In addition to our previous statement on Iran, we wanted to clarify our position on how communists should position themselves in relation to the escalating confrontation between Iran and the United States–Israel axis.
Communists cannot be indifferent to foreign aggression. When a country faces military attack by powerful imperialist states, the situation cannot be treated as a symmetrical conflict between equivalent actors. The experience of recent decades – from Iraq to Libya and Afghanistan – shows that external intervention often leads not to liberation but to the destruction and fragmentation of entire societies. When a country is attacked, the immediate issue is the defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. For this reason, it would be politically irresponsible for communists to adopt a position of neutrality or “equal distance” between the aggressor and the country under attack. Iran has been attacked, and the United States and Israel are the attacking powers. That is a fact.
At the same time, opposing imperialist aggression does not mean political support for the existing government of the targeted country. Our opposition to external attack should not be confused with endorsement of the Islamic Republic or its policies. These are separate questions. Recognising the legitimacy of a country’s right to defend itself against attack does not imply political alignment with its government; it simply reflects an assessment of the concrete situation.
However, recognising this distinction also means refusing the false symmetry promoted by imperialist propaganda, which attempts to present the conflict as simply a clash between two equally condemnable sides. From this perspective, it would make little sense for communists to condemn defensive retaliation by Iran against military strikes carried out by foreign powers. Such condemnations would only reinforce the narrative of the attacking states and obscure the issue at stake – the aggression itself.
Ultimately, communist politics cannot be determined by abstract formulas alone. It must proceed from a concrete analysis of concrete conditions. Strategically, communists always oppose the ruling classes of their own countries and struggle for socialist transformation. But tactically, situations of foreign aggression require a clear understanding of the immediate balance of forces and the dangers posed by imperialist aggression and escalation.
Defending national sovereignty against external attack, while maintaining political independence from the existing government, is therefore not a contradiction. On the contrary, it is a necessary position if communists are to oppose imperialism while preserving their capacity to fight for a different political future.