The theocratic regime looks overseas for a cure to its economic crisis!

(Translated Excerpts from the Editorial of Nameh Mardom, issue no. 1184, published Monday 19 June 2023)

All indications and developments over recent weeks regarding Iran’s foreign policy underline that the [Islamic Republic] regime’s leadership, under [“supreme leader”] Khamenei, are trying, out of sheer desperation, to find a solution to break the deadlock of the economic crisis that has made life unbearable for the majority of [ordinary] Iranian people.

The threats arising from this situation have had, and continue to have, a decisive influence on the main developments and decisions of the regime.  It should be noted that in the current situation [in Iran], the balance of political forces weighs in favour of the [country’s] financial-commercial capitalist class and its military-bureaucratic bourgeoisie.  Consequently, every single action of the regime is primarily about protecting their interests.

Thus, the regime’s domestic policy remains specifically focused on warding off the dangers posed by pro-freedom and pro-justice protests, through the creation of an atmosphere of fear and repression to suppress the people’s material demands while making the usual superficial [cosmetic] changes.  Due to its [inherently] capitalist and corrupt nature, the theocratic regime will not implement any fundamental or effective measures to improve the welfare of the workers, or to meet the immediate and legitimate material demands of the majority of the people [in Iran] – unless the political economy of the country changes in favour of the working people, i.e. against the interests of the financial-commercial capitalist class and the military-bureaucratic bourgeoisie.

Therefore, in order to “safeguard the regime”, Khamenei and the regime’s leadership are shifting [the emphasis of] their hopes to find a panacea for solving the [country’s] economic crisis in the foreign affairs sphere.  This process was initially initiated with a calculated manoeuvre under the title of “turning towards the East” last March, which fuelled the delusional opinion among some of the regime’s supporters about its supposedly “anti-imperialist” stance and economic plans.  However, this soon proved to be absurd and was contradicted by the objective realities [of the situation in Iran].

Contrary to what is portrayed and the propaganda hype such as “turning towards the East”, the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose economic lifeline is essentially tied to the West, are well aware of two important realities: 1) Their hope to find a solution, in the realm of foreign affairs, to fend off their internal threats through changes in diplomatic and political relations will ultimately rest on how their relations with the US would be developed; 2) In all negotiations, which are often conducted behind closed doors, the balance of power is completely in favour of the United States – and appeasement of the U.S. through the auctioning-off of national interests has been, and remains, the inevitable path for the Islamist regime.  Ultimately, the Islamic Republic is not a popular regime that relies on the people’s power and, for its own survival, will certainly act to secure the interests of financial-commercial capitalism [in Iran, whatever the course].

To this end, pursuant to the order of the “supreme leader” to find a way out of this economic impasse, and to ward off the protests and uprisings of the people, all government institutions – especially the Foreign Ministry – are mobilised to seek solutions through changes in foreign policy, i.e. to finally reach some kind of [amicable] solution with the U.S.  In this regard, the Foreign Ministry has become very active.  An example of this was [President] Ebrahim Raisi’s recent dramatic trips to a few Latin American countries under the slogan of “expanding economic relations with the world.”

But such economic relations with this group of developing countries, which for various reasons are under intense U.S. economic and political pressure, will not help to solve the country’s stalled economic crisis.  These diplomatic propaganda moves really represent nothing but the ineffective political manoeuvring of the theocratic regime in international relations.  Contrary to the expectations of these Latin American countries, and despite the extensive reception they provided for Raisi, their relations with the theocratic regime that has bankrupted Iran’s economy will not have any constructive impact on their economy either.  We have previously seen such dramatic relationship-building moves towards the leftist governments of South America during Ahmadinejad’s presidency, accompanied by much fanfare on both sides, but without any [tangible] benefit to the people of any of the countries involved.

There is no doubt that the left-wing governments of Latin America, especially Cuba, are under severe pressure from U.S. imperialist policies – and our Party has always been unequivocal in advocating the lifting of these pressures, including sanctions and economic blockades, against these countries.  However, despite this fact, with regard to the Iranian president’s recent trip to Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba; the Tudeh Party of Iran once again emphasises the same analysis and position that it announced in September 2009 regarding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s trip to Latin America: “The U.S., even during the Bush administration, had no problem with Iran’s economic system as its main elements are, overall, in accordance with the neoliberal model desired by the U.S.  The close relations of Venezuela and Bolivia with the theocratic regime are only because they have a common enemy, namely the United States.  This is a failed policy based on the wrong and simplistic supposition that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  (Nameh Mardom, Central Organ of the Tudeh Party of Iran, No. 837, 1 March 2010.)

The heads of the theocratic regime are prepared to deal and compromise with any foreign power, especially the U.S. and its European allies, in order to ward off the “deadly danger” of demands for justice and freedom inside Iran and ensure the survival of the ruling dictatorship based on “Political Islam”.  They have taken similar steps in the past, with the support of the “supreme leader”.

The main enemy of the people is inside the country and in the leadership of the theocratic dictatorship.  Therefore, our Party once more emphasises that it is necessary for the left and progressive nationalist forces to focus on the actions and interactions inside the country and on class interests (and not on external factors) which influence the regime’s policies and the struggle process.  The aim of the struggle of the progressive and nationalist forces should be pointed towards the main axis of this regime – that is the rule of the “supreme leader” – and its removal, in order to step-by-step push back the theocratic dictatorship.  The lifeline of the existing political system and the future prospects of the financial-commercial parasitic capitals linked to the pyramid of political power [in Iran] are being fed from this reactionary regime and must be severed.

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For the statements of the Tudeh Party of Iran and its analysis of major developments in Iran Please visit:    www.tudehpartyiran.org