Iran
US imposes draconian new sanctions against Iran amid spiraling COVID-19 pandemic
By Bill Van Auken, 10 October 2020
The sweeping sanctions announced on Thursday are aimed at denying Iran all access to the financial markets, thus cutting off the country’s access to desperately needed food and medicine.
Turkey backs Azeri offensive on Armenia as Russia, Iran warn of escalation
By Alex Lantier, 8 October 2020
The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan threatens to escalate into a regional war involving Russia, Iran, Turkey and the entire NATO alliance.
Iran: Reopening of schools fuels resurgence of coronavirus
By Jean Shaoul, 24 September 2020
According to Iran’s health minister, as of August 22, at least 164 medical workers had lost their lives fighting the pandemic.
Trump stages sham Mideast “peace” ceremony on White House lawn
By Bill Van Auken, 16 September 2020
The overriding significance of the Israel-UAE-Bahrain accords is the further consolidation of a US-led anti-Iran axis in the Middle East.
Coup 53 recounts the role of British intelligence in overthrowing Mosaddegh government in Iran
By Jean Shaoul, 3 September 2020
The film documents the part played by MI6 in the 1953 Anglo-American coup that ousted Iran’s nationalist Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and ushered in 26 years of a murderous dictatorship under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Pompeo in Middle East to cement Israel-Gulf alliance against Iran
By Jean Shaoul, 26 August 2020
Pompeo made it very clear who was the master in this relationship and that China’s increasing trade and investment ties with Israel were unacceptable.
Desert One: Barbara Kopple returns to the fold with her Iran hostage crisis film
By David Walsh, 21 August 2020
Released in theaters or available to stream today, Desert One is a documentary film about the US military’s effort in April 1980 to free American embassy staff captured during the 1979 Iranian revolution.
In act of high seas piracy, US hijacks Iranian oil bound for Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 19 August 2020
The oil seizure came as Washington failed to secure support at the United Nations Security Council for a resolution extending an arms embargo against Tehran.
Iranian oil workers mount wave of strikes as COVID-19 rages across the country
By Ulaş Ateşci, 10 August 2020
According to reports, at least 10,000 workers have participated in walkouts at nearly 30 oil and petrochemical facilities, including the Abadan, Parsian and Qeshm refineries.
Washington renews covert campaign to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure
By Jean Shaoul, 14 July 2020
The US is exerting maximum pressure on Iran, to cripple its economy and intimidate and starve its people, in the hope of effecting regime change.
Iran destabilised by US amid COVID-19 pandemic
By Jean Shaoul, 14 May 2020
US sanctions have shattered the country’s economy and blocked access to critical food, pharmaceutical and industrial supplies, making it more difficult for Iran to respond to the pandemic.
19 Iranian sailors killed in live-fire exercise
By Bill Van Auken, 12 May 2020
The Iranian military’s accidental missile strike on one of its own ships came amid mounting tensions over US Navy deployments in the Persian Gulf.
Strikes and workers’ protests mount against “back to work” campaign
By Shannon Jones, 9 May 2020
The incompetence and callous disregard for human life by the capitalist authorities in country after country is fueling an upsurge in the class struggle.
Trump vetoes war powers resolution on Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 8 May 2020
As anticipated, the US Senate failed to muster the two-thirds vote necessary to override the veto of a bill purporting to limit the president’s power to launch aggressive war against Iran.
Pentagon escalates tensions with Iran in Persian Gulf
By Bill Van Auken, 17 April 2020
Washington claimed Iranian vessels engaged in “dangerous” actions as US warships conducted provocative maneuvers off the Iranian coast.
US blocks IMF loan for Iran’s fight against COVID-19
By Bill Van Auken, 11 April 2020
The denial of desperately needed aid as Iran confronts one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world is part of a US sanctions regime that is tantamount to a state of war.
