The Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian met the head of Russian imperialism, Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of a summit held in Turkmenistan on the 8th of October.
According to Pezeshkian, Iran and Russia exchanged proposals to end the war and to open the Hormuz Strait. Kreml informed that Putin relayed Iran’s proposal to Trump in a phone call between the presidents. The meeting was the 7th between the presidents of Iran and Russia during the term of Pezeshkian.
The countries made a strategic cooperation pact ”against external threats” in January 2025, deepening the ”cooperation” between the countries in trade, military matters, education and science. Putin thanked the fact that from that point onward, the trade between the countries has risen 21 % in 2025, continuing the same pace during the first seven months of 2026. Pezeshkian described that the ”current situation” is a great opportunity to deepen this ”cooperation” with ”greater speed and strength”. China has been for a long time economically significant in Iran, for example buying Iranian oil in exchange for credit for Chinese imports, but Russia has increased its presence since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine.
Russian imperialism exports capital, in the form of foreign debt, for example, to Iran. Thus the ruling classes of Iran are dependent on it and oppress the popular classes of Iran in the service of their foreign master. Because of the economic basis of imperialism, it is impossible that such a ”cooperation” between an oppressed nation and an imperialist power would be anything but a relation of subjugation and exploitation, which means to subjugate the development of Iranian society to the mercy of foreign monopolies. It was precisely the crisis of this bureaucratic capitalism which gave rise to the protests which US imperialism tried to use, failing, to cause a regime change in Iran before its bombing campaign.
Russia also confirmed it is ready to transfer a tranche of 1 billion dollars from a loan package of 20 billion. Foreign debt is one means to maintain imperialist domination. Another one is sanctions: it is in Russia’s interest to maintain the sanctions against Iran because it maintains its subjugate position and forces it to sell its oil on a low price. Russia also benefits of the closure of the Hormuz Strait, as it increases its role in the export of Iranian oil and the high oil prices benefit it. As the recent diesel-deal shows, the situation has forced the US to ease sanctions against Russia.
The crisis of imperialism is deepening. Especially the sole hegemonic superpower, the US, is in grave difficulties. At the same time, the other imperialists, especially Russian imperialism and Chinese social-imperialism, try to use the situation to strengthen their own position. They, with their lackeys, with different variations, claim that the problem is the “unilateralism” or “unipolar” world order, not the imperialist system of exploitation, thus wanting to break the hegemony of the US, only to benefit their own monopolies instead. On the other hand, their problems are also increasing. The US is far from being defeated; even though its problems are increasing, it is constantly making moves to advance its plans and it is also accelerating its collusion with other imperialists in order to prepare for more struggle.
The situation in Ukraine shows clearly what results of subjugating the justified resistance of the people to imperialists. Imperialists, even if they talk big on freedom and national sovereignty, only support the struggle as long as it supports their own interests to subjugate the masses of the people to increase the profits of their monopolies. Even though their struggle is constant and the main thing, they also collude with each other against the workers and oppressed peoples of the world. Even though in the oppressed nations the ruling classes, the big bourgeoisie and the feudal classes, would sometimes come into contradiction with one imperialist and might even portray themselves in the interest of the nation, their class nature as servants of imperialism means that they will sooner or later sell the interests of the masses of the people to the imperialists.
Russian imperialism constantly murders civilians in Ukraine and is guilty of atrocities against the masses of the people in many corners of the world. Given the opportunity, for its own interests, it is ready to make deals with Yankee imperialism, completely ignoring whether these serve the interest of the masses of the people. The only thing that drives the imperialists is the cynical logic of their profit seeking.
Ever deepening crisis, accelerating popular struggles and the increasing measures of the imperialists to prepare a world war demand strengthening the proletarian movement, to clearly put the Communists in the lead of these struggles, supporting the organization of the proletariat and the dissemination of proletarian ideology everywhere.
Ajith wrote in his text that we published as an unofficial translation:
“In a situation where their country is being attacked by US imperialism the communist revolutionaries in Iran have a two fold task. They should maintain their independence and initiative and unite with patriotic forces in mobilising the masses to resist imperialist aggression. Along with that they should continue resisting attacks from the regime while demanding that it stops execution of prisoners and accede the democratic rights of the masses, to allow and ensure their broadest, active, participation in the national resistance war.”
The Communists in Iran undoubtedly face a difficult task. On the other hand, the Communists have always throughout the history had to advance in harsh conditions and in the end, they have won. Their far-sightedness, conviction coming from a scientific world view of the final defeat of imperialism and the victory of the proletariat and peoples of the world, and an attitude to move mountains to achieve this is what makes them continue even in the midst of hardships.
The imperialist aggression and opposing it creates a spontaneous anti-imperialist spirit among the masses, but this can be used to strengthen the power of the ruling classes serving imperialism, if there are no forces to expose the false patriotism of these classes. It is necessary to oppose the slander campaigns of imperialists which seek to justify aggression and try to channel the dissatisfaction of the masses of the people to a regime change serving imperialism, but at the same time, one must keep in mind the urgent task of the Communists to raise to the top of their tasks in Iran through their independent organization. Ukraine and Iran show us clearly that the imperialists are in trouble, and the instability of the imperialist system is increasing. At the same time, they show the urgent need to organize independent struggle based on the masses of the people, with its goal to liberate the country from all imperialist domination and reaction, not allowing it to be channeled to serve another imperialist. The workers and the other classes of the people have no reason to choose between two or more evils; relying on their own strength, they can build a new world without exploitation and oppression, even if the road is long and difficult, especially, when the Communist movement shows signs of moving forward around the world.
