Iran
Iran tanker released in Gibraltar despite US bid to seize it
By Bill Van Auken, 16 August 2019
The decision to release the tanker, formally declared by Gibraltar, but clearly made in London, exposes rising tensions over Washington’s “maximum pressure” policy.
German government and Greens promote military mission in Persian Gulf
By Johannes Stern, 10 August 2019
The German ruling class is intensifying its campaign for a European war mission in the Persian Gulf. Especially aggressive are the leaders of the Green party.
Britain to join US naval blockade of Iran
By Jean Shaoul, 7 August 2019
The decision signifies a further intensification of the drive to war against Iran.
Deadlock over Iranian cargo ships exposes deep crisis of Brazilian ruling class
By Alexander Ramirez and Miguel Andrade, 5 August 2019
As the Bolsonaro government aligns itself ever more closely with US imperialism, the ruling class is growing nervous of provoking a social explosion
European Union threatens Iran with naval mission to Persian Gulf
By Alex Lantier, 30 July 2019
Amid the US war drive against Iran, this mission is a reckless attempt by the European imperialists to grab a share of the resources of the oil-rich Persian Gulf region.
Iran accuses 17 of spying for CIA as tensions escalate
By Steve James and Robert Stevens, 23 July 2019
Iran’s arrest of 17 alleged CIA agents follows weeks of intense US pressure that brought the Trump administration within 10 minutes of bombing raids.
War danger in Middle East exacerbates political crisis in Britain
By Robert Stevens, 22 July 2019
As Britain moves closer to war, the Iran crisis is being seized on by those advocating a drastic increase in the UK’s military budget.
Iran seizes UK tanker in Strait of Hormuz as danger of Middle East war mounts
By Jordan Shilton, 20 July 2019
Chief responsibility for the growing war danger in the Persian Gulf rests squarely with US imperialism, which has relentlessly escalated its provocations against Iran.
US stokes war danger in Middle East following alleged downing of Iranian drone
By Jordan Shilton, 19 July 2019
The regularity of incidents between the US and Iran underscores how great is the danger of a military conflagration in the region, which would quickly draw in the major powers and endanger the entire planet.
After alleged UK tanker incident in Persian Gulf, EU powers threaten Iran
By Alex Lantier, 12 July 2019
Despite the unpopularity of the US-led war drive, powerful factions of the European ruling class are arguing for Europe to back Trump’s provocations against Iran.
Trump threatens new sanctions amid farcical indictment of Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 11 July 2019
Washington used the International Atomic Energy Agency as a forum for charging Iran with violating a treaty that the US itself ripped up.
US steps up threats as Iran exceeds uranium enrichment cap
By Bill Van Auken, 9 July 2019
Iran’s government deliberately breached the agreement to pressure remaining signatories to the nuclear accord to counter crippling US economic sanctions.
Royal Marines seize Iranian tanker under orders from US
By Chris Marsden, 6 July 2019
Britain’s seizure of an Iranian supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil is an act of piracy and a major escalation in tensions that threaten to spiral out of control.
War threats mount as Iran exceeds limit on enriched uranium stockpile
By Bill Van Auken, 2 July 2019
Israel carried out one of its most intense raids in Syria Monday amid speculation that Tel Aviv is preparing to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
EU meeting on Iran ends with no agreement to prevent US war
By Alex Lantier, 29 June 2019
The Iranian government reportedly objected to the European powers’ refusal to defy crippling US sanctions on Iran’s oil exports.
Russian-Georgian tensions escalate amid Iran war crisis
By Clara Weiss, 29 June 2019
The Western-backed anti-Russian protests in Tiflis are bound up with the escalating US war drive against Iran, which threatens to draw in the entire Caucasus region.
Trump imposes new sanctions amid continuing war threat against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 25 June 2019
The latest sanctions, largely symbolic, do little except escalate tensions as the threat of armed conflict remains on a hair trigger.
Minutes to disaster: Lessons to be learned from the confrontation with Iran
By Andre Damon, 24 June 2019
On Thursday, the United States came within minutes of launching a war, without any serious examination of its military consequences.
Trump’s aborted strikes on Iran: Ten minutes to World War III
By Bill Van Auken, 22 June 2019
Trump’s’ assertion that the US war machine was on the brink of attacking Iran remains the case, with the White House set to use any incident, real or manufactured, to pull the trigger.
Trump escalates war threats after drone shootdown over Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 21 June 2019
The New York Times reported that the American president authorized military strikes against Iran on Thursday before unexpectedly cancelling them.