Mehring Yayıncılık publishes Turkish-language edition of The struggle against imperialism and for workers’ power in Iran
By Ulaş Ateşçi, 30 March 2020
First published by the WSWS in February 2018, The Struggle against Imperialism and for Workers’ Power in Iran—A Reply to a Proponent of “Iranian Islamic Socialism” advances a socialist strategy for the working class in a country that has been the target of US imperialist aggression for decades.
Preface to the Turkish edition of The struggle against imperialism and for workers’ power in Iran
By Keith Jones, 30 March 2020
A viable strategy to defeat imperialism can only be founded on the working class, and requires its independent political mobilization against all factions of the Iranian bourgeoisie.
Washington imposes new sanctions as Iran’s COVID-19 death toll tops 1,000
By Bill Van Auken, 19 March 2020
The global pandemic is viewed by US imperialism as a weapon in its war for hegemony in the Middle East.
US sanctions on Iran turn coronavirus into a catastrophe
By Jean Shaoul, 11 March 2020
Officials announced at the weekend that the virus had spread to most of Iran’s provinces and warned that the number of cases could rise to more than 450,000.
War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 29 February 2020
Russia has sent two cruise missile warships to the Syrian coast as Moscow and Ankara continue to dispute the facts surrounding a strike that killed three dozen Turkish soldiers.
Iran elections show growing alienation from bourgeois-clerical regime
By Jordan Shilton, 24 February 2020
The ‘principalist’ faction more aligned with Russia and China won amid a collapse in voter turnout, falling from 62 percent in 2016 to just 42.6 percent.
US assassinated Suleimani to quash Iran’s talks with Gulf monarchies
By Bill Van Auken, 15 February 2020
The murder of the top Iranian general was carried out to shore up Washington’s crumbling Middle East alliances.
South Korea deploys naval unit to Strait of Hormuz
By Ben McGrath, 1 February 2020
Behind the backs of the South Korean working class, Seoul is supporting US war plans that could lead to a wider conflict with China and Russia.
US deploys “usable” nuclear weapon amid continuing war threats against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 1 February 2020
For all the talk of war with Iran having been averted, the reality is that the world remains on the knife’s edge of a catastrophic military confrontation.
Trump’s disdain for wounds suffered by troops in Iraq sparks protest
By Bill Van Auken, 27 January 2020
The downplaying of the injuries has laid bare the president’s contempt for US military personnel, with whose lives he gambled by ordering the Suleimani assassination.
Canadian judge begins hearing Washington’s geopolitically explosive demand for extradition of top Huawei executive
By Roger Jordan, 23 January 2020
Canadian authorities seized Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou at the behest of Washington, which is seeking her extradition on the basis of bogus fraud charges.
Europe dispatches naval flotilla to threaten Iran, Syria
By Anthony Torres, 22 January 2020
A French aircraft carrier and European naval flotillas will patrol strategic Middle East waters that are critical to the global oil trade.
German government to continue military operations in the Middle East
By Johannes Stern, 18 January 2020
All of the parliamentary parties agree with the government’s policy of escalating Germany military intervention in the region.
Washington continues war buildup against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 17 January 2020
Another squadron of F15-E fighter jets has been dispatched to the region, while the threat of a “nuclear option” is on the table.
Canada’s media and political establishment endorse illegal assassination of Iranian General Suleimani
By Roger Jordan, 17 January 2020
To the extent that criticisms have been made, they have revolved around the question of whether Suleimani’s murder by drone strike was tactically wise.
The Suleimani assassination, imperialist strategy and the crisis of the Iranian regime
By Keith Jones, 16 January 2020
The killing of the military leader, widely viewed as second only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Iran’s power structure, constitutes a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign of “maximum pressure” on Iran.
European powers move toward scrapping nuclear accord with Iran
By Alex Lantier, 15 January 2020
Berlin, London and Paris, emboldened by Tehran’s weak response to the US murder of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, are escalating attacks against Iran.
Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung defends murder of Suleimani
By Peter Schwarz, 15 January 2020
In reaction to the Middle East crisis, Germany’s ruling circles are enthusing about the criminal methods of Trump while pursuing their own imperialist interests more aggressively.
