Avanti Populo

Hardliners in Tehran tighten grip

12^th March 2026

A bomb damaged hospital in Tehran following US/Israeli strikes

The Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights (CODIR) has warned that the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s Supreme Leader sends out a signal that hardliners in the theocratic dictatorship retain the upper hand in the internal struggle within the regime.

Khamenei is believed to have been very seriously injured in the attack on 28 February, which killed his father, Ali Khamenei, as well as his wife and other family members. He is believed to have been reluctant to take up the role of Supreme Leader, but is clearly the hardliner’s choice and will represent the interests of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) going forward.

Despite being the son of Ali Khamenei, very little is known about Mojtaba as he has stayed largely out of the public eye. However, he is known to have strong links to the IRGC, the Basij paramilitary force, and the regime’s repressive security apparatus. He certainly represents the ‘diehard’ tendency within Iran and has the support of arch-conservatives within the regime.

Khamenei’s selection comes at a time when the thrust of the US-Israeli strikes indicate an intention to completely degrade the Iranian state, both in civil as well as military terms.

While the US and Israel are keen to emphasise the accuracy and precision of missile attacks the reality is that recent days have seen atrocious attacks on oil refineries around Tehran; water desalination plants; electrical supply hubs and power plants (meaning large parts of Tehran were left in pitch blackness); clinics/hospitals; schools; community centres; sports complexes; public parks and squares; as well as UNESCO-listed world heritage sites.

“It has been clear since the first bomb dropped that the illegal US/Israeli war on Iran is not just about eliminating nuclear capacity or missile capability,” said CODIR General Secretary, Gawain Little, “these attacks are degrading key elements of the civilian infrastructure in Iran. The US is using the Iranian people’s legitimate struggle against the regime as cover for external regime change, which would be a calamity for the Iranian people. They alone have the right to determine the future of Iran.”

In spite of the increasing toll upon the civilian population, with over 1.200 estimated dead so far, the regime in Iran has made clear that it is not interested in a ceasefire or return to negotiations for the time being. The regime appears to be motivated to respond by exacting as high a toll on the US and Western countries as possible, in order to ensure that the cost of attacking Iran is seen to be prohibitively high, economically and politically.

There are also reports that the IRGC’s command structure has been decentralised, giving operational autonomy to commanders further down the chain and throughout Iran’s provinces. The security forces appear to be entrenching their positions throughout the country in anticipation of carrying on the fight regardless of what form it takes. It is reported this is pursuant to one of Ali Khamenei’s last directives before he was killed.

That the regime’s security forces and paramilitaries are still in control and exert a fearsome presence on the streets of Iran is reflected in the comments of Iran’s police chief, Ahmadreza Radan, who has warned that protesters will be treated as “the enemy”.

Speaking on Iranian state TV Radan stated,

“If someone comes at the enemies bidding, we do not regard them as a protestor or anything of the sort; we treat them as we would treat the enemy, and we deal with them the same way we deal with the enemy.”

CODIR Assistant General Secretary, Jamshid Ahmadi, underlined the solidarity organisation’s long-held position of opposition to the theocratic dictatorship and external intervention.

“CODIR continues to be firmly against the theocratic dictatorship and its repressive measures against the Iranian people. We will also continue to oppose outside intervention by the US, Israel, or any proxy forces acting on their behalf.

“The future of Iran must be for the Iranian people themselves to decide. The war is already a catastrophe for the people of Iran and the region. We must do all in our power to stop it from getting worse,” stated Mr. Ahmadi.

Progressive forces inside the country are continuing to call for the end of the dictatorship at the same time as remaining unequivocal in their opposition to external intervention.

CODIR will continue to provide support and solidarity with those progressive forces on the basis of the Iranian people’s longstanding demand for peace, democracy, and social justice.

http://www.codir.net

Israel and US ignore international law with attacks on Iran

28^th February 2026

Smoke rises from buildings in Tehran following Israeli strikes

Caught between the rock of a theocratic dictatorship and the hard place of US imperialism, fronted by an expansionist Israel, the Iranian people once again find themselves victims of a conflict they did not choose and do not desire.

Israeli attacks upon Iran, backed by the biggest United States military build up in the Middle East for decades, have been launched against Tehran and other key Iranian cities. Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has described the attacks as a “pre-emptive strikes” though quite what the attacks are alleged to be pre-empting is not made clear.

