Iran: The Revolution Must Be Anti-imperialist

Mass uprisings are shaking Iran. A dire economic situation and seething anger against the Islamic regime have brought the masses onto the streets. Protesters have been met with brutal repression. At home and abroad, many predict that the days of Ayatollah Khamenei are numbered. In Washington and Tel Aviv, the imperialist war-mongers are salivating at the prospect of “regime change” and have threatened direct military intervention. Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, son of the despised Shah overthrown in 1979, is actively making his bid to swoop in with the blessing of the U.S. and Israel.

The Iranian masses have every reason to rise in rage. The despotic Islamic regime must be brought down. But the anger of the people—as legitimate as it is—must not blind us to the fact that who overthrows the regime and what replaces it are of crucial importance. The truth is that if the regime is not replaced by working-class power, it will be replaced by a pro-U.S. puppet who will sell off the country and crush its people.

This is why the communist left must constitute a separate pole within the struggle, a third pole, opposed to foreign imperialism, Israel, and all its agents, and committed to bringing down the Islamic Republic on an anti-imperialist and working-class program. Short of such an alternative, the only coherent answer to the regime is that of the pro-imperialist opposition, including the Pahlavi monarchy, whose return would mean literally rolling back the wheel of history.

We Must Fight the U.S.

Faced with over 70% in food inflation, empty shelves, and a bankrupt ruling clique, many have come to think that accommodation with Western imperialism is not only a lesser evil, but the way to bring immediate relief to the sanction-stricken economy. This is a dangerous illusion. Conceding to the oppressor always leads to more misery.

The U.S. and Israel care only about maintaining their stranglehold on the region and have no regard for the fate of the population. Just look at Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Everywhere the U.S. and Israel have intervened to bring “freedom”, they have laid waste to entire societies and destroyed their social fabric. Iran will be no exception.

There is no hiding that the Islamic regime uses these exact arguments to shut down any dissent and opposition. It presents itself as the only barrier against the country’s plunder and brands all opponents as Zionist agents. As a result, many today turn their back on the program of anti-imperialism, thinking it puts them in the same camp as the regime. This is the wrong conclusion to draw. The Ayatollah is right that the U.S. and Israel want to turn Iran into a new Iraq. However, this does not mean that the masses must support the Ayatollah.

In fact, anti-imperialism is essential to fight the regime. That the main voices standing against the Ayatollah have come from the pro-imperialists and Zionists has only served to prolong the tyranny of the Mullahs. This once again risks derailing the mass uprising.

We Must Fight the Regime

Among the pro-Palestinian fighters in Iran and internationally, many are denouncing the protests as a Zionist conspiracy. Starting from the correct sentiment of standing with the oppressed peoples of the Middle East against imperialism, they wrongly defend the tyranny of the Mullahs.

It is simply false that the current protests are the making of foreign agents. Millions in Iran hate the brutal Islamic regime, defined by religious obscurantism, oppression of national minorities, youth, women, and workers. Equating anti-imperialism with support for the government only gives it a bad name. The women of Iran will not be convinced to accept their current condition in the name of Palestine. Nor will the masses who live in misery tolerate the widespread corruption and privileges of the elite and clergy.

Furthermore, what the defenders of the regime deny is that Iran’s strategy against Israel has been an utter disaster. Iran sought to build up proxy forces that would gradually change the balance of forces in the region. But confronted with a rabid Zionist offensive, Iran failed to react decisively. It clung to its strategy of “boiling the Israeli frog slowly” even as Israel delivered one devastating blow after the other to the Axis of Resistance—from the decapitation of Hezbollah to the overthrow of the Assad regime. The failure of the doctrine of “strategic patience” was ultimately shown by the U.S. and Israel bringing the war home to Iran.

The truth is that to really defeat the U.S. and Israel requires a completely different strategy, one based on uniting all the peoples of the region in a common struggle for their liberation.

A Real Alternative for the Masses

The masses are faced with choosing between a U.S.-backed monarch and a hated regime. There needs to be another alternative built in direct opposition to those two dead ends. Communists in Iran must put forward an independent program:

• Down with the Islamic Republic! The masses are right to fight for an end to the regime. Revolutionaries must stand with them and oppose the repression.

• Unconditional opposition to the Shah and his agents! Iran does not need a new dictator. We must confront and defeat the supporters of Pahlavi.

• No surrender to the U.S.! Unite the Middle East against imperialist-Zionist tyranny! There can be no freedom so long as the U.S. and Israel dominate the region. Only mass struggle can break the sanction regime.

• National liberation of Palestine! Self-determination for the oppressed peoples in Iran! The unity of the oppressed can only be forged in opposition to all national oppression.

• Down with the imposition of the veil! For women’s liberation! Enough with the trampling of women’s rights. They must be at the vanguard of the liberation struggle.

• Nationalize the properties of the regime and the clergy! No more privileges. Massive redistribution is necessary to bring immediate relief to the masses and unite them against the imperialist vultures.

• For a workers government! Only a government based on the working people of Iran can bring true freedom.