Kremlin maintains muted response to Suleimani assassination, insists on Iran nuclear deal
By Clara Weiss, 15 January 2020
An open war against Iran is likely to spread directly to the border of Russia, enflaming not only the entire Middle East but also the South Caucasus.
Bolsonaro backs Trump in war on Iran, while Workers’ Party appeals to Brazilian military
By Tomas Castanheira, 15 January 2020
Brazil’s fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro was one of the first to defend Washington’s assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleiman.
“Why should we follow these politicians who want us to kill each other for corporate profits?”
US workers denounce war threats against Iran
By our reporters, 15 January 2020
Three decades of disastrous wars have produced popular skepticism to the official propaganda machine and opposition to the launching of new wars.
Trump exploits Iran war crisis to incite violence against political opponents
By Barry Grey, 15 January 2020
Following Trump’s order for the murder of Iranian General Suleimani, his denunciations of political opponents for “taking the side of terrorists” can only be interpreted as a threat of violence.
Assassination of Iran’s General Suleimani planned months in advance
By Bill Van Auken, 14 January 2020
The claim by the Trump administration that its drone missile assassination was carried out in the face of an “imminent” threat stands exposed as a lie.
Australia’s Pine Gap spy base likely involved in the assassination of Qassem Suleimani
By Patrick O’Connor, 14 January 2020
No-one within the Australian media and political establishment has raised the question as to whether the Pine Gap spy base in central Australia played a role in the killing.
Berlin, London and Paris threaten Iran over 2015 nuclear treaty
By Alex Lantier, 14 January 2020
After the recent US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, the European powers are denouncing not Washington, but Tehran, as a threat to the Middle East.
Iran admits to inadvertently shooting down Ukraine International Airlines jet, killing 176
By Jordan Shilton and Keith Jones, 13 January 2020
The felling of Flight 752 came amid a war crisis fomented by Washington’s campaign of “maximum pressure” on Tehran and its January 3 assassination of Suleimani.
Stop the War rally tries to restore Corbyn’s tattered anti-war credentials
By Robert Stevens, 13 January 2020
The more dangerous the world situation becomes, the less the STWC, which orients to the rightward-lurching Labour and trade union apparatus, is able to mobilise popular support.
Iran admits to inadvertently shooting down Ukraine International Airlines jet, killing 176
By Jordan Shilton and Keith Jones, 13 January 2020
The felling of Flight 752 came amid a war crisis fomented by Washington’s campaign of “maximum pressure” on Tehran and its January 3 assassination of Suleimani.
The assassination of Qassem Suleimani and the criminalization of US state policy
By Andre Damon, 13 January 2020
The normalization of extrajudicial killing is the outcome of the “war on terror” and decades of continuous war.
US and Israel escalate Middle East tensions in wake of Suleimani assassination
By Bill Van Auken, 11 January 2020
A report that Washington attempted to assassinate a second Iranian official in Yemen has given the lie to the claim that Suleimani was killed to prevent an “imminent” attack.
Boston area professor fired after anti-Trump Facebook posting
By Dan Conway, 11 January 2020
Asheen Phansey lost his career over statements made in jest, while Trump and his enablers in the Democratic Party make real threats against Iran without any consequences.
UK: Corbyn offers no fight against war with Iran
By Thomas Scripps, 11 January 2020
Corbyn articulates the concerns within ruling circles, including Johnson’s Tories and the armed forces, that Trump’s recklessness can endanger the UK’s world position.
European powers support war preparations against Iran
By Peter Schwarz, 11 January 2020
Not a single leading European politician condemned the brutal murder of General Qassem Suleimani, which represented a gross violation of international law and massively expanded the ongoing regional war in the Middle East.
Bernie Sanders says “some wars are necessary”
By Tom Hall, 11 January 2020
Sanders’ stated opposition to Trump’s threatened war in Iran is a political trap being set for workers and youth.
