Com. Basanta
On June 13, Israel launched a major military attack on Iran. In the attack, 17 prominent figures, including three Iranian military commanders, a Revolutionary Guard chief, two nuclear scientists, and some politicians, were killed. After Iran retaliated, the Middle East is now embroiled in a terrible war. There have been large casualties and material damage on both sides. The conflict has shaken not only the countries of the Middle East but also the entire world. On top of this, the United States has destroyed three nuclear facilities in Iran by dropping bunker-buster bombs. Some political analysts have described it as the beginning of World War III, while others believe that this war will bring about a significant shift in current geopolitics. This brief article will focus on these issues.
First, let us take a general look at the historical background of these two countries. Israel is not a nation that has developed since historical times. This is a part of the land where Jews occupied some of the territory of Palestine and settled after the end of World War II. On May 14, 1948, the head of the Jewish Agency, David Ben-Gurion, proposed the name "State of Israel" for this region. After the proposal was approved by US President Harry Truman on the same day, the small area was renamed the State of Israel and later called Israel. Since its establishment, Israel has been a checkpost of US imperialism in the Middle East and has been exercising expansionist hegemony over the Palestinian territories and other neighbouring countries. Thus, Israel is a regional watchdog that has survived under the protection of US imperialism and has stood up for US interests in the Middle East.
On the other hand, the present Iran, known as Persia since historical times, has been a culturally rich nation since the dawn of human civilization. The Shia community of Muslims is in the vast majority here. Iran had a monarchy until 1979, and the last king was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Until then, relations between Iran and Israel were very good. For this, both rulers were American puppets. After the end of the monarchy in the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979, an Islamic Republic was established there.
Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, this country has been anti-American. But it must not be misunderstood as an anti-imperialist progressive force. It is a reactionary state in which comprador and bureaucratic capitalism have developed. Iran has stood against America and Israel only because Israel has been an obstacle to expanding its monopoly in the Middle East and America has been defending Israel.
The conflict between Iran and the US has been escalating since the 1990s, mainly after Iran pursued a uranium enrichment programme. The US does not want Iran to become a nuclear power. It has opposed Iran's nuclear programme, citing it as a threat to its security. But Iran is committed to its mission and is not ready to back down from it. In this situation, the US and Israel are in a strategy to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and, if necessary, prevent the programme by way of regime change. Thus, changing the regime in Iran has become one of their politico-military tools. Any country can be big or small in size, developed or underdeveloped, but all of them have equal sovereign rights. The fact that countries like the US, Britain, Germany, and France have been developing nuclear weapons and Iran is not allowed to do so is against Iran's sovereign right. This is the political hooliganism of imperialist forces.
On the other hand, ever since the establishment of Israel, the process of Jews scattered around the world settling in Israel and displacing the Palestinian people has been continuing. The father of the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who immigrated to Israel from Poland, is of Jewish descent. The Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the eastern part of Jerusalem, which were under Palestinian control in the 1948 partition, have been under Israeli occupation since 1967. The United States is working on a plan to forcibly remove the Palestinian people from their territory and annex all of Palestine to Israel. Both the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and its subsequent expansion by the Jews are unjust. The Palestinian people have been waging a just struggle against Israeli occupation to regain their lost territory, and it is still going on.
The present government of Iran has not recognized the legitimacy of the State of Israel. In general, this stance of Iran seems reasonable. But what must not be overlooked here is that the conflict between Israel and Iran did not arise because Iran supports the just struggle of the Palestinian people but because the United States and Israel are obstacles to expanding its hegemony in the Middle East. The conflict in this region is the result of the contradiction between Iran, a hegemonic state, and Israel, another expansionist, the US proxy.
Thus, the conflict that has been going on in the Middle East has resulted from the contradiction between Israel and Iran, in which Iran does not recognise the legitimacy of Israel. It is an antagonistic contradiction and cannot be resolved by peaceful means. The frequent military clashes between Iran and Israel confirm this fact. Although this conflict seems to be between Israel and Iran in form, in essence, it is a conflict that has its roots deeply sunk in the contradiction between the US and Iran. America wants to bring Iran to its knees and establish the sole hegemony of its lackey Israel in the Middle East so that the US can impose its authority in the region.
Israel launched a surprise military attack on Iran on June 13. This attack killed an important part of the leadership of the Iranian state. This is an attack on the independence, territorial integrity, and security of a sovereign nation and a serious violation of international law devised by the bourgeoisie themselves. This incident of war shows how cruel, barbaric, and criminal the imperialists are. Revolutionaries have been opposing and must oppose this kind of reactionary war. In the present context, the meaning of opposing the warmonger United States does not mean supporting the reactionary regime in Iran, and if understood in that way, it would be a basic theoretical mistake.