Following widespread demonstrations across Iran in December and January, the past week saw protests break out across universities to commemorate those killed in the protests earlier in the year. The pressure inside the country for change continues to mount but leaders of solidarity organisation CODIR feared that the Iranian leadership were not acting in the best interests of the Iranian people in the current talks and that the continued US military build up posed a significant threat.

“Neither the US nor Iran are showing any signs of movement in their positions in the negotiations,” said CODIR General Secretary, Gawain Little, earlier this week. “The talks are stalled at the point of talking about generalities, rather than getting down to specifics. Meanwhile the build up of US military in the region continues and the threat of war gets closer.”

Indications from mediators close to the negotiations that some progress was being made and technical talks would begin on Monday, have been blown apart by the Israeli strikes. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) statement that the current operation has been planned for months gives the lie to any claim by the US that talks were happening in good faith. Ther IDF have also stated that there will be at least four days of attacks as part of the current violation of international law.

US President, Donald Trump had previously signalled that a “limited military strike” on Iran may be the first step towards further escalation as US forces are reportedly preparing for a “weeks long” military intervention. Since the attack Trump has indicated that the US has launched “major combat operations” in Iran. The US remains fixed upon Iran agreeing to a reduction in its nuclear enrichment potential, which Iran insists is for purely civilian purposes. However, the US and Israel are also keen to reduce Iran’s ballistic missile capability.

In a speech preceding the attacks Trump indicated that Iranians should stay in their homes as missiles would be falling everywhere, as close to a declaration of war as is possible without using the actual words.

The US President has also made no secret of his desire for regime change saying recently that this would be “the best thing that could happen” in Iran, a view echoed by the criminal regime in Tel Aviv. This was made clear by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu who has stated that “a short time ago, Israel and the United States embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.”

The dangers of any military intervention spreading across the region are significant and would be catastrophic for the people of Iran and the wider Middle East. US regime change interventions elsewhere in the region, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria for example have not benefitted the people of those countries and there is the danger that Iran could be the latest calamity to add to this long list. Creating a failed state which can be exploited by US corporations appears to be part of the agenda for the US.

“CODIR is completely opposed to the ongoing US/Israeli attack on Iran”, said Gawain Little, “This is outright imperialism and an attempt at regime change. We maintain our longstanding support for the Iranian people’s struggle and condemn the cynical use of this by the US and Israel. You cannot support a people by bombing them.”

Progressive forces inside the country are continuing to call for the end to the dictatorship and opposition to external intervention.

CODIR will continue to provide support and solidarity with those progressive forces on the basis of the people’s demand for peace, democracy and social justice.

Find out more at www.coddir.net

Iran – reform becoming radicalised

18^th February 2026

As discussions continue between the United States and Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear enrichment programme, the suppression of internal dissent by the theocratic dictatorship grows.

Protests across Iran last month took on an increasingly anti-regime character

It is hard to believe that the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran do not take the threats issued by US President Donald Trump seriously. After the unprovoked attack on Iran by Israel in June 2025, followed by the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, it should be clear that the actions of the US are a real danger to the Iranian people.

However, it is not the Iranian people which are the primary concern of the theocratic leadership, or the military circle of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) which protects them. Both the theocracy and the military in Iran are mired in corruption, presiding over a failing state, which they sustain in order to protect their own interests rather than those of the people of Iran.

The moribund theocracy refuses to shoulder any blame for the state of the Iranian economy or the increasing poverty of the population. International sanctions, outside forces, Mossad agents are, in their view, all to blame for the fomenting of unrest and its causes, which have led to mass protests and outbreaks of anti-regime slogans over recent months. If the Iranian leadership is to be believed they do not bear any responsibility for the current crisis, hoping to hide behind a fig leaf of anti-imperialist rhetoric by placing the blame for all things on the US and Israel.

That there is truth in the belligerence of the US and Israel towards Iran gives the pleas of the Iranian leaders a veneer of plausibility but it is no more than a surface sheen. The religious zealotry which drives the fundamentalists in the current Israeli government is simply the other side of the coin from the religious zealotry which has been characteristic of the Iranian regime for the past 47 years.

Israel’s desire for dominance in the Middle East is backed by the might of the United States. Iran’s attempts to dominate the region have been through the creation of the so called Axis of Resistance, united by an antipathy towards Israel and its fundamentalist tendencies towards greater territorial expansion in the region.

