The left > Middle Eastern left
Confessions of a rat
01 Jun 2023
Yassamine Mather gives her judgement on an extraordinary talk and subsequent BBC interview with the former governor of the notorious Evin prison
From order to chaos
23 Mar 2023
Why has so much of the left collapsed into social-imperialism? Why the continued illusions in US intervention? Mike Macnair talked to Hands off the People of Iran in a meeting hosted by Yassamine Mather
Voice of the revolution
16 Mar 2023
This appeal drawn up by comrades in Iran, calling for clear politics, organisation and solidarity, has attracted widespread support
Whose constituent assembly?
09 Feb 2023
As the stalemate between the Islamic Republic and the mass opposition movement continues, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, one of the leaders of the 2009 Green movement, has called for a constituent assembly. Yassamine Mather has translated this excerpt from an article by Torab Saleth which deals with the constituent assembly from a leftwing point of view
Oil workers join protests
26 Jan 2023
All manner of tiny cracks are opening up at the top levels of the theocracy. Yassamine Mather looks behind the often arcane disputes
The future is being made today
19 Jan 2023
Veteran Iranian socialist Ardeshir Mehrdad calls for class politics and the mobilisation of the lower depths of society
Protests and the bigger picture
19 Jan 2023
Dangers of war are increasing and the masses refuse to be intimidated, but the left is mired in confusion. On January 9 Hands Off the People of Iran hosted an online meeting addressed by Moshé Machover and Mike Macnair. Yassamine Mather opened with these remarks
The struggle continues
05 Jan 2023
Executions and long prison sentences have failed to intimidate the spontaneous protest movement. But conscious leadership by a revolutionary party is indispensable, argues Yassamine Mather
Workers’ mass protests
01 Dec 2022
Yassamine Mather reports on strikes and protests in Iran
Victories and weak points
01 Dec 2022
Veteran Iranian socialist Shahab Borhan warns of the dangers of relying on spontaneity. The movement needs leadership, organisation and clear politics - article translated from Farsi by Yassamine Mather
Ending the dynamic stalemate?
24 Nov 2022
Militarily the war is unwinnable, so politics are vital. Esen Uslu calls for Öcalan’s line to be continued
Rebuild on solid foundations
17 Nov 2022
Yassamine Mather celebrates the continuing mass protests, recognises their limitations, laments the parlous state of the left and urges unity around the basic principles upheld by Hopi
Tragedy second time too
03 Nov 2022
Yassamine Mather celebrates the current wave of mass protests, the youth, the bravery. However, lack of serious organisation, coordination and a strategic plan is a real problem that must be addressed
Something has to give
20 Oct 2022
Mahsa Amini’s killing at the hands of the morality police sparked protests in every province. The young, in particular female students and school students, refuse to be ruled in the old way. However, the Islamic regime seems determined to keep on using mass repression, fear and the cloak of religion, says Yassamine Mather
Ideologue of the revolution
28 Jul 2022
He drew on secular thinkers such as Frantz Fanon, Jean-Paul Sartre and Karl Marx, Catholic liberation theology and the symbolism and language of Shi’ite Islam. Lydia Apolinar explores the ideas and influence of Ali Shariati