CVO TALK -- for a revolutionary workers movement!

A vast new wave of protest has swept Iran since Dec. 28, 2025. The repressive theocratic dictatorship in Iran has unleashed murderous repression, killed over 2,000 people, cut off telephone and internet connections and still can’t stop the Iranian people from rising up against it. The protest has spread from one city to another, from one side of Iran to another. There is no general organization leading this struggle, and different political forces are seeking to influence it. But nevertheless, it is shaking the Iranian dictatorship to its core.

The authoritarian and white nationalist Trump administration, its hands red with the blood of Renee Good and its voices harsh with shouting about protesters being “domestic terrorists”, pretends to support the Iranian protests. What a farce! Of course it just wants to impose the dictatorship of another reactionary Shah on the Iranian people, and meanwhile to have a pretext to bomb Iran again.

But it’s not just Trump who wants to keep the people enslaved. A section of the anti-war movement, the same section that supports one dictatorship after another as alleged opponents of US imperialism, would wash its hands of the Iranian movement. This shows that there needs to be a revolution inside the anti-war movement itself so that it can effectively oppose repressive war and back the struggles of oppressed people.

For those who really fight exploitation and imperialism, it is vitally important to support the Iranian movement for freedom. This movement will go through all sorts of turns and twists, as it does in every other country. But it is a sign that the working people of Iran, as those of other countries, will never accept being pawns of repressive dictatorship and of fundamentalist imperialism.

-- Joseph Green

Education International is a global union federation embracing over 33 million teachers and education support workers in 180 countries and territories.

Education International calls for an end to violent crackdowns and the protection of education communities in Iran

January 13, 2026

Education International (EI) strongly condemns the brutal armed repression of civilians and peaceful protesters in Iran. We are deeply alarmed by reports of mass repression and killings, including students and children, with security forces reportedly firing live ammunition at people in the streets.

Nationwide protests have now entered their third week. Initially sparked by worsening economic conditions, these demonstrations have grown to include demands for more freedom and democracy.

Education International urges the Iranian authorities to:

• Immediately end the violent repression of civilians and peaceful protesters;
• Listen to the demands of the people and seek a peaceful solution to the current crisis;
• Respect the fundamental rights of its people, including the rights to freedom of expression and to peaceful assembly; and
• Guarantee the safety and protection of students, teachers, and education communities in schools and universities.

Education International stands in full solidarity with its member organisation, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Associations (CCITTA), as well as with teachers, students, and the people of Iran.

Education International will continue to monitor the situation to the best of its ability, given the current Internet blackout imposed by the authorities, and advocate for the protection of rights and democratic freedoms in Iran and around the world.

https://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/31945:edu ... es-in-iran

Support from striking workers in Turkey for Iranian workers and people:
Message of solidarity from the workers of the “Şık Makas” factory and the BİRTEK-SEN union

January 14, 2026


Iran Labor Confederation – Abroad has published this report to highlight the clear and explicit solidarity shown by striking workers at the clothing manufacturer Şık Makas in Tokat, Turkey, along with the militant union BİRTEK-SEN, in support of Iranian workers and protesting people. It describes this as an important and valuable step in strengthening international working-class solidarity.

The workers of Şık Makas, who have been on strike for more than 100 days in an organized struggle against exploitation, unfair wages, and employer-imposed working conditions, issued a statement on the 100th day of their strike. While marking their own resistance and achievements, they expressed direct support for Iranian workers and people who have been standing up for more than two weeks against poverty, repression, and state violence.

In their statement, the striking Turkish workers pointed to the bloody crackdown on popular protests in Iran, saying that the Iranian government is trying to hide and silence the struggles of workers and the public through killings and by cutting off internet access. They stressed that despite these efforts, the voices of Iran’s working people must reach the world, and that it is the responsibility of the global labor movement to amplify those voices.

Part of the Şık Makas workers’ statement reads:

“We salute the people and working class of Iran, who for 17 days have been resisting poverty, repression, and a reactionary regime. The Iranian regime is committing crimes against working people and has shut down internet access to hide these crimes. Nevertheless, as Şık Makas workers, we will echo the voices of Iranian workers and support their struggle. Şık Makas workers will win, Iranian working people will win, the working class will win. We will win through unity.”

Iran Labor Confederation – Abroad, while thanking them for this clear and courageous message, emphasizes that this action is the result of real connections and solidarity between the Iranian Workers’ Confederation and parts of the Turkish labor movement and independent unions—connections built around shared working-class interests, the fight against exploitation, and resistance to state repression.