On the international front, talks continue between the US and Iran regarding its nuclear enrichment and ballistic missile programmes. In recent days however, the Islamic Republic has launched a new wave of arrests targeting prominent figures of the Reform Front and domestic critics, charging them with “establishing subversive mechanisms.” Arrests include those of Javad Imam, the spokesperson for the Reform Front, and Hossein Karroubi, the son of Mehdi Karroubi, a dissident cleric and leader of the Green Movement.

This is a pattern of behaviour which goes back over forty years as the Islamic Republic has resorted to the arrest, imprisonment, torture and execution of political opponents, trade union activists, women’s rights campaigners and academics who have voiced opposition to the regime and its policies.

With reference to the recent protests against the regime, in January of this year, the judiciary in Iran justified arrests on the basis that members of a ‘circle’ consisting of ‘extremist elements’ took action to ‘incite the country’s domestic atmosphere’ and were ‘acting to destroy national cohesion by levelling accusations and publishing false positions against the country.’

The arrests come at a time when the Reform Front, which previously viewed the existing regime as one which could be modified, has moved to a more radical position, recognising that the regime as it stands is beyond reform.

Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand, a legal expert and advisor to Mir-Hossein Mousavi, one of the leaders of the Green Movement, in a recent interview with Euronews, viewed the arrests as a result of the existing regime’s fear that an internal opposition in Iran could grow and demonstrate popular support which would undermine the Islamic Republic, stating,

“Khamenei has a clear red line: a prominent, independent national opposition must not be allowed to form within the country. An independent opposition that simultaneously opposes foreign military strikes, recommends non-violent solutions, and maintains a clear stance against authoritarianism is completely unacceptable to Khamenei.”

The fear of a growing opposition to the sectarianism of the Islamic Republic was the driving force behind the mass imprisonment, torture, execution and exile of opposition activists in the 1980’s, including Iran’s Communists and other Left wing opponents of the regime. While the Reform Front does not by any means represent a revolutionary alternative to the existing regime its growing radicalism is seen as a threat by the ruling theocracy.

Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand, summarised the position as he sees it,

“I believe the regime fears domestic movements more than anything else and has exerted every effort in recent years to discredit them and alienate them from their popular base.”

It is clear from the actions of the regime and the assessment of those close to the Iranian opposition that any limited tolerance of reform, which the Iranian regime may have had, is rapidly disappearing.

The lack of trust which the Iranian leadership has in its own people is evident in the number of deaths and arrests immediately following the protests in January. The recent arrests suggest that the regime is not letting up in its suppression of opposition. The rhetoric of Donald Trump, in relation to coming to the rescue of protesters, is clearly regarded as hollow in this regard. Although further strikes on Iran’s nuclear capability have not been signalled by Washington in the short term, they cannot be ruled out depending upon the outcome of talks.

The Iranian people once again find themselves between a rock and a hard place, hesitant to sustain protest on the streets, for fear of shooting and arrest, but with no desire to rely upon external intervention to bring about regime change. It is a situation which cannot be sustained indefinitely and one which must be resolved by the Iranian people, in the interests of the Iranian people in their desire for peace, democracy and social justice.

(This is an edited version of an article which first appeared in the Morning Star 13 February 2026)

Keep up to date at www.codir.net

REFUSE!

25^th January 2026

REFUSE !

by Brian Topping

The TV tells me
Children in rural Africa
Are losing their sight
That charity will stop
Their slide into darkness

The TV tells me
The government says
We’ll all feel better soon
Even if we are unaware
Of the change

The TV tells me
The children of the fading light
Are scrambling for fresh water
While flies
Gather around their eyes

The TV tells me
Freedom is coming
To Venezuela and Nigeria
Through high explosive
And fire

The TV tells me
We should be prepared
To sacrifice our children
And their children
To defend the TV nation

The TV is silent on
Billionaire greed
Corporate global plunder
Apartheid in Israel
Exploitation and class division

Breaking news is breaking
On the reality of experience
Resist
Rise
REFUSE !

Like Many Other Things

More poems can be found in a slim volume of new and selected poems, Like Many Other Things by Brian Topping, published by the recently established Newcastle based, Valparaiso Arts.

This is Valparaiso Arts first publication.

At only £7 inc p&p all proceeds will go to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

To get your copy simply follow the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/F4SH749UP8QYE

Trump 2.0 – resistance is growing

20^th January 2026

Demonstrations are growing across the United States

It would be easy to see the outcomes of the first year in office of Donald Trump’s second term as President of the United States as the rantings of an unhinged narcissist. While this may be a true reflection of the character of Trump as an individual the agenda for US imperialism is not just about Donald Trump.

