May 24, 2026
Iran is in a situation where the risk of war, the continuation of neither war nor peace situation, and the escalation of regional confrontations threaten the future of society more than ever. The fragile ceasefire, inconclusive negotiations, and the continuation of mutual threats have kept Iranian society in a state of limbo, the consequences of which for the country’s economy and lives of the people are no less than the war itself. The people, who have been worn out for years under the pressure of inflation, poverty, unemployment, sanctions, structural corruption and inefficiency, are now facing the risk of another war.
The resumption of war will be a disaster for the Iranian people today and tomorrow; further destruction of infrastructure, widespread unemployment, collapse of livelihoods, new waves of displacement and migration, wider insecurity, and further erosion of the country’s human and social capital will be just some of its ominous consequences. But the continuation of the current situation, that is, the persistence in an atmosphere of neither war nor peace, is also gradually leading society towards the same disaster. A society that lives with the threat of war every day loses the ability to plan for the future, psychological insecurity spreads and social hope freezes.
Continuation of this situation will not only further paralyze the country’s economy, but also increase the risk of social collapse, the growth of violence, blind rebellions, deepening social gaps, and the spread of insecurity. More than anything, the people of Iran need lasting peace, security, possibility of living in peace and a bright horizon. In the continuation of war, risk of economic collapse and increasing poverty will be inevitable.
The Islamic Republic has a significant role and responsibility in shaping the current situation. Policies that have sacrificed the interests of the people for ideological and security considerations and development-oriented policies in the region have placed the country in a position where the risk of war and external pressure has become a permanent part of the people’s lives. The cost of these policies has been paid and is being paid not by those in power, but by workers, wage earners, women, youth, retirees and the underprivileged.
At the same time, the threat of renewed military aggression by the United States and Israel, the threat of destroying the country, and the attempt to impose political will through war have also had a destructive impact on the country’s situation in many ways. And the destructive performance of the Islamic Republic cannot justify this aggression and brutality. War neither paves the way for democracy nor brings freedom. Rather, it helps strengthen authoritarianism, militarism, and domestic repression. The experience of the two wars, the 12-day and 39-day wars, has also shown that whenever the shadow of war weighs heavier on Iran, the military and security forces have gained more power, public space has become more closed and machine of repression has moved more boldly.
War and the atmosphere of war always work in the favor of the military, security, and authoritarian forces. In such circumstances, they become wilder and more repressive. What grows under the shadow of external threats is not freedom and strengthening of civil institutions and public participation, but rather securitization of society, expansion of repression, limitation of civil rights and the intensification of state violence. The longer the war crisis lasts, the forces that seek their survival in an emergency environment find a stronger position, and the possibility of change and even the smallest protests for the benefit of society become weaker. These forces, like Netanyahu and the supporters of regime change through continued bombing, seek to establish a situation of neither war nor peace in order to consolidate their position at the cost of the destruction of the country and the increasing suffering of the people.
Therefore, opposing war and striving for peace is an integral part of the struggle against internal repression. Ending the war atmosphere does not only mean preventing bombing and destruction but also preventing the abuse of the war atmosphere to intensify repression and executions of political activists.
We believe that preventing a return to war and exiting the current corrosive situation requires an immediate move towards direct negotiations and practical agreements to reduce tensions. There is no military solution to the current crisis. Delaying negotiations and remaining in the cycle of threats and pressure will only increase the risk of further wars.
In this context, a voluntary suspension of uranium enrichment could be a step towards achieving a sustainable agreement and reducing the risk of war. We believe that the nuclear program has become one of the permanent axes of crisis, sanctions, military threats, and pressure on the people, and has not and will not benefit Iranian society. People have experienced the practical consequences of these policies in worse living conditions and greater insecurity.
Also, transferring 60 percent enriched uranium reserves to another country, within the framework of specific agreements, along with the lifting of economic and financial sanctions and the release of the country's frozen foreign exchange reserves, would increase the possibility of an agreement and reduce the risk of war. At the same time, it would reduce the economic pressure on people's lives. This measure, as part of the solution, could serve peace.
Reducing tensions, opening the path to agreement, and abandoning measures that could create broader coalitions against Iran in the future, including ending the organization of proxy forces and supporting militias in critical areas of the region are vital necessity for society today. Continuing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, which was initially a pressure to counter aggression, could unite many foreign countries against Iran.
But this change of direction will not be realized without social and political pressure from the people. Experience has shown that the regime will only be forced to retreat under organized social pressure. Therefore, the Iranian people, both inside and outside the country, must intensify the struggle to impose their demands. The demand to end policies that increase the risk of not reaching agreement, the demand to move towards reducing tension, opposing the securitization of society, stopping executions and repression, releasing political prisoners, and prioritizing the livelihood and security of the people over military considerations and the survival of power structures are issues that cannot be achieved except through an all-out struggle by the people.
Today, the struggle to achieve peace is also a struggle against repression. Confronting war, confronting the expansion of the power of security and military forces, and stabilizing war conditions, is also defending the people’s right to life. It is necessary for all forces opposed to war to loudly express their opposition to war and to end it. Although defending the people’s livelihood, freedom, security, and future is tied to the life of the regime, in the hell of the Islamic Republic and before its overthrow, the regime can be pushed back with a united struggle.
The Left Party of Iran believes that the war atmosphere opens the hands of the IRGC, security agencies, and the most extreme reactionary forces within the regime to continue repression. Today, despite the fact that the US government is violating internationally recognized principles and wants the Islamic Republic to surrender, conditions have been created in which, if Trump and the Islamic Republic regime stop making maximalist demands, there is a possibility that an agreement will be reached, and the shadow of war will be lifted from the minds of the Iranian people, at least for a period of time.
Political-Executive Board of the Left Party of Iran
May 24, 2026
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