Growing war danger as Pentagon presents new “evidence” Iran struck tankers
By Bill Van Auken, 20 June 2019
Testimony by top administration officials suggests that the Trump administration is preparing to invoke the post-9/11 Authorization for the Use of Military Force to attack Iran.
Washington pushes to the brink of war with Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 19 June 2019
Behind the backs of the American working class, Washington is preparing a war with catastrophic consequences for the people of Iran, the US and the world.
US preparing “assault” against Iran
By Peter Symonds, 18 June 2019
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Trump administration is actively planning a “tactical assault” on Iran, involving a massive air attack on an Iranian nuclear facility.
UK: Tory government positions itself as most loyal US ally against Iran
By Chris Marsden, 18 June 2019
One hundred UK Royal Marines will be deployed within weeks, where they will join naval ships operating from a new UK naval base in Bahrain.
US secretary of state declares “military response” to Iran “being considered”
By Peter Symonds, 17 June 2019
Clearly Japan and Germany simply do not believe the US allegations against Iran and suspect that the tankers attacks could well be a US provocation to provide the pretext for war.
Trump doubles down on US lies about Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 15 June 2019
Trump’s absurd lies about Iranian responsibility for an attack on two tankers in the Persian Gulf directly contradicted claims by the owner of one of the ships.
US Middle East commander proposes permanent buildup against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 11 June 2019
The head of the US Central Command claimed that the “threat” from Iran remains “imminent” but refused to provide any evidence or details to support the allegation.
US escalates threat of force against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 31 May 2019
Threats of “force” and a “very strong response” have accompanied Washington’s unsubstantiated claims of Iranian responsibility for attacks in the Middle East.
A further step towards war with Iran
Trump deploys 1,500 troops to Middle East, sells weapons to Gulf allies
By Jacob Crosse and Jordan Shilton, 25 May 2019
The latest troop deployment and sale of arms to US imperialism’s Middle East allies sharply increases the danger of all-out war, which could be triggered by a US provocation at any time.
Persian Gulf tensions rise as Trump threatens “end” of Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 21 May 2019
The apocalyptic tweet from the US president came amid provocative drills by US warships in the Arabian Sea.
The US war drive against Iran and the conflict with Europe
By Alex Lantier, 17 May 2019
Amid growing conflicts with its strategic rivals, including its European Union “allies,” Washington is seeking to reorganize Eurasian geopolitics, beginning with a war drive targeting Iran.
Washington orders US personnel out of Iraq amid war buildup against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 16 May 2019
The evacuation order came as a senior British general said there was no heightened threat from Iranian-backed forces in the region.
No to war against Iran!
By Bill Van Auken, 15 May 2019
The threat of all-out war in the Middle East is greater than at any time since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, and the potential consequences are far graver.
Washington pushes to brink of war against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 14 May 2019
Pompeo’s abrupt trip to Brussels and the deployment of more US military assets to the Persian Gulf point to a calculated US escalation of a war crisis.
With B-52s, carrier battle group in place, US war against Iran on a hair trigger
By Bill Van Auken, 11 May 2019
The threatening deployments come in the midst of a new round of bellicose statements from Washington.
Iran conflict intensifies transatlantic tensions
By Peter Schwarz, 11 May 2019
The European governments are doing all they can to avoid triggering a broader mobilisation against war.
The social crisis and the global eruption of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 9 May 2019
Washington’s brazen and reckless military threats and provocations on a world scale are driven by deep-going social and political crises within the US itself.
US threatens Iran with war
By Keith Jones, 7 May 2019
The reckless and criminal character of Washington’s actions cannot be exaggerated. A US attack on Iran threatens to ignite a Mideast-wide war and rapidly draw in the other imperialist and great powers.
Washington tightens sanctions to cut Iran oil exports to “zero”
By Bill Van Auken, 23 April 2019
The lifting of waivers granted to five countries that imported substantial quantities of Iranian oil represents a dangerous escalation of US economic warfare against Tehran.
US labels Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group
By Barry Grey, 9 April 2019
Trump and Pompeo made a point of threatening other foreign countries, officials and businesses with retaliatory sanctions and possible criminal prosecution.
Teachers strike wave spreads across five continents
By Eric London, 7 March 2019
From Bamako to Buenos Aires and Sacramento to São Paulo, the teachers’ strike movement shows the international character of the class struggle.
