the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 5, 2026
In recent days, parts of the Iranian population have taken to the streets in protests over the increasingly difficult economic situation in the country. The Iranian currency, the rial, has lost 60% of its value, which has further fueled inflation.
Over the past year, inflation is running over 40%. It’s even worse for food prices, which have increased by 60 to 70%. It is estimated that today 27 to 50% of the Iranian population lives below the poverty line. This poverty has led to protests and strikes in the past.
These latest protests began among small shopkeepers. They were then joined by university students. So far, the workers have not been part of the protests as an organized force.
The Iranian regime has responded to these protests with a double-sided answer. On the one hand, Iranian president Pezeshkian has acknowledged the economic problems facing the population and called for meetings with the protest leaders to listen to their concerns. On the other hand, the regime sent in military and police forces to attack the protests. These security forces killed a number of protesters.
The U.S. government, under both Republicans and Democrats, have continued to impose punishing trade sanctions on the Iranian economy, especially oil and natural gas. Iran has the 4th largest reserves of crude oil and the 2nd largest reserves of natural gas in the world. But Iran is restricted in selling these resources on the world market because of sanctions imposed by the U.S. government and some of its allies.
The capitalist class in Iran and its government, with the normal functioning of capitalism, exploits the Iranian working class. The U.S.-led economic sanctions on Iran multiply this exploitation and further reduce the standard of living of the Iranian population. When Iranian people protest the high prices and their poverty, they may be aiming their protests against their own regime. But the U.S. government and world imperialism are also responsible.
Trump and U.S. imperialism are not going to solve the problems faced by the Iranian people. There is a large working class in Iran, a class that has come to the forefront before with strikes and protests. The Iranian working class is a force that can address the problems faced by the Iranian population and the region beyond.