The video released by the striking Şık Makas workers, published alongside this report, is a clear example of practical cross-border worker solidarity—solidarity that can help strengthen the struggles of Iranian workers and people, and increase international pressure against repression and state violence.

Iran Labor Confederation – Abroad once again stresses that international working-class unity and solidarity are vital weapons against poverty, exploitation, and repression, and that the support shown by Turkish workers for the ongoing struggles in Iran is an important step on this shared path.

https://iranlc.org/en/11723

I think this is fine! A minor issue, though, is that I think “killed over 2,000 people” should be changed to “killed thousands of people” because no specific number can be trusted. For example, this article says more than 12,000 have been murdered and talks about how they arrived at that figure, but I would still hesitate to use it: https://www.iranintl.com/en/20260113014 ... r9TVteazVg

FYI,

WCPI: https://wpiran.org/english/statement-of ... nFBBQwXerA;

CPI: It posted this a few days ago: https://www.facebook.com/rob.narai/post ... CO%2CP-R-R There's debate over the significance of these councils;

Statement from Tehran bus workers: https://menasolidaritynetwork.com/2026/ ... jq5fcem4gA

A statement released by Komala a few days ago: https://www.facebook.com/farhad.c.komal ... %2CO%2CP-R

Seven Kurdish groups or parties did call a general strike before the bloody repression, but I don't know what happened due to the internet blackout.

A seemingly knowledgeable person in Europe says the CPI has merged into Komala.

WWP makes its class treasonous position crystal clear: https://www.workers.org/2026/01/90150/? ... 1bIlU0atlw

Yeah, boy, WWP really spells it out.

https://www.codepink.org/iran

The Code Pink position is more abbreviated and you could imagine being consistent with a position of support for the workers of Iran. It concentrates on opposing Trump's threats against Iran and mentions the workers demonstrating against the regime, but doesn't forthrightly condemn them the way WWP does (though they do say the U.S. is to blame for Iran's economic troubles, which is at least partly true). But WWP wants it to absolutely clear, black and white, you're either in support of Khamenei or you're a Trump imperialist.

Statements from the Dutch Trade Union Confederation (FNV) and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) in support of the Iranian workers and broad masses:
https://iranlc.org/en/11756?fbclid=IwY2 ... lGUDBfwzpA

Frank, these statements from trade union federations are quite good, and I posted them on Facebook. They support the workers' struggle and oppose the government's repression. A couple shortcomings to them might be noted: (1) The second one in particular opposes international interference. This could be made clearer by denouncing Trump and his threats of imperialist interference, which threaten to embroil the entire Middle East in war. (2) The statements have a pacifist tone by opposing "bullets" in general. Do they really think there will be some kind of negotiated settlement after the massacres that have taken place? I don't know exactly what turn the Iranian movement is going to take, but I don't think the workers will be satisfied by a small -- or even a large -- raise in pay. If negotiations did occur, reasonable demands at this point would be recognition of the legal right to strike, with picket lines guarded by armed workers' militias; and similar demands for the masses' political demonstrations. I don't know if there are any segments of the Iranian government that would consider such demands, but those would be minimal democratic demands at this point.

WWP has a new article outlining their general position of non-class anti-imperialism. This is their lead article on Workers World for January 21 by Larry Holmes, First Secretary of WWP, titled "The New World Situation: The decline of U.S. imperialism and the centrality of the class struggle."

https://www.workers.org/2026/01/90299/

The main thing about the world situation, according to Holmes, is the centrality of China as the block to U.S. imperialism. See the section, "Decline of imperialism." There Holmes asserts that China "has succeeded in blocking U.S. and world imperialism's goal of fomenting counterrevolution" around the world. He goes on to describe China as the leading member of the Global South alliance, which is dedicated to liberating itself from the tyranny of U.S. imperialism. This Global South alliance includes the BRICs countries and especially Russia, which has joined the China-led alliance as a kind of junior partner to China, which is economically much stronger. Basically, the world situation is: you have two camps, that of imperialism led by the U.S., and the anti-imperialist camp led by China.

Holmes goes on to preach about the "centrality of the class struggle," but this is only for the U.S. There's no mention of it in China, Russia, or elsewhere. And as for the U.S., Holmes admits this is nothing but a big mystery; he can't understand the lack of strikes, etc. Of course, there's no criticism of the trade union officialdom -- no mention of them at all. So, even though Holmes headlines his article as being about class struggle, it turns out he can't find it anywhere, not in countries of either world camp.