War summit in Warsaw
By Bill Van Auken, 15 February 2019
While Netanyahu’s statement that this week’s conference in Warsaw was called to discuss “war with Iran” was treated by the media as a gaffe, it was nothing of the kind.
The Iranian Revolution—Forty Years On
By Keith Jones, 13 February 2019
It is the Stalinist Tudeh Party and the politics of Stalinism that were principally responsible for the tragic derailing of the Iranian Revolution.
US-born anchor for Iranian TV jailed without charges
By Bill Van Auken, 18 January 2019
The police state style abduction and imprisonment of Marzieh Hashemi is part of Washington’s wider preparations for war against Iran.
At Washington’s behest
Canada arrests top Chinese executive for “sanctions busting”
By Keith Jones and Roger Jordan, 7 December 2018
The arrest and impending extradition to the US of Meng Wanzhou is a diplomatic and geopolitical provocation that has effectively blown up the US-China trade-war “truce” after less than a week.
US escalates illegal economic war on the people of Iran
By Keith Jones, 6 November 2018
Speaking like a mafia don, Pompeo offered Iran “a choice” between making a “180-degree turn from its outlaw course of action” and seeing “its economy crumble.”
Europe and America clash over Washington’s economic war on Iran
By Keith Jones, 5 November 2018
Washington’s imposition of sweeping new sanctions on Iran—aimed at strangling its economy and precipitating regime change—is roiling world geopolitics.
US expands illegal, unilateral sanctions against Iran
By Mike Head, 3 November 2018
The measures Washington outlined yesterday are tantamount to a declaration of war.
As sanctions tighten, Washington threatens Iran with “military might”
By Keith Jones, 2 November 2018
The US is dramatically escalating its illegal, economic war against Iran, with the aim of crashing its economy and imposing a pro-US regime in Tehran.
Australian government backs far-right “OK to be white” motion in Senate
By Mike Head, 19 October 2018
The government’s embrace of the slogan, long championed by alt-right and neo-Nazi groups, has a far-reaching significance.
International Court of Justice strikes down US sanctions against Iran
By Alex Lantier, 4 October 2018
The International Court of Justice has no power to enforce its decision, and US officials immediately made clear they will defy the ICJ ruling.
Iran fires missiles at Islamist “rebels” as US vows to remain in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 2 October 2018
Washington and Tehran, already at odds over escalating US sanctions, are coming into increasing conflict over military operations in Syria.
Washington amplifies war threats against Iran, bullies the world
By Keith Jones, 27 September 2018
In his two days at the UN, Trump threatened much of the world, giving voice to the insatiable aspirations of US imperialism and the dissatisfaction of its ruling elite at the erosion of its economic power.
Against backdrop of UN General Assembly
Trump to intensify economic war on Iran
By Keith Jones, 25 September 2018
The US sanctions are both manifestly illegal and reckless; under international law, they are tantamount to an act of war.
Twenty-nine killed in attack on military parade in southwestern Iran
By Keith Jones, 24 September 2018
Tehran has accused Washington and its Gulf client states of facilitating Saturday’s attack.
Iran responds to economic crisis and US destabilisation with repression of working class
By Jean Shaoul, 21 September 2018
This year has witnessed increasing social and economic unrest among all layers of the Iranian working class over high unemployment and soaring inflation.
As IAEA confirms Iranian compliance with nuclear deal
Washington and Tehran trade threats over the Strait of Hormuz
By Jordan Shilton, 3 September 2018
The latest IAEA findings expose the Trump administration’s provocative policy, which threatens to plunge the entire region into military conflict.
Trump menaces the world over Iran sanctions
By Peter Symonds, 8 August 2018
Under the banner of “peace,” the US is preparing for trade war and war—not only against Iran, but against all potential rivals, including its European and Asian allies.
US launches economic war on Iran, roils Mideast and world geopolitics
By Keith Jones, 7 August 2018
Trump signed an executive order Monday re-imposing sweeping US economic sanctions against Iran that were suspended in 2016 as part of the Iran nuclear deal.
US preparing for regime change and war against Iran
By Peter Symonds, 30 July 2018
Following Trump’s belligerent threats against Iran, a national security meeting was convened in Washington to thrash out the next stage in the escalating confrontation.
Trump threatens Iran with a catastrophic war
By Keith Jones, 24 July 2018
Trump’s tweet was no idle bluster. His administration is pursuing a provocative and reckless drive for regime change in Iran that threatens to ignite a catastrophic war that would set the entire Middle East ablaze.