A fierce war is currently going on in the Middle East after Iran retaliated against Israeli military targets on June 13. More than 500 people have been killed, and thousands have been injured on both sides. In the meantime, Iran has damaged Israel's Iron Dome, which is considered to be an effective air defence system, and major Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Haifa, have been ruined. Billions of dollars in material property have gone to ashtrays. Military experts say that Israel's military equipment will last for the remaining 12 days only. It is not that Iran has not suffered heavy losses of life and property, but unlike Israel, it possesses sufficient military equipment that can fight wars for years on its own. Thus, it is clear that Iran is weighing heavily on Israel in this war.
When the war broke out after Iran retaliated against Israel, Trump was in Canada for the G7 meeting. He did not stay for the entire meeting and returned to the United States the next day. After arriving in the United States, he made three statements. First, when asked by reporters whether the US would join the war, he said that the US might or might not join the war and that decision would be made public after two weeks. Second, he made use of Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to state that Iran was not planning to build nuclear weapons. Grossi told Fox News, “We have confirmed that Iran does have, even now, enough material for several warheads. But this should not be equated with a nuclear weapon," Grossi continued, adding, "We do not have at this point, if you ask me, at this time, any tangible proof that there is a program, or a plan, to fabricate, to manufacture a nuclear weapon." Third, Trump said the information provided by the US intelligence agencies to the government that Iran was developing nuclear weapons has been proved wrong.
But ironically, he could not stand by his two statements and the two-week time he stated. Within two days of making these statements, he attacked Iran's three nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan using bunker-buster bombs. If the information given by the US intelligence agencies was wrong and Iran had no plans to build nuclear weapons, why did he order to attack those facilities? He has not said anything about this. If a person who is in the dignified position of a president says one thing today and does its opposite tomorrow, it is clear that his statement was just a conspiracy and a deception to the masses.
After attacking the nuclear facilities, Trump at the White House said, "Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror." He added, "There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days." He further added, "Remember, there are many targets left." This statement makes it clear that the sponsor of state terrorism is not Iran, but US imperialism itself.
Following the attack, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour” He added that Iran “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.” In a television interview after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”
Regarding the incident, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today.” He added, "This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.” He said, adding that there is a “growing risk” that this conflict could “rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.” Guterres called on member states to “de-escalate” and “uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law.” In this regard, Hakeem Jeffrey, the top Democrat in the US House of Representatives, said, “President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East. He added, “Donald Trump must take full responsibility for any adverse consequences of his unilateral military action.”
The international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons said, “Given that US intelligence agencies assess Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, this is a senseless and reckless act that could undermine international efforts to prevent the further proliferation of nuclear weapons.”
Many countries, including Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Chile, and others, have condemned and denounced the US attack on Iran. Russia has announced that it will give Iran whatever it asks. China has strongly opposed the US attack on the Iranian nuclear facility under IAEA safeguards. Similarly, North Korea has strongly condemned the US military attack on Iran and considers it a gross violation of the UN Charter. The US, which has always profited by dividing Shiites and Sunnis, seems to be failing this time. Muslim countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have openly sided with Iran, and political analysts say that all 57 Muslim countries in the world may side with Iran.
Following the US attack, Iran has escalated the war by launching missile attacks not only on Israel but also on US military bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Syria, and Iraq. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted by CNN as saying, “As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations.” Similarly, the Tehran Times quoted Mahdi Mohammadi, an advisor to the speaker of the Iranian parliament, as the first Iranian official to deny this. He said, “The U.S. and Israel are lying. They want Iran to put down its guard so they can escalate the tensions.” Whatever it may be, no one can say what will happen as time passes. Iran’s retaliatory actions have not stopped yet, and the world is moving towards World War III. The only responsible force for this is US imperialism.
It is a reality till now that the world is heading towards a genocidal World War III unless a different situation develops any time soon. The main sponsor of the looming world war is US imperialism and its leading player, President Donald Trump. The only way to stop the world war is a proletarian revolution. At this time, the responsibility of the revolutionaries lies in unmasking the reactionary forces, mainly US imperialism, and accelerating the preparations for revolution. The faster imperialism is exposed from the eyes of the people, the faster the working-class people rally around the proletarian revolution and preparation can be accelerated. This is how the revolutionaries can advance the proletarian revolution and prevent war.
June 24, 2025; 1:40 PM
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