Although the most highly weaponised, aggressive and interventionist nation in history, the US feels threatened by the rising economic power and influence of China, the potential for a resurgent capitalist Russia and the challenge to the supremacy of the dollar from the nations of the Global South, coalescing around the BRICS movement.

While developments in all of these areas are uneven, they nevertheless represent a rejection of the notion of US world leadership and are open to alternative ways to tackle political, economic and environmental concerns.

The BRICS countries certainly do not share common political or ideological objectives but generally have an interest in loosening the grip of the US in the international banking system and establishing fairer trade relationships.

Any expansionist ambitions the Russian ruling class harbour have been effectively hemmed in by the NATO encirclement over the past thirty years. Ukraine is the last piece in that jigsaw and one which Russia is seeking to avoid falling into place.

The endgame for the West is clearly to have a Russia compliant with the NATO alliance and a source of cheap labour and exploitable natural resources for the Western market. The real driver behind Trump and US imperialism’s belligerence over Greenland, for example, has little to do with the defence issues touted and much more to do with access to rare earth minerals for American companies to exploit.

China is regarded as the biggest threat by US imperialism, due to its obvious economic strength, its rich natural resources and its growing influence in the Global South, based upon its non-exploitative economic relationships. China’s military expenditure is paltry compare to the US and the Communist Party leadership are clearly reluctant to engage in the arms race the US would like to entice them into, at the expense of the wider economic benefits for the Chinese people.

The continued provocation to China, around the status of Taiwan, internationally recognised as part of China, is the potential flashpoint which the West may use in its attempts to undermine Chinese economic growth and international credibility.

While Trump has declared that the Western Hemisphere is the US’s to police, a licence to piracy, kidnap and invasion, the imperial ambitions of the US are by no means confined to its self styled ‘backyard’. The patrolling of the South China Seas through the AUKUS alliance is clearly a provocation to China. The fuelling of weapons to Israel, to prolong the genocide in Gaza, along with the bombing of Iran are clearly sending messages to the countries of the Middle East that US imperialism sees its own interests as being primary, above those of the people of the region.

The kidnapping of Venezuela’s President Maduro, the threats against Cuba, Colombia and Mexico, even the continued threat to annexe Canada, are all part of the US strategy of flexing its military and economic might in the hemisphere it regards as its own.

Trump 2.0 may be restrained by poor mid term election results in November but the forward path of US imperialism in the 21^st century is well and truly established. It is unlikely that a few changes of Congressional seats or even a change of Presidency are going to alter that in the short term.

Resistance within the US is becoming more visible however. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service shooting of civilian Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota recently has led to widespread protest. The election of New York Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, an avowed Democratic Socialist, is a step in the right direction. Resistance to the Trump administration’s attempts to overturn the gains of the Civil Rights Movement in the US is growing, while attacks on workers rights to organise and to collective bargaining are bringing more into struggle.

The first year of Trump 2.0 has certainly had many moments of concern, both domestically and internationally, but US imperialism cannot simply be allowed to get its own way and people are recognising this in US cities and across the globe. The fightback must be sustained and resistance built upon at every opportunity.

CODIR welcomes protests demanding democratic change in Iran

10th January 2026

Vehicles burn in Tehran as anti-government protests continue

The Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights (CODIR) has today welcomed demonstrations across Iran, which have put pressure upon the theocratic dictatorship, but warned against intervention by the United States to force Iran in a particular direction.

CODIR General Secretary, Gawain Little, reiterated the solidarity organisation’s position of opposition to the dictatorship while opposing outside intervention today.

“These protests underline the fragility of the regime and how narrow its base of support has become”, said Mr. Little, “the impact of international sanctions, the collapse of the Iranian currency and widespread corruption at every level of government have combined to make it almost impossible for the working people of Iran to live above the poverty line. The current demonstrations indicate real disillusionment with the current regime and that is only likely to grow. However, these protests need to be driven and decided by the Iranian people, not the diktats of outside forces such as the United States.”

While the BBC and Western media report backing for the deposed monarchy is a feature of the protests, CODIR’s sources inside Iran suggest that this is not a view which enjoys widespread popular support. At present the protests are focussed on opposing the existing regime without any clear coalescence around an alternative. Given the repression of opposition groups under the former Shah, a factor leading to the 1979 revolution, there is widespread scepticism that a return to monarchy in Iran would bring any improvement in the lives of working people.

