US War on Iran: Where is the Left?

21-03-2026: The US imperialist war on the Islamic Republic of Iran is raging, with the assistance its Israeli sidekick. The unprovoked war of aggression began with the unspeakable war crime of the massacre of around 170 Iranian schoolgirls aged between 7 and 12 attending the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the town of Minab in the Hormozgan province.[1] The US and Israeli war machines are continuing their horrific “decapitation strikes” in a desperate attempt at regime change. Ayatollah Ali Khamanei was struck down by US missiles, becoming a martyr in the tradition of Shia Islam. He was soon replaced by Mojtaba Khamanei, his son and a former volunteer for the Iranian revolution during the US instigated Iraqi war on Iran during the 1980s. The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, is the latest top leader to be slaughtered by the US/Israeli strikes.[2]

World War ?

In response, Iran has hit back hard, firing volley after volley of ballistic missiles, which have hit Israel and US bases in the surrounding Gulf countries. Iran’s ace in the pack in an asymmetric war is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil needs to pass, along with large amounts of fertiliser used for food production around the world. Fuel prices in the West are rising and could easily rise further, along with the price of food and other basic goods. If the price of oil reaches $200 per barrel, it is likely to trigger a world capitalist recession, surpassing the collapse of 2008. The conflict could easily spiral out of control into World War III. In this context, which many could arguably see coming over the last ten years, one may expect the political left to be up in arms, with strikes and demonstrations paralysing societies in the West demanding an end to the war. Yet, with a few important exceptions, much of what passes for the left remain strangely quiet and subdued. Do they not oppose imperialist war? Do they not agree with Lenin’s famous dictum of turning imperialist war into civil war? What explains this?

The Australian government (or should that be “regime” ?) has already deployed an E-7A Wedgetail spy plane to the Middle East, carrying 85 personnel. This is on top of likely provided intelligence from the Pine Gap spy base in the centre of the continent, which has been used to provide data for the US war machine multiple times. Due to neoliberalism, Australia has not retained the required 90 days of fuel supplies required by the International Energy Agency (IEA) treaty which it signed in the 1970s.[3] There could well be fuel rationing alongside skyrocketing prices for many consumer goods, including basic food. The situation is tailor made for left-wing workers parties and organisations to rouse their class into political action. This could be the worst political crisis and recession in Australia’s short history.

Despite this, the left’s response in general has been tepid, or even treacherous. In Brisbane, the Justice for Palestine (JFP) organisation, dominated by members of Socialist Alternative, refused to publicise or even share information of a No War on Iran rally in Brisbane on March 15. This was because it was organised by some local members of the Shia Islamic community who defend Iran, its revolution and its defiance of US imperialism. Socialist Alternative are the most strident left party which demands regime change in Iran, despite their own rhetoric in favour of “revolution”. This act meant that almost all of the pro-Palestine movement did not know about, or also chose to ignore, the first action against the war on Iran. The actions of Socialist Alternative here amount to active sabotage of the anti-war movement, and all those who want to organise against the US/Israel war on Iran need to work around these manoeuvres.

The imperial left

We are unfortunately seeing a return of the “imperial left”, which backed the US imperialist dirty war on Syria from 2011 to 2024. The deployment and installation of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) finally into government in 2024 was one of the worst regime change wars in history yet was fully backed by the likes of Socialist Alternative. Today, Socialist Alternative again urge regime change in Iran via any means, but especially via the US/Israeli backed riots in Iran on January 8 and 9 this year. Claiming it was a “rebellion”, Socialist Alternative claim that animosity from the US and Israel is no justification for supporting Iran, an “authoritarian capitalist state”.[4] This is hyperbole which the US state department would well appreciate. In fact, the Iranian economy is arguably more socialist than it is capitalist, with large parts of the economy in state hands, or indirectly state directed.[5] This, along with Iran’s strong anti-imperialist values and actions over four decades, is a major reason why it has earnt the ire of Washington.

The Socialist Alliance, to their partial credit, have adopted a “No War on Iran” line, which reflects the position of their sometime electoral partners the Australian Greens.[6] However, both the Greens and the Socialist Alliance simultaneously demand regime change in Iran, and the Greens in parliament have demanded even harsher sanctions on Iran for many years. The Socialist Alliance “no war” position is flatly contradicted by their open backing of the Mossad/CIA orchestrated riots in Iran in January as well as the blatant Western backed “Woman, Life, Freedom” colour revolution in Iran in 2022-23.[7] The Socialist Alliance claim that the Iranian “regime” slaughtered 7000 people protesting for rights for women – much like the diaspora Iranian monarchists who claim that 43 000 people perished at the hands of the Iranian state in January! One should be able to see how the multiple US backed “uprisings” in Iran – especially the latest one in January – led directly to the regime change war launched by the US on February 28.

