Aysun Sadıkoğlu
August 2025 – Kaldıraç Issue 289
Iran was attacked by the US-Israel front. The assaults — in the form of bombings, assassinations, and missiles piercing the iron dome in retaliation — led to a temporary pause in the war after the US struck Iran with “bunker-buster” bombs, having notified it in advance, and Iran responded by attacking the US central base in Qatar.
The aggressiveness of the Israel-US front is well known. When talking about Israeli aggression, it would be wrong to forget the US. The attacker is the Western front as a whole. Without considering the US and NATO, it is difficult to understand this attack. This is a comprehensive attack, and the attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Lebanon are also part of it. These are continuations of the same series of attacks. In other words, these attacks are those of the Western front, and in this sense, NATO’s attacks. And of course, Turkey is also involved. Turkey was present in Afghanistan, aligned with the US in Iraq, on the ground in Libya, involved in the Syrian occupation, and today, it is one of the underlying elements behind the attacks targeting Iran.
The aggressiveness of the Israel-US front is well known. When talking about Israeli aggression, it would be wrong to forget the US. The attacker is the Western front as a whole. Without the US and NATO, it is difficult to understand this attack. This is a comprehensive attack, and the attacks on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Lebanon are also part of it. These are continuations of the same series of attacks. Therefore, these attacks are those of the Western front, and in this sense, NATO’s attacks. And of course, Turkey is also involved. In Afghanistan, Turkey was present; in Iraq, it was pro-U.S.; in Libya, it was on the ground; in the Syrian occupation, it is also present; and today, it is one of the underlying components of the attacks directed at Iran.
Germany’s new and belligerent Chancellor Merz is actually revealing this truth when he makes statements such as, “Israel is doing some dirty work that is necessary for us.” In that case, it is not enough to simply consider Israel as sole the attacker. Israel is a triggerman on behalf of the US and plays the same role as the Turkish state, albeit with some differences.
t is easy to see and acknowledge Israel’s aggression. After all, it is difficult to conceal it. Some defend it but they are Israeli state officials, even if they are writers, artists, etc., they are extensions of Israel. However, one must not forget that the US, NATO, and the entire West are complicit in this aggression. People on the street are asking, “Won’t anyone stop this little Israel?” Yet the reason for such a question is that the US and NATO are hiding behind the scenes. As if Israel is attacking alone, as if the US, England, Germany, France, etc. are not behind it. Turkey has allowed the use of the Kürecik and Incirlik bases during the attack on Iran, and even permitted Israeli aircraft to base in Konya. This is what playing a role in the war entails.
It is now necessary to take another look at the consequences of this war.
1
There is no victory to be declared, neither for the Israel-US front nor for Iran.
2
The aggressors, at least in this first stage, have not achieved the results they desired. The US and Israeli front tested Iran, seeking to reveal its actual strength. Iran was unable to prevent the effective operations of Israel’s agents inside the country, which led to the loss of its commanders. Nor could it stop bombs from falling on its soil. Yet despite this, it has shown that it is not the hollow power portrayed by the Western media. The aggressors — the US, England, and the Israeli front — have not reached the outcomes they sought and expected. They had hoped Iran would kneel. But that did not happen.
Iran will, of course, try to heal the wounds it has sustained. But we are not of the opinion that it has much time to do so.
3
Israel has seen that its Iron Dome has been riddled with holes, and moreover, far from gaining the prestige it had hoped for, it has instead suffered blows. Considering that nearly every Israeli citizen holds at least dual citizenship, the ease with which they could choose to leave the country has become evident. Even though Israel has closed official exits from the country, escapes to Cyprus by yachts and motorboats have become widespread. Simply believing they have the possibility of living far from the war is enough.
4
The US has not suffered a great loss, of course. But apparently, it had to decide to divert its war materiel to Israel instead of Ukraine. What’s more, even if it was a mutual agreement, it had to agree to 14 missiles being fired at its own base in exchange for the bombs.
5
Of course, we do not have the chance to access accurate information on matters such as the extent of each side’s losses or how their strength should be measured. The reports reaching the press bear the marks of a wartime environment, and it is impossible for us to verify their accuracy. But beyond that, looking at the war that has emerged from Israel’s attack on Iran solely through this lens would be a very backward stance.
We should focus on the potential for action that the working class can develop for the revolution brewing in the region. Here is where we should focus our attention.
6
It is impossible to claim that the war is over. On the contrary, it is clear that the US is preparing for war on all fronts.
Trump came to power in order to make people forget, in the blink of an eye, the defeat suffered by the US and NATO in Ukraine, to make it seem as if it never happened. And in the meantime, he is looking for opportunities to reposition his forces on all fronts in preparation for war.
Israel’s attack on Iran is part of these new war preparations and an expression of its desire to escalate the conflict. Otherwise, the exchange of missiles and bombs would be meaningless for both sides. Iran is not in a condition to be occupied merely through bombardment. Israel’s entire territory is smaller than the province of Ankara, and every missile that falls on such a small area has difficulty finding an empty spot to land. But Iran is not like that. This is a physical reality. Therefore, while this attack may indeed include the stated objectives, it is ultimately a test for a greater purpose. There is no doubt that preparations are underway for a ground operation against Iran.
(a) In this war, Turkey is on the side of the US-Israel (NATO) front. However, the Turkish state is apprehensive about this position. This is the mission the US has assigned to the Palace. Within the Turkish state, there is a conflict between those eager to carry out this mission and those gripped by the fear of uncertainty that such eagerness may bring. For this reason, the Turkish state is on the one hand eager to attack, yet on the other hand fearful of the consequences. In this regard, once it became clear that Iran was not as hollow as claimed, the likelihood of this internal struggle intensifying has grown.