In a recent interview in the United States the former Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, was clear that he does not see his future as being based in Iran, given that his life, family and friends have been based in the United States for the past 40 years.

CODIR welcomed the support of European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, who has paid tribute to the street protesters praising a “generation who want to tear off the shackles of oppression.”

Other European leaders have so far been more cautious while US President, Donald Trump, has repeated his threat to intervene if more people are killed as a result of the protests, having stated last week that the US will “come to their rescue”. Reports suggest that so far, the regime has killed at least 38 people while more than 2,200 others have been detained.

The current level of protests match those which followed the rigged Presidential election in 2009 and surpass those following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.

As well as the usual show of force the Iranian regime has imposed a countrywide internet shutdown in an attempt to close down channels of communication and prevent protests becoming even more widespread.

CODIR Assistant General Secretary, Jamshid Ahmadi, outlined the dire situation within Iran, stating,

“Widespread strike action has greeted the government’s failure to tackle the issues facing the Iranian people, with protests in the oil industry, the public sector and from pensioners all demonstrating against poor working conditions and a deterioration in the value of earnings. Iranian trade unions and trade unionists are supporting the demand for democratic change in the country. The current wave of protests builds upon these actions and stresses the extent of the Iranian people’s suffering under the dictatorship.”

CODIR is calling upon all affiliates and the British government to show support for the protesters, in the face of the dictatorial actions of the regime, while opposing any foreign intervention, stressing that the future of Iran must be determined by the Iranian people.

Contact Information for CODIR:-

Postal Address:
B.M.CODIR
London
WC1N 3XX
UK
Website: www.codir.net
E-mail: codir_info@btinternet.com

Further information on CODIR

CODIR is the Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s Rights. It has been established since 1981 and has consistently campaigned to expose human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

CODIR has worked closely with the trade union movement in the UK, the peace movement, all major political parties and Amnesty International to press the case for an end to torture in Iran’s prisons. Major trade unions in Britain are affiliated to CODIR and support its campaign for peace, human and democratic rights, and social justice in Iran.

CODIR has published Iran Today, its quarterly journal, since 1981, explaining the latest developments in Iran and the most effective way that the British public opinion could demonstrate its solidarity with the people of Iran.

In recent years CODIR has worked closely with Stop the War Coalition and has been vocal against any form of foreign intervention in the internal affairs of the nation.

Solidarity with Venezuela

3^rd January 2026

US bombs strike Caracas, Venezuela

British Prime Minister, Kier Starmer, says that he cannot comment on the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife by the United States until he has all of the “facts”. It is difficult to know which ‘facts’ Starmer is waiting for. The kidnapping of the Head of a sovereign state, by the armed forces of another state, is surely fact enough upon which to comment, if not condemn outright, as a major transgression of international law.

US President Donald Trump has been ordering US warships to commit acts of international piracy for months, alleging that Maduro is heading a drugs cartel which is running narcotics into the United States. There is no evidence of this and over 100 people have died so far as a result of US actions in the Caribbean.

The bombing of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, followed by the abduction of Maduro and his wife, is the latest act of terror perpetrated by the Trump administration, allegedly in the name of peace. Only in the twisted logic of Trump can this make any sense.

As a man who desperately craves a Nobel Peace Prize and calls himself a President of peace Trump’s record in his first year in office is nothing short of a catalogue of disaster.

The fuelling of the war in Ukraine, kept going through the sale of US weapons, in spite of Trump’s claims to want to end the conflict, is one example. The cosying up to the religious fundamentalist government in Israel, perpetrating genocide upon the people of Palestine, killed, maimed and mutilated by US weapons is another. Weapons sales to Saudi Arabia utilised against the Houthis in Yemen hardly makes for a peaceful solution to the conflict in that country.

Trump green lighted the Israeli attack upon Iran in June then sent his own bombers in to hit Iranian nuclear power facilities. More recently he has said that he will defend those protesting against the theocratic dictatorship in Iran, a barely veiled threat for another use of force, while also saying that if Iran rebuilds its nuclear or missiles programme he will “knock the hell out of them.”

US missiles have recently hit targets in Nigeria, allegedly in defence of Christians, while the US also turns a blind eye to Israeli incursions into Syria, as well as its illegal occupation, euphemistically termed ‘settler programme’ in the West Bank.

