face .I suppose that is the men in cloth caps(the Unions) what is left of them.
Saltaire there can only be one acceptable form of Socialism and that is pure communism.Unfortunately that doesnt work either for always someone has to be in charge.Your DESPOTS.It is time we stood up for Britain and gave everyone the opportunity to do their best but accept we can not all be equal, but with the right leadership we can be a successful and great nation living within our means and OUR culture.
You seem to be glad the trade unions are well nigh gone – well while there were abuses they were as nought compared to the abuses now practised by Capitallists – - worldwide – whethr in UK or South America , SE Asia – their record is atrocious . As for equating Communism with Socilaism – that question has already been answered – but you seem determined to link the two toggeter -as someone else also re Hitler – and NAZI party . Hitler besides the 6-8 Million jews murdered was also responsible for the gassing of approx 6 million dissidents including , Gypsies , homosexuals – and Socialists . He had his former close colleuge of Earlier days of NAZI oparty mudered becuse he wanted socialist principles to be implimneted – Hitler had him and many of his supporters murderd for this .
I’m too old to ever imagine all people can be equal or anything like equal. I would just like less inequality.
For example bankers claim they deserve their big bonuses because they make so much money for their company. They have earned them, they say/
It just so happens they are in an industry that deals in money. How does a nurse ‘earn’ million pound bonuses, or a school teacher? Yet they are equally if not more important to our society/
I guess, I’m just asking for a society where the overriding philosphy isn’t ‘greed is good.’
According to one report, the whole of Greece’s financial problem would be solved if tax avoiders just paid up what they owe. So once again, individual greed has damaged the general good.
Until we solve that problem, we are in the mire and with the example given by our leaders, I am not optimistic.
Interesting to see you identify Ernst Roehm as true socialist, Jim.
So what you are saying is that nothing can be political if there isn’t a manifesto or political party to represent it?
Quite Jim, the’ Capitalist Creed’ is” let capitilism and market force rule the lives of the drones and workers so we will benefit.” amen.
Saltaire i totally agree with you.I think that the bank bonus system is obscene,Not only that but they are gambling with our money ,not their own.As for nurses and other state employees, yes in comparison they are paid peanuts and it is a totally unfair system.The problem is how do you correct it.The state can only pay out what it gets in.That is my argument against socialism, they always pay out more than the get in and fail to encourage the money producers.That is why the bankers get away with it .They were the main wealth producers and the government relied too much on them.It is easy to control gross abuse of the earning system .Use regulation,take the money back.If you do that do you destroy more wealth.What about someone who risks his monies and sets up a business employing people .Should sportsmen be able to earn the monies they do from leisure activities? No we will never be equal and i do not believe that equality can be legislated for.only inequalities can be regulated.I do not know the answers but i believe Socialism with its continuuous big brother attitude is anathema to an equal and tolerent society.Even Orwell a socialist and journalist believed that See 1984
Jim i didn’t understand your argument. Am i now a fascist because i admit to being a tory?? To me the trade unions destroyed more jobs and incomes that any capitalist.I was a union rep in the 1970′s in the police federation .We argued for pay and conditions and on behalf of our members .We didnt believe we ruled the police force or the country as the old socialist union barons did.As for communism, to my mind pure communism is that everyone is absolutely equal.That to me would be a utopian ideal but it can never work because we are not equal in abilities inventiveness gender or anything else.So why do socialists try to prove we are with stupid big brother legislation
Spot on Adrian. Nobody disputes the gross nature of the bank bonus culture. (Except bankers) One of the best bits of my job is that the banks hate me! In reality, any economic system needs someone to provide the money to pay for all the good bits, which include the magnificent nurses and soldiers we have. It just shouldn’t be predominantly any one sector.
My argument with socialism will always be that, in fact if not in O level books on politics, it subdues the freedom of the individual. Its governments invariably have to tax and spend to oblivion, which ultimately lowers quality of life across the board when the money runs out.
As a nurse for 40 years, dont get me on to that one.. we are used and abused . We are managers, educationalists , clinicans . prescribers, diagnosticians , do the work for newly qualified docs so that they can show their gnorance whilst at the same time loud mouthedly and arrogantly putting us down with the support of the system which glorifies doctors.
We are not these little slaves, these beautiful people.,we are capable of taking over , particularly in general practice.
What system talks of a nurse who has practiced medicine for years, has administered and monitored the effects of medication , has prevented docs from making mistakes, has advised on medications to be prescribed as NON MEDICAL PRESCRIBERS. who perpetuates thie perception? The arrogant tories who want the accolade for themselves,, because that is where the money is.
Sorry Margaret!
I have, unfortunately, had a lot of contact with nurses over the last few years for all the wrong reasons and will not hear a word against them (hence my reference above). I am absolutely sure you are right that they can run the show. Indeed, I believe they used to through the matron system? I am all in favour of removing the useless clip board toting “managers” on huge salaries from medical management.
One thing puzzles me. Most doctors I meet are definitely not Tory so I don’t understand your reference there.
I guess working in the NHS gives one plenty of access to hallucinogens.
I’ve heard it said that you could sack 1-in-5 nurses and not notice the difference. After a recent experience I’m inclined to agree.