Pentagon and Iran trade threats over renewed oil sanctions
By Bill Van Auken, 6 July 2018
US imperialism is preparing for a military confrontation with Iran that could quickly eclipse the bloodbaths in those countries and precipitate a regional and even world war.
Trump pressed aides, Latin American leaders on US invasion of Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 5 July 2018
The report from a senior US official on Trump’s statements points to the threat of Washington unleashing a new war in Latin America.
Bazaar merchants protest against government in Iran
By Jean Shaoul, 3 July 2018
Recent protests reflect sharp tensions and divisions within the regime due to the developing economic crisis inside Iran.
US sanctions against Iran aimed at regime change
By Peter Symonds, 30 June 2018
Companies that fail to stop buying Iranian oil by November 4 face being excluded from the US financial system.
Israel’s Netanyahu tours Europe to advocate action against Iran
By Jean Shaoul, 7 June 2018
For all their differences with Trump, and evident distaste for Netanyahu, the European leaders did not seek to distance themselves from his demands because they know he speaks for Washington.
US Secretary of State Pompeo presents war ultimatum to Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 22 May 2018
Washington’s “Plan B” after scrapping the nuclear deal is to escalate economic sanctions and military pressure aimed at toppling the Iranian government.
Bernie Sanders defends American imperialism at town hall on Iran
By Tom Hall, 22 May 2018
Sanders, along with his guests, presented a thoroughly conventional, pro-imperialist critique of the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear accord.
German Chancellor Merkel announces major rearmament program
By Christoph Vandreier, 17 May 2018
Facing a deepening conflict with the United States, Berlin is seeking to use its armed forces to pursue its geo-strategic interests around the world.
European Union tries to salvage Iran nuclear accord from US unilateralism
By Jean Shaoul, 17 May 2018
The European powers are furious because Trump’s threats cut across their attempts to exploit Iran economically and fear sanctions presage a war that will destabilise the Middle East
German militarization and Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal
By Johannes Stern, 15 May 2018
Following US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord, the German bourgeoisie is intensifying its campaign for militarism, rearmament, and war.
Israel marks 70th anniversary amid war crimes and deepening social crisis
By Bill Van Auken, 14 May 2018
Washington’s ripping up of the Iran nuclear treaty and moving of its embassy to Jerusalem have given the Israeli state a green light for war with Iran and violent suppression of the Palestinians.
US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal drives Ankara into a corner
By Halil Celik, 14 May 2018
Washington’s reimposition of punishing economic sanctions on Iran, and its plans to force other countries to follow suit, threatens to roil the already crisis-ridden Turkish economy.
US steps up pressure on Iran with new round of sanctions
By Jordan Shilton, 12 May 2018
Announced the same day as Israel launched its largest-ever direct assault on Iranian infrastructure in Syria, the sanctions mark a further step by US imperialism in the direction of an all-out military confrontation with Iran.
For a working-class strategy against the imperialist repartition of the Middle East!
By Keith Jones, 11 May 2018
In Iran, as around the world, the struggle against imperialist aggression and war must be founded on the independent political mobilization of the working class and the perspective of Permanent Revolution.
European powers condemn Trump’s cancellation of Iran nuclear treaty
By Alex Lantier and Johannes Stern, 10 May 2018
Trump’s scrapping of the 2015 treaty has revealed deep and explosive divisions between Washington and its imperialist allies in Europe.
Middle East teeters on brink of region-wide war after US withdrawal from Iran deal
By Jordan Shilton, 10 May 2018
After Israeli war planes targeted Iranian personnel in Syria for the third time in less than a month, Iranian Quds forces reportedly launched rockets into northern Israel.
Trump torpedoes Iran nuclear accord
By Keith Jones, 9 May 2018
In its reckless and ruinous drive for global hegemony, US imperialism, like the Nazi regime, makes diplomatic agreements only to break them when expedient.
Tensions rise with Trump set to announce decision on Iran nuclear deal
By Bill Van Auken, 8 May 2018
With Trump’s allies signaling that he will rip up the agreement, Israel has issued increasingly bellicose threats against Iran.
Washington and Tel Aviv lurching toward a war with Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 2 May 2018
The aggression that is being prepared by the US and Israel threatens to drag all of the major powers into what could prove a catastrophic world war.
Israel denounces Iran nuclear deal after new missile strikes on Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 1 May 2018
Netanyahu’s bellicose speech indicting Iran, following on the heels of missile strikes on Syria, underscores the growing threat of a region-wide war.