Trump’s desire to turn the fertile land of Gaza into a playground riviera for the rich is not off the table. The over 60 year illegal blockade of Cuba has intensified since Trump’s return to office.

The likelihood of Cuba being next in line for the gunfire of US imperialism was given added credence by both Trump and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio in a press conference today (3 January). The importance of solidarity with Cuba , always crucial, will be even more vital in the coming days and weeks.

The threat to annexe Greenland, because the US “needs” it according to Trump, has not gone away. Ongoing threats against China continue to be an integral part of the Trump worldview.

It is no surprise that Ukraine has rare earth minerals that the US wants to get its hand on. Regime change in Iran would give the US access to the vast reserves of oil and gas in that country. Venezuela has the greatest amount of untapped oil in the world. Greenland is seen to be of strategic military importance for control of the arctic region.

None of this may stop Trump getting a Nobel Peace Prize. Any committee which can make the award to Henry Kissinger for authorising the carpet bombing of Cambodia in the 1970s, or to Venezuelan counter revolutionary Maria Corina Machado for calling for US intervention against her own country, is capable of giving an award to anyone.

The facts are that US imperialism continues to flex its muscles around the world in defence of its own class interests and its own desire for world dominance in both political and military terms. Trump is simply the visible ugly face behind which a world of forces in the US military industrial complex are positioned.

The attack upon Venezuela must be condemned out of hand. It is not good enough that Kier Starmer shows no backbone and says that “the UK is not involved”. Everyone who wants a world free from domination of one state by another, who wants the government of sovereign states to be determined by the people of those states, not by external forces, is ‘involved’.

The international community has not done enough to defend the Cuban people against US economic aggression for decades. It has not done enough to stop the creeping Israeli colonisation of the West Bank and the genocide in Gaza. The people of Venezuela must not become the latest victims of international surrender in the face of US imperialism.

The Russians are not Coming

18^th December 2025

THE RUSSIANS ARE NOT COMING

No more war

Starmer is lying

The Russians are not coming

That’s a fact

Tell work colleagues

Tell fellow students

Tell the soldiers and their families

Tell Councillors and MPs

Tell neighbours and friends

Tell retired workers

Starmer is lying

The Russians are not coming

That’s a fact

No more austerity

No more cuts or tax rises

Hands off schools

Hands of health and care services

Hands off our children and grandchildren

Starmer is preparing for war

Starmer is lying

That’s a fact

The Russians are NOT coming

Like Many Other Things

This poem is from a slim volume of new and selected poems, Like Many Other Things by Brian Topping, published by the recently established Newcastle based, Valparaiso Arts.

This is Valparaiso Arts first publication.

At only £7 inc p&p all proceeds will go to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

To get your copy simply follow the link below.

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/F4SH749UP8QYE

Together – against the far right

17^th December 2025

Two weeks ago, saw the launch of something historic. TOGETHER is an alliance of over 80+ organisations, hundreds of public figures and thousands of everyday people with a simple message: unity against the far right.

Sign up here

Support for TOGETHER includes Sir Lenny Henry, Paloma Faith, Fontaines DC, Leigh Anne Pinnock, Paul Weller and hundreds of other national figures, plus 80+ organisations. The voices of division in Britain are growing louder and more confident. A far right party is topping the polls and they are mobilising the biggest numbers they ever have on the streets. But we can change things when we stand together. Our alliance is aiming to build unity over division, love over hate and hope over fear. That’s why we’re asking you to sign up, adding your name to the Together Alliance statement.

Add your name to the statement

We know that our strength lies in solidarity and unity. Your support helps make that unity visible and will inspire others to speak out. Together, we can shift the culture. It’s in this spirit that we’ll be mobilising and organising in the build-up to a major national demonstration in London next year on Saturday, 28 March 2026. This is our first public action — and your participation will set the tone, showing that the majority of people in this country stand for unity, not division. Sign up below and join us at this powerful display of solidarity.

Join the demo

Together, we can reject narratives of division and racism; build solidarity across communities; and unite against the far right.

Support on social media: X | Facebook | Instagram | Bsky| TikTok

Iran – peace will give the Iranian people a chance

8^th December 2025

Oil workers in Iran – part of a growing wave of workers taking industrial action

The emergence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the revolution which overthrew the Shah in 1979, and its persistence as a focus for the development of political Islam has increasingly been seen as a threat by Israel. The United States has been equally concerned with the turn of events following 1979 and was instrumental in encouraging the attack upon Iran by Iraq in 1980, which led to the Iran-Iraq war raging from 1980-1988.