The Revolutionary Communist Organisation (RCO) headline with a statement declaring “Defend Iran, Down with the Imperialists!”[8] Yet this militant sounding call is all but nullified by their open backing of the Mossad/CIA triggered riots in Iran in January,[9] where terror groups burnt down mosques, attacked hospitals and fire-fighting equipment.[10] The Spartacist League (SL) echo the RCO, who they are soon to merge with, with a call to “Defend Iran”. However, they immediately negate this call by claiming that in January the “…Iranian regime unleashed a wave of bloody repression against its own people.”[11] One wonders how the SL imagines that these words differ from those used by Trump and Netanyahu themselves. Solidarity chime in with the RCO and SL by claiming that the Iranian “regime has lost legitimacy”.[12] This line is a US state department line if ever there was one.

The rising multipolar world

Trotskyist Platform (TP) do take a stance of opposing the war and defending Iran, while not falling for clear US backed regime change attempts like the riots in January.[13] They can see that the US war on Iran is largely aimed at Iran’s ally the People’s Republic of China (PRC). However, they do not appear to recognise China’s role as the leader of the rising multipolar world, especially, but not limited to, its role in the non-imperialist BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa plus 15 other Global South states) confederation. Red Spark[14] and Red Ant[15], to their credit, take correct positions against the war on Iran while not baying for regime change. However, both of them do not appear to recognise the rise of the multipolar world as a major factor in this latest phase of imperialist war. Imperialism is literally at war with multipolarity, through its proxy war in Ukraine aimed at Russia, and its arming of Taiwan as a bulwark against China, plus numerous other factors. A critical turning point for Washington was Indonesia joining BRICS as a full member in January 2025.[16] Immediately, Indonesia was subjected to a glaring US backed colour revolution attempt, with riots breaking out across the vast country.[17]

To give one indication of the importance of multipolarity to the current war, Iran has recently indicated that oil cargo may be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz if the contents were traded in the Chinese Yuan.[18] Such moves would be a further blow to the dominance of the US dollar, which has held sway since World War II. A furious President Trump then appealed in vain for assistance to somehow bust open the Strait of Hormuz from NATO allies in Europe, as well as Japan and even China![19] Needless to say, all the “allies” of the US refused to get involved in a war which is clearly instigated by the US itself. US imperialism is lashing out erratically, but it does have a “crash through or crash” plan. It is to blow up BRICS from the inside, derail rising multipolarity, and attempt to block oil and even basic trade with Russia, but most importantly China. Socialistic China is moving so far ahead of an aging US capitalism that Wall Street is moving now before there is a point of no return.

The left must act against this war on Iran, the first obvious sign of what could be World War III. However, ANY calls for regime change in Iran, no matter how well imagined, only adds to the mountains of imperialist war propaganda enabling this catastrophic course. Iran and its multipolar allies must be defended against a dying Western capitalism endangering the planet before leaving the stage of history. The rise in fuel and food prices are a direct link to agitate amongst working people, to rouse them to oppose this war before they are taken down with it. Marxist leadership is crucial at this point, and it must come to the fore. No War on Iran! Australian Troops: Get Out of the Middle East! US/Israeli Troops: Get Out of Syria, Lebanon and West Asia! Abolish AUKUS! No Weapons for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan!

Workers League

www.redfireonline.com

E: workersleague@redfireonline.com

[1] www.reliefweb.int/report/iran-islamic-republic/usisrael-investigate-iran-school-attack-war-crime-enar (18-03-2026)

[2] www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/03/17/765512/Iran-Larijani-martyrdom-Israel-United-States-aggression (18-03-2026)

[3] www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-90-day-question-looming-over-australias-fuel-price-pain/zjxno4pbs (18-03-2026)

[4] www.redflag.org.au/article/support-the-rebellion-in-iran/ (18-03-2026)

[5] www.irannewsupdate.com/news/news-digest/the-shadow-of-state-owned-companies-in-iran/ (18-03-2026)

[6] www.theconversation.com/bipartisan-support-for-us-attack-on-iran-but-greens-say-it-is-abhorrent-277187 (18-03-2026)

[7] www.greenleft.org.au/2026/1449/analysis/labor-has-dragged-australia-us-israel-war-iran-we-must-stop-them (18-03-2026)

[8] www.partisanmagazine.org/2026/02/20/defend-iran-down-with-the-imperialists/ (18-03-2026)

[9] www.partisanmagazine.org/2026/01/14/dispatches-from-iran/ (18-03-2026)

[10] www.sarajevotimes.com/iran-accused-demonstrators-of-burning-hospitals-mosques-and-shooting-at-security-forces/ (18-03-2026)

[11] www.iclfi.org/spartacist/en/2026-iran-still-defend (18-03-2026)