By Dashty Jamal

Following Israel’s targeted attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, senior officials and nuclear engineers on Friday, June 13th 2025, the Islamic Republic’s response and the attacks on both Iranian and Israeli cities have developed into full scale war, killing hundreds of innocent civilians. The conflict’s management, future, scope, humanitarian consequences and extent of destruction could be huge and are causing deep fear and concern among the people of Iran, Israel, the region and the world. Fear of the continuation and expansion of this war and its dangerous consequences has cast a shadow over the entire people of the Middle East.

The war is essentially against the lives, livelihoods, and security of the people of Iran and the surrounding region, notwithstanding the Israeli government’s persistent propaganda. In addition to the bloodshed and destruction that the world finds heartbreaking, its objective has been to erode civic society and create a bleak scenario that has already led to cruel outcomes.

On the other hand, this war has strengthened the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran to a wave of threats and intimidation against Iranian protesters, including workers, women, youth and journalists. Cities have been militarised, prices have been raised, food and medication supplies have been cut, internet and communication connections have been blocked nationwide, alongside the arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of activists and civilians on charges of “cooperation with Israel.

The Israeli government has been planning for a long time to launch an attack on Iran and engage in a war against humanity to escape the political deadlock, internal crises, and the isolation it faces both locally and globally due to the devastation it has caused in Gaza. The prolonged war in Gaza and the massacre of innocent Palestinians in the name of ‘protecting Israel’s security’ has forced Western governments allied with Israel to distance themselves from Israel.  

Trump and Netanyahu believe that Israel’s violent actions will incapacitate the Islamic Republic and compel it to capitulate to any demands and threats made during negotiations. However, this is merely a misguided strategy by both Israel and the United States that places the Middle East in serious jeopardy. The extremist leadership in Israel is heartlessly proclaiming: ‘We will burn Tehran’, ‘’The citizens of Tehran will suffer severe consequences for the launch of the Islamic Republic’s missiles,’ and ‘We will transform Tehran into Beirut’’ In response, the Islamic Republic of Iran is urging the residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate.

Undoubtedly, in a situation where civilized and liberal humanity all over the world recognizes that Israel has imposed a heavy war on the people of Iran and the region, the unconditional and shameless defence of Israel by the United States and some Western governments under the pretext of ‘Israel’s right to defend itself’ places a grave responsibility on all governments complicit in the crimes of the Israeli government against the people of Iran and exacerbates their complicity in the war and crimes against the people of Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and now Iran.

This war must be stopped. The impact of this war affects not only the people of Israel and Iran, but it also weakens and undermines the position of the working class, the protest movement, and the freedom-loving people of Iran and Israel. The demonstrations and protests over the last three years, sparked by Zhena Amini, and the protests of Iranian truck drivers last month against the repressive regime of Iran, along with the protests of liberal people in Israel against Israel’s aggressive and fascist policies, for freedom, prosperity, and security are being weakened. This situation significantly impacts freedom of speech and humanity.

Freedom-loving and humanitarian people of Britain must not permit Keir Starmer’s government to enter this war. It must not be allowed to provide logistical and military assistance to the Israeli government. The killings, genocide of Palestinians, and assaults on civilian settlements and lives in Iran should not be used to justify this war.

British trade unions, humanitarian and socialist organisations, labour activists, freedom- loving and liberal people who disagree with Starmer’s right-wing policies must stand with the working class of Iran, Israel and the region. At the same time, they must intensify all pressure on senior officials of the Labour Party and its government and not allow it to become part of this war and destruction and not repeat the blunders of Tony Blair made against the Iraqi people.

The freedom-loving people of Iran and the region are waiting for your efforts. British workers and humanitarians have no interest in this war. On the contrary, it is directly against the British people, Iran, Palestine and the region. Therefore, let us all demand together in terms of defending the lives, security and protection of civil society in Iran and the Middle East:

• Immediately stop bombing and put an end to Israel’s war against the Iranian people.
• Halt the fighting and destruction caused by the Netanyahu government in Gaza and adopt a political approach to resolve the Palestinian issue.
• Withdraw US military forces from the area and eliminate militarism from both regional and Western states in the Middle East.
• Stop British and other nations’ military and logistical support for Israel and halt their assistance for Israeli attacks.

Of course, it is only the global movement against war and destruction that can end the current war against the Iranian people, cleanse the world of nuclear weapons and establish a human world free from militarism, murder and destruction.

Dashty Jamal is a member of the Solidarity with the Iranian Workers’ Movement Committee (Chair: John McDonnell MP).