Nevertheless, the Turkish state is making preparations on this matter. They reason that, sooner or later, the US-NATO front will defeat Iran. In this situation, they believe it is possible to exploit the opportunity of both carrying out a massacre against the Kurds and profiting from the war. Yet it is also clear that all these assumptions depend on the stance Russia and China will take. For this reason, the Turkish state delivers speeches that appear to oppose Israel, while in reality providing all commercial and military support.
Ultimately, the Palace regime ill not refrain from serving as a ground force in this war due to its NATO ties and its role as a trigger-puller for the US.
(b) To understand this attack on Iran, one must look at the countries bordering it. Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iraq and Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan are its main neighbors. It appears that during the war, Armenia and Azerbaijan hesitated to condemn the attack on Iran and only issued statements on the third day of the conflict. But now, the influence of the US, England, Israel, Turkey, France, and Germany is being brought into play in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is not possible for us to know how effective these maneuvers will be. Yet reports in the press indicate that there is movement on this matter in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, and even that Azerbaijan has held talks with the Nazi regime in Kyiv.
(c) Israel, England, and the US preparations against Yemen are also proof of this. Even the declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza is also a part of this.
(d) In early July, just after the pause in the war, the Pentagon halted arms shipments to Ukraine. At the same time, it was reported in the press that they made large-scale supplies to Israel.
Looking at these four developments, an attack on Iran is not far away. We don’t know what else will happen during this period. But it would be foolish to think that China and Russia will stand idly by.
Therefore, considering the Israeli attack on Iran, the war as two countries bickering each other, bombing each other, and then taking a break, would be a mistake.
This war actually means launching a new front against China and Russia. Therefore, it would be appropriate to view this war as part of the ongoing war against Russia and China.
Their failure to achieve the desired objectives in Iran, and the realization that the task is not easy, is also reflected in Macron’s phone call to Putin. One of the trio — who, alongside England and Germany, has been calling for war and urging “let the US fight Russia while we party on cocaine” — namely France, has sought to establish contact with Russia. This situation is further proof that the conflict is evolving into a broader war.
At this point, the US’s engagement in commercial and other negotiations around China, together with Japan, Australia, and India, is by no means coincidental.
During Israel’s attack on Iran, a large-scale economic forum was held in St. Petersburg. The timing coincided precisely with the conflict, and 144 countries participated in the forum. It took place before the Davos meetings, which now seem overshadowed by it. This is the clearest evidence of the declining US hegemony. Yet this process is far from over and it still continues.
At this point, the US seeks to gain economic advantage and simultaneously redeploy its forces across all fronts for the war, while keeping its allies under control.
Turkey is on the US front in this war. Turkey’s situation is not as straightforward as Israel’s and faces certain difficulties. Nevertheless, the front it will ultimately occupy is clear. Its NATO ties and status as a semi-colony, leaving it little room to act independently of US orders, are the primary reasons for this.
Consequently, the US’s policies of escalating and provoking the war will continue to intensify. And the war against Iran appears to be just on hold. Although Israel has been wounded, Iran has also been wounded by Israeli attacks and it is now clear that they want to carry out a more effective attack combined with a ground operation. Barzani’s forces are clear on this issue, standing on the side of Israel, the US, and England. But for other powers, the issue is not so simple.
It is not yet known what the outcome of the preparations being made in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey will be. However, we know that the workers and laborers of our country have no blood to shed for imperialist aggression. The Turkish working class, young people, women, all the peoples of the region, and above all the Kurds, must refuse to shed their blood for an imperialist war.
This is the point we must focus on.
Imperialism brings no “democracy”, “freedom” etc. to any people or country.
Imperialism brings no “democracy,” “freedom,” or similar values to any people or country. Libya, Iraq, and Syria stand as living examples. In the midst of this blood and chaos, the only way out is through the revolutionary path of the working class: to seize power in the country. No one should speak to us of “gaining a little for the country while taking a lot for oneself” from the war. No one should glorify being a 23-cent soldier under the command of US imperialism with rhetoric about homeland and nation. If anyone is to profit, it will be the rulers themselves. Oil companies, contractors, pharmaceutical firms, and the like will multiply their profits. Their gains are not the nation’s, the country’s, or the people’s. If they are so eager, if they expect such profits, let them go to war themselves. There is no blood of workers and laborers, nor of their children, to be shed on their behalf, and they have no intention of shedding the blood of workers and laborers in other countries for this purpose. This brutality serves imperialist domination. This brutality exists to sustain capitalist exploitation and the capitalist system. No religious ideology can chart a consistent path for war against imperialism. The only consistent path is revolution and socialism, the revolutionary path of the working class.
We revolutionaries should not concern ourselves with calculating which country possesses what level of destructive weapons. It is impossible for us to know this, nor is it our business. Our focus is on destroying and dismantling bourgeois rule in our country, carrying out the socialist revolution, and making this socialist revolution a lever for a socialist revolution that will rise throughout the region.
We are not saying that this is easy. Whether easy or difficult, it is our duty. What matters is not choosing the easy path, but defending the ultimate interests of the working class under all conditions and organizing the working class along that path. Waiting for the war to arrive at our doorstep in the form of bombs falling beside us would be shameful. On the contrary, it is necessary to build upon the resistance already emerging among workers, women, and youth in the country in response to the ongoing economic crisis. Therefore, for revolution and socialism, to stop the war and achieve true peace, and for the working class to seize power, a United Labor Front is an urgent task today.
Rather than fighting against the workers of this or that country, the essential struggle is against the bourgeois state, the Palace Regime, which represents the global capitalist system in our country. The key is to trust in the power of organized masses and to struggle with high consciousness and determination along the correct path.