The Democrats pass Pelosi’s phony antiwar resolution
By Patrick Martin, 10 January 2020
On Thursday, House Democrats backed a “concurrent” resolution that places no meaningful restrictions on Trump’s ability to launch a war against Iran.
German government defends US war drive against Iran
By Johannes Stern, 10 January 2020
Having previously defended the US assassination of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, an illegal act of state terror, Berlin condemned Iran’s retaliatory strike.
US, Canada blame plane crash on Iran as causes remain unclear
By Clara Weiss, 10 January 2020
With the investigation into the causes for the crash having barely begun, US and Canadian officials have accused Iran of downing of the plane.
020 German response to Iran strikes
9 January 2020
Trump bides his time, but the preparations for war against Iran will continue
By Bill Van Auken and David North, 9 January 2020
The media falsely claims that Trump’s failure to order immediate strikes against Iran signals an opening for peace.
After Suleimani murder, New Anti-capitalist Party backs US war on Iran
By Alex Lantier, 9 January 2020
The NPA advances the lie that Iran, a former colonial country, is in fact an imperialist power attacking Washington and slanders Suleimani personally as a mass murderer.
Iran strikes US bases in Iraq as Pentagon deploys B-52 bombers
By Bill Van Auken, 8 January 2020
In evident preparation for full-scale war, the Pentagon has dispatched a bomber strike force consisting of six B-52 heavy bombers to the US military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
Australian government backs US provocations against Iran
By Oscar Grenfell, 8 January 2020
Government representatives responded to the illegal US assassination of General Suleimani by expressing “concern” over “Iran’s behaviour” and insisting Australian troops remain in Iraq.
Corbyn grovels to Privy Council, seeking to block mass anti-war movement
By Laura Tiernan, 8 January 2020
Corbyn’s letter to Johnson was framed as a defence of British national security interests and exhibited Corbyn’s trademark deference to the state.
The US propaganda machine justifies the assassination of Qassem Suleimani
By Andre Damon and David North, 7 January 2020
To present with any degree of honesty the life of Major General Qassem Suleimani would require acknowledging the criminal role the United States has played in subverting the interests of the people of Iran and the entire Middle East for upwards of 70 years.
European governments defend US state terrorism following assassination of Iranian General Suleimani
By Peter Schwarz, 7 January 2020
While the European governments have called for de-escalation, they have refused to condemn as a war crime the targeted killing of a high-ranking representative of a sovereign country.
US assassination of Suleimani staggers Turkish government
By Ulas Atesci, 7 January 2020
The Turkish government took 10 hours to react to this illegal act of war carried out by its decades-long NATO ally.
Iranian-Americans detained at US-Canada border in wake of Suleimani assassination
By Benjamin Mateus, 7 January 2020
More than 60 US citizens were held at a border crossing in Washington state Saturday, subject to illegal detention and interrogation before being allowed to return to their own country.
Democrats fault Trump on strategy, silent on illegality of Suleimani assassination
By Patrick Martin, 6 January 2020
The candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination have sought to disguise their support for American imperialism with insincere appeals to popular antiwar sentiment.
Canadian government tacitly endorses US assassination of Iranian general Soleimani
By Roger Jordan, 6 January 2020
Just hours after Trump ordered a drone strike to exterminate Suleimani, the Canadian government issued a statement denouncing Iranian “aggression” in the Middle East.
Britain backs US war drive against Iran
By Robert Stevens, 6 January 2020
Whatever the qualms in British ruling circles about the grave implications of war in the Middle East, the UK is already involved—as America's closest ally—in a potential war against Iran.
Oppose Trump’s criminal war against Iran!
By The International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, 6 January 2020
Trump’s provocation of a war with Iran is an attempt to find a way out of the increasingly desperate crisis of American capitalism—international and domestic—through spectacular acts of violence.
