Middle East Follow

The people of Iran have every reason to be fearful and suspicious of US and British military activity in their region. Both powers have a long history of imperial intervention in Iran – installing dictatorships, fomenting wars and terrorising ordinary people.

With typical hypocrisy Tony Blair has complained about "captured personnel being paraded and manipulated" in Iran. George Bush has joined in the attacks.

The capture of 15 Royal Navy personnel by Iran has been used to ratchet up the threats against the country. The US has sent two aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf, with a third battle group on its way this week. All three are nuclear armed.

The Egyptian regime is attempting to silence any criticism directed against it by pushing through changes in the constitution. The US-backed president Hosni Mubarak is trying to dress up the changes as "democratic reforms".

Opposition groups in Egypt have demonstrated against a constitutional amendment that would silence criticism of the regime.

Around 1,000 teachers were arrested in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday of last week, as they gathered for what would have been their third protest outside Iran’s parliament in recent weeks.

Dahieh Thousands of Shiite Muslims packed into the Master of the Martyrs hall in Dahieh, South Beirut, earlier this year for the climax of the Achoura festival – their most important religious date. It is incredible to see thousands packed into the Wembley Arena sized venue for the solemn ceremony. More amazing still is the fact that less than five months ago this hall was a burned out shell after being destroyed by dozens of Israeli missiles.

Egypt’s winter of discontent is growing. Following victories in major strikes last month, 13,000 workers at the Samanoud textile factory walked out on Thursday of last week, demanding an increase in food allowances.

It is the policies of the occupation that are tearing apart Iraqi society apart, not divisions between Shia and Sunni Muslims, writes Anne Alexander

Aitaroun is typical of the border villages of south Lebanon that were occupied during last year’s war. Town representative Najab Kousan explains that 150 houses and businesses were destroyed with a further 45 bulldozed and 250 in need of repair.