In Iran, the turmoil continues: Steve Bishop member of the executive Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s RightsProtesters have pointed out the bitter irony that while they are asked to “take a war formation” and endure austerity, the budget for ideological military wings has reportedly seen massive increases. One representative from Dehloran recently asked President Pezeshkian in parliament if he could “hear the crushing sound of the people’s footsteps.” The demands of protesters have not been confined to the issues of wages and the economy but have become increasingly political, demanding regime change, with protests echoing to chants of “death to the dictator,” aimed at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The regime’s response has been the familiar mix of threats and force. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has warned of harsh punishments for “hoarding foreign currency,” while police have fired tear gas to disperse the biggest crowds seen since the protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Hundreds of people were killed, more than 20,000 arrested, and several executed in connection with those demonstrations. The situation in Iran is being watched closely by both Israel and the United States, as the threat of further action against the regime from both looms. US President Donald Trump has recently threatened military action if Iran rebuilds its nuclear or missile programmes, warning he will “knock the hell out of them.” For the Iranian people 2026 sees yet more uncertainty, arising from the internal pressures of a collapsing economy and the external pressures of both international sanctions and the threat of further military intervention.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/iran-turmoil-continuesDemonstrations and protests continue in Iran There are no exact figures, and no one knows how many people have been killed or injured, arrested, or kidnapped. What is clear, however, is that the people have gone beyond demonstrations and protests, and the movement has turned into an uprising. Likewise, their everyday demands about the rising cost of basic necessities have shifted into political demands, reflected in slogans such as “Down with the regime,” “Out, out, dictators,” “Women, life, freedom,” and many others. Meanwhile, Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, claims that he is trying to talk to the protesters peacefully, saying that he is “listening to their demands, solving their problems, and wanting to meet their representatives and talk to them.” However, as Farhad, not his real name, a university student, said, “Only a fool would believe them. If they want to listen to us, why are they killing us in the streets? Why don’t they release the prisoners? Why don’t they change people’s lives?” There is extensive reading and analysis among some of Iranian and Iraqi people about the current situation, much of which is pessimistic and even suggests that the outcome may be worse. These views are often justified by examples from previous years, such as Iraq, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. In addition, some leftists and Marxists argue that changing one regime for another will not improve the lives of workers. Of course, just as uprisings are unpredictable, their outcomes will not necessarily follow our plans, wishes, or goals. What is clear is that the course of history cannot be stopped by anyone, and change often takes place beyond our will. If the Iranian uprising succeeds, I believe there will be major changes not only in Iran but also across the region.
https://libcom.org/article/demonstrations-and-protests-continue-iran V. I. Lenin: Marxism and Reformism Unlike the anarchists, the Marxists recognise struggle for reforms, i.e., for measures that improve the conditions of the working people without destroying the power of the ruling class. At the same time, however, the Marxists wage a most resolute struggle against the reformists, who, directly or indirectly, restrict the aims and activities of the working class to the winning of reforms. Reformism is bourgeois deception of the workers, who, despite individual improvements, will always remain wage-slaves, as long as there is the domination of capital. The liberal bourgeoisie grant reforms with one hand, and with the other always take them back, reduce them to nought, use them to enslave the workers, to divide them into separate groups and perpetuate wage-slavery. For that reason reformism, even when quite sincere, in practice becomes a weapon by means of which the bourgeoisie corrupt and weaken the workers. The experience of all countries shows that the workers who put their trust in the reformists are always fooled. And conversely, workers who have assimilated Marx’s theory, i.e., realised the inevitability of wage-slavery so long as capitalist rule remains, will not be fooled by any bourgeois reforms. Understanding that where capitalism continued to exist reforms cannot be either enduring or far-reaching, the workers fight for better conditions and use them to intensify the fight against wage-slavery. The reformists try to divide and deceive the workers, to divert them from the class struggle by petty concessions. But the workers, having seen through the falsity of reformism, utilise reforms to develop and broaden their class struggle. The stronger reformist influence is among the workers the weaker they are, the greater their dependence on the bourgeoisie, and the easier it is for the bourgeoisie to nullify reforms by various subterfuges. The more independent the working-class movement, the deeper and broader its aims, and the freer it is from reformist narrowness the easier it is for the workers to retain and utilise improvements.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1913/sep/12b.htm