The murder of Qassem Suleimani and assassination as state policy
By Bill Van Auken, 4 January 2020
In a reckless and criminal act, the Trump administration has effectively declared war on Iran, threatening to drag the whole world into a catastrophic conflict.
US assassinates top Iranian general as 4,000 troops readied for Iraq intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 3 January 2020
The umbrella group for Iraq’s Shia militias reported Friday morning that a US-targeted assassination at Baghdad airport killed Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani.
Iran, Russia and China hold joint naval drills in Indian Ocean amid US war threats
By Alex Lantier, 30 December 2019
The exercises are a signal that a US-led war targeting Iran could rapidly escalate into a global conflict involving the major nuclear powers.
Iranian government kills hundreds in bid to suppress the worst protests in decades
By Jean Shaoul, 3 December 2019
There is no doubt that the US, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf monarchies and Israel are seeking to exploit the escalating crisis confronting Iran.
Imperialist powers intensify pressure on Iranian regime in wake of protests
By Jordan Shilton, 30 November 2019
US imperialism is chiefly responsible for the tense standoff in the Persian Gulf. But the claims of the Iranian regime that “collective security” can be achieved by establishing a closer military alliance with Beijing and Moscow are reactionary.
Israeli airstrikes on Syria threaten wider Mideast war
By Bill Van Auken, 21 November 2019
The air raids follow by barely a week a bombing campaign against Gaza that killed 34, including an entire family of eight.
Iranian regime shuts down internet following protests over gas price hikes
By Keith Jones, 19 November 2019
The Islamic Republic has been shaken by mass protests against a steep hike in gasoline prices precipitated by the US sanctions war on Iran.
Syrian army, Iran threaten counterattack against Turkish invasion of Syria
By Alex Lantier, 14 October 2019
A large-scale Middle East war could strangle the world's oil supply and escalate into a war between nuclear-armed powers. The working class is coming face to face with the real possibility of a Third World War.
US sends 3,000 more troops to defend Saudi monarchy
By Bill Van Auken, 12 October 2019
The escalation of the US troop deployment in the region followed on the heels of a missile attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea.
Pentagon shifts Mideast command center to US in preparation for war on Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 1 October 2019
The shift of CENTCOM’s command and control center to US territory was a rehearsal for a war in which US bases would become targets for Iranian retaliation.
European powers endorse US war provocations against Iran
By Alex Lantier, 25 September 2019
Berlin, London and Paris endorsed US allegations that the recent attack in Saudi Arabia was an Iranian act of war, without providing any concrete evidence whatsoever.
Australian prime minister endorses US trade war and militarism
By James Cogan, 23 September 2019
Morrison conducted himself as the head of a middle-order power that has functioned since World War II as the willing enabler of the predatory policies of its great power ally.
US sending more troops to Saudi Arabia amid rising war tensions
By Bill Van Auken, 21 September 2019
The announcement followed a White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and his National Security Council to discuss proposals for military action against Iran.
Trump meets with security council on Iran war plans
By Bill Van Auken, 20 September 2019
Washington has yet to produce a shred of evidence of Iran's responsibility for the Saudi attacks, which have been seized upon as a pretext for preparing a war for regime change.
Trump reviewing target lists as Iran war threat mounts
By Bill Van Auken, 19 September 2019
US Secretary of State Pompeo described Saturday’s attacks on Saudi oil installations as “an act of war,” attributing them—still with no evidence—to Iran.
Washington steps up threats against Iran over strikes on Saudi oil facilities
By Bill Van Auken, 18 September 2019
The Pentagon has provided the Trump White House with a series of options for military aggression against Iran.
Washington’s rush to indict Iran over Saudi attacks
By Bill Van Auken, 17 September 2019
Without presenting a shred of evidence, the Trump administration charged Tehran with responsibility for attacks that provide a pretext for another US war in the Middle East.
Washington escalates “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 6 September 2019
More than a year after re-imposing a punishing sanctions regime, and no closer to achieving regime change, the US is adopting increasingly reckless measures.
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.
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