The growing threat of an Israeli war against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 26 April 2018
In the shadow of US-French discussions on the Iranian nuclear deal, Israel is preparing for a military confrontation with Iran, threatening to ignite a regional and even global war.
Turkish, Russian and Iranian presidents meet in Ankara
By Halil Celik, 10 April 2018
The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran came together in Ankara April 4 to discuss developments in Syria as well as the relations between the three countries.
On the brink of war: US and NATO prepare military strike on Syria
By Keith Jones, 10 April 2018
The American and European ruling elites see in war a means not only to reverse a series of geopolitical setbacks in the Middle East, but also to crack down on domestic political opposition.
Mehring Books publishes The Struggle against Imperialism and For Workers’ Power in Iran
24 March 2018
The pamphlet addresses pivotal issues of socialist strategy in a country that for decades has been a target of US imperialist intrigue and aggression, and where the working class, as heralded by the protests that opened 2018, is now striving to find the road of independent class struggle.
Netanyahu, Trump discuss war preparations against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 7 March 2018
Netanyahu, facing criminal indictment in Israel, and Trump, his administration in deepening crisis, met to discuss plans for an escalation of military aggression against Iran.
Washington delivers new ultimatum on Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 20 February 2018
The Trump administration is threatening to abrogate the Iran nuclear agreement in order to force the European powers to adopt a hard line against Tehran.
A reply to a proponent of “Iranian Islamic socialism”
The struggle against imperialism and for workers’ power in Iran—Part 3
By Keith Jones, 16 February 2018
The only viable basis for opposing imperialism is the revolutionary mobilization of the workers and toilers of Iran and the Middle East, based on an appeal to their democratic and social strivings.
A reply to a proponent of “Iranian Islamic socialism”
The struggle against imperialism and for workers’ power in Iran—Part 2
By Keith Jones, 15 February 2018
Mazaheri equates the Islamic Republic with the “democratic popular” upsurge of 1978 and 1979. In reality, this upsurge involved antagonistic class forces with very different aims and aspirations.
A reply to a proponent of “Iranian Islamic socialism”
The struggle against imperialism and for workers’ power in Iran
By Keith Jones, 14 February 2018
The history of Iran and the global struggle against imperialism demonstrates that a viable anti-imperialist strategy can only be founded on the independent political mobilization of the working-class in opposition to all factions of the bourgeoisie.
Stricken Iranian tanker sinks, causing major oil spill in East China Sea
By Robert Campion, 17 January 2018
After the ship exploded, all its crew members were presumed dead and concerns were raised about the worst petroleum condensate discharge in history.
Trump vows to renew all-out economic war on Iran
By Keith Jones, 13 January 2018
Trump insisted he will issue no further waivers of economic sanctions unless the Iran nuclear agreement is rewritten in accordance with his demands.
10 January 2018
Iran: Anti-government protests abate in face of mass repression
By Jordan Shilton and Keith Jones, 8 January 2018
None of the grievances fueling the working class protests that swept across Iran in recent days have been addressed, let alone resolved.
Trump “defends” the right to protest in Iran, criminalizes protest in Washington
By E.P. Milligan, 8 January 2018
Even as Trump was bloviating about the right to protest in Iran, his Justice Department was carrying out a political trial against peaceful protesters in a brazen attack on the freedom of speech and assembly guaranteed by the US Constitution.
The working class unrest in Iran: The WSWS replies to an apologist of the Iranian regime
By Keith Jones, 6 January 2018
The WSWS’s attitude toward Iran is based on two fundamental factors: Iran’s character as a historically oppressed country that must be defended against imperialism and the antagonistic relationship between the Iranian bourgeoisie and working class.
Working class opposition erupts in Iran: A harbinger for the world in 2018
By Keith Jones, 4 January 2018
The working class unrest in Iran has already upset the calculations not just of the Iranian elite, but of governments around the world.
Mass protests against austerity and social inequality shake Iranian regime
By Keith Jones, 3 January 2018
The protests are fueled by deep-rooted class anger in a country where the unemployment rate for youth approaches 40 percent and half of the population lives in poverty.
An interview with Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari, co-director of The Silence and Disappearance
“The subjects that interest us are connected with social issues and the lack of equality”
By David Walsh, 1 December 2017
Ali Asgari and Farnoosh Samadi are Iranian filmmakers working sensitively on social subjects. The Silence, a short work filmed in Italy, is their latest effort.
Earthquake near Iran-Iraq border kills hundreds and injures thousands
By Trévon Austin, 14 November 2017
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake is the deadliest in 2017.
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