Articles – Page 2 – Hands Off the People of Iran

Bitter fruit of imperialism

Islamist jihadism is a modern, not an ancient, phenomenon. Yassamine Mather looks at causes, social roots and terrible consequences In the aftermath of every Islamist terror attacks in America, Europe or the UK, such as the stabbing of Tory MP David Amess, we hear the ‘analysts’ and media pundits come up with the same nonsense… Continue reading Bitter fruit of imperialism

Centrality of class independence

Khomeini and the clergy completely outmanoeuvred the left. But it need not have been that way. In his second and concluding article on the role of oil workers in the 1979 revolution, Peyman Jafari stresses the complex nature of ideology and class consciousness On January 12 1979, two weeks after the Oil Strikes Coordinating Committee… Continue reading Centrality of class independence

Surviving against all the odds

Why are the leaders of the Islamic Republic still looking so confident? The answer lies in the dismal failures of the global hegemon, argues Yassamine Mather The ceremonies marking the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, could not have come at a worse time for the country’s rulers. Despite Raisi’s repeated reassurances that… Continue reading Surviving against all the odds

The Imam, the strikers and the black, black oil

There are rich lessons for today in the experiences of the oil strikes of 1978. In the first of two articles Peyman Jafari charts the incredibly difficult struggle for organisation, hegemony and strategy “We are melting away,” lamented the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, on December 26 1978 in a phone tap of a conversation with… Continue reading The Imam, the strikers and the black, black oil

Anger finds open expression

From Isfahan to Tabriz, Karaj to Tehran, the slogans are clear: ‘Death to the dictator’, ‘Shame on Khamenei’, ‘Hands off Iran’. Yassamine Mather reports on the upsurge of protests Protests over the lack of clean water that started in the Iranian province of Khuzestan have now spread to other parts of the country. In Lorestan,… Continue reading Anger finds open expression

Same old, same old

The election of Ebrahim Raisi hardly signals a major change, writes Yassamine Mather. Yet, while the left remains confused, opposition to the regime is palpable The result of Iran’s presidential elections, held on June 18, came as no surprise. In a low turnout of just 48.8%, 62% voted for Ebrahim Raisi, while there were an… Continue reading Same old, same old

Highlights of ‘democracy’

Not only are the candidates useless: the pundits are worse. Yassamine Mather reports on the presidential election campaign, as it enters its closing straight The most depressing side of watching the third TV debate between the remaining candidates in Iran’s presidential elections on June 18 and the analyses and comments both inside and outside the… Continue reading Highlights of ‘democracy’

Seven are the doors to hell

Yassamine Mather reports on the new restrictions, the disqualifications and what passes for debate in the presidential election campaign Looking at current developments in the run-up to Iran’s June 18 presidential election, one could easily come to the conclusion that the leaders and institutions of the Shia republic are either extremely confident of their regime’s… Continue reading Seven are the doors to hell

Principle, confusion and hope

Having looked at the birth and early years of the guerrillaist left in her first article Yassamine Mather turns to the internal struggles within the Fedai Splits in the Fadai started in 1979, following the Islamist revolution, and are still going on. It is impossible to cover every one of them, but the main ones… Continue reading Principle, confusion and hope