The war did not dislodge the Iranian dictatorship but encouraged the intensification of the arrest, torture and execution of dissident voices inside Iran and a consolidation of its control of the state by the medieval theocracy. The fragile alliance with Iraq, having served its purpose soon saw the US perform a volte face, eventually resulting in the downfall of former ally Saddam Hussein and the fragmentation of Iraq as a functioning state following the invasion of 2003.

It is against this background that the legitimate fears of the Iranian people of further military action must be viewed. Since the attack upon Iran in June the regime in the Islamic Republic is reported to have significantly increased missile production with a view to generating enough capability to overwhelm Israeli missile defences. Inside Iranian ruling circles the threat of renewed conflict is widely considered high, with some officials and experts suggesting that another war is “only a matter of time”.

Such thinking is fuelled, not only by the desire of the regime to increase its defence capability, but also by reports from reliable Israeli sources that Israel aims to topple the existing regime in Tehran by the end of the term of US President Donald Trump in 2029. Israeli security sources indicate that Israel is preparing to respond “much more aggressively” and for hostilities to last longer than the June conflict.

The religious zealots in the Israeli government view Iran as an existential threat and, in spite of the degrading of the network of Iran’s proxies in the Middle East notably Hamas and Hezbollah, the ultimate goal remains the elimination of the regime in Iran itself. Iran’s continued enrichment of uranium and increase in missile production are seen as sufficient justification for such an approach.

The current situation is exacerbated by the diplomatic impasse which has existed since the June attacks with efforts to resume nuclear talks between the US and Iran floundering, removing a key channel for de-escalation.

The threat of war, likely to be launched by Israel with the backing of the United States, is clearly the most urgent and pressing issue facing the Iranian people. Wider escalation across the Middle East, which could follow, would be disastrous not only for the people of Iran but would bring closer the prospect of worldwide conflict, given the geo-political significance of Iran for both Russia and China.

In parallel, the debate over access to nuclear facilities attacked in the June assault by the United States continues, with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently passing a resolution requesting access to sites in Fordo and Natanz, which were hit in the strikes. Iran’s resistance to further inspections of these sites, though it has allowed access to others, is fuelled by the reluctance of the IAEA to condemn the June attacks.

In response to the IAEA resolution Iranian ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, told reporters that, “I’m afraid the resolution will have its own consequences”. Asked what those were, he said, “We will announce the consequences later.”

Recent pronouncements from the United States suggest that President Donald Trump may be willing to break the current diplomatic impasse, claiming that Tehran is seeking a diplomatic resolution with Washington, which has sought the dismantlement of its nuclear programme.

“I am totally open to it, and we’re talking to them,” Trump said.

“And we start a process. But it would be a nice thing to have a deal with Iran. And we could have done it before the war, but that didn’t work out. And something will happen there, I think.”

The actions of the US in giving Israel the green light to attack Iran when negotiations were ongoing, and the subsequent US role in attacking nuclear sites, make it difficult to take Trump’s words at face value. There is no doubt that a section of the corrupt leadership in Tehran realises that its survival depends upon some rapprochement with the West, while more hardline factions are reluctant to engage in anything they would regard as compromise.

Perhaps the only certainty in the current situation is that the main losers are the Iranian people who, as well as the threat of external intervention, are also having to struggle with the impact of international sanctions, endemic corruption within the state and widespread economic mismanagement.

The response of Iranian workers to the collapsing political and economic environment they face has been to increase their demand for recognition, fair pay and employment rights. Strike action in the oil industry, the transport sector, the public sector and amongst pensioners has demonstrated the extent of internal resistance to the policies of the regime.

The regime continues to respond with the arrest, imprisonment and torture of trade union, cultural and academic activists, underlining its inability to fulfil the needs of its people and resort only to force to maintain its position.

The future of Iran ultimately must lie with its people and their resistance to the theocratic dictatorship, opposition to the pressures of external intervention and the demands for a non-aligned democratic Iran. Opposing war against Iran is the first step in this process and one which should be a priority for international solidarity work in the coming year. Only peace will give the people of Iran the chance they deserve.

The full text of this article appears in Liberation Journal, Winter 2025

https://liberationorg.co.uk/journal-2/