Iran Still Needs to Be Defended

As we write, the U.S. is massing its Air Force and Navy around Iran. All signs point to an armed conflict on a far larger scale than last year’s 12-day war. With the force it has amassed, the U.S. is poised to wreak untold devastation on Iran.

This escalation is taking place only a few weeks after the theocratic Iranian regime unleashed a wave of bloody repression against its own people. In this context many leftists in Iran and abroad are wary of being seen to stand on the side of the Ayatollah.

This is understandable, but it would be a disastrous mistake to take a neutral stance, or even worse a pro-American stance, in a conflict. The examples of Iraq and Libya show that the U.S. rulers could not care less about democracy. Their aim is to pound all Iranian society into the ground in order to eliminate Iran as a counterweight to U.S. and Israeli regional dominance.

The tyranny of the mullahs does need to be ended, but it matters which force will do this. Bringing down the regime on American terms will be a disaster not only for the peoples of Iran but for the entire region and the world. The regime must be brought down by a truly democratic and anti-imperialist movement of the Iranian masses. Only this road can lead to genuine social progress in Iran and West Asia. It’s by being on the front line of this struggle that communists can undermine support for the regime.

If the U.S. bombs Iran, the working class of the world must do everything in its power to defend Iran. Trump has been on a rampage against the oppressed everywhere. A defeat of the U.S. through military or popular action would finally halt his reactionary offensive.

Stop U.S.-Israeli tyranny over West Asia! Only the working class can free Iran!