From Tehran to Athens, left-wing movements denounce strikes as “imperialist aggression,” with mass protests erupting in the Greek capital
Communist and workers’ parties in Iran, Iraq and Greece have issued sharp denunciations of the ongoing United States–Israel military campaign against Iran, framing the strikes as an act of imperialist aggression that threatens to engulf the wider Middle East in a generalized war. The statements, released within the past 24 hours, share a common anti-imperialist vocabulary but differ in emphasis, reflecting each party’s domestic constraints and strategic priorities.
The Tudeh Party of Iran, the country’s oldest communist organization, was among the first to respond. In a lengthy statement published on its official website, the party branded the joint US–Israeli strikes a “blatant aggression” and accused Washington and Tel Aviv of pursuing long-standing plans for regime change under the cover of counter-proliferation. The Tudeh leadership stressed that the attacks came at a time when diplomatic negotiations were still underway, arguing that the timing exposed the insincerity of Western claims about seeking a peaceful resolution to the nuclear standoff. The party called on progressive and anti-war forces worldwide to stand in solidarity with the Iranian people, while explicitly distinguishing its opposition to foreign intervention from any endorsement of the Islamic Republic’s domestic policies.
In neighbouring Iraq, the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) likewise condemned the US military operation, describing it as an “unjust war” directed simultaneously against the Iranian and Palestinian peoples. The ICP statement, circulated through the Solidnet network of communist and workers’ parties, characterized the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as a gross violation of national sovereignty and international law. The party drew a direct link between the assault on Iran and the broader trajectory of US–Israeli policy in the region, arguing that both campaigns serve a single imperial objective: the subjugation of peoples who resist Western hegemony. The Iraqi communists called for an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation and a return to multilateral diplomacy.
Perhaps the most vocal response came from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), which has a long track record of street mobilization against NATO and US military operations. The KKE denounced the US–Israel attack as a “criminal act” that is pushing the Middle East toward an all-out regional conflagration. In a statement released from its headquarters in Athens, the party rejected outright the doctrine of preemptive strikes and accused Euro-Atlantic institutions of providing political cover for Washington’s military adventurism.
The KKE’s rhetoric was swiftly matched by action on the streets. On the evening of 28 February and into 1 March, thousands of demonstrators—organized primarily by PAME, the KKE-affiliated trade-union front—marched through central Athens under the slogan “Hands Off Iran.” The march culminated outside the US and Israeli embassies, where protesters burned effigies and called on the Greek government to sever any logistical cooperation with the US military campaign. Greek police reported no major incidents, though a heavy security presence was deployed around both diplomatic missions.
Taken together, the three parties’ statements reveal a coherent ideological narrative: the US–Israel war on Iran is portrayed not as an isolated conflict but as the latest chapter in a decades-long imperialist strategy aimed at reshaping the Middle East in the interests of Western capital and Israeli expansionism. All three parties invoke international law, frame the strikes as a violation of sovereignty, and call for broad anti-war solidarity. Where they diverge is in emphasis: the Tudeh Party, operating in exile, walks a fine line between opposing foreign aggression and distancing itself from the Iranian government; the Iraqi communists foreground the link with Palestine; and the KKE translates its analysis into mass mobilization, leveraging its organizational infrastructure to bring people into the streets.
Artwork: Gemini
Sources
Tudeh Party of Iran. “The Tudeh Party of Iran Strongly Condemns the Aggressive Attack by the Criminal Israeli Government and US Imperialism Against Iran!” Accessed 1 March 2026.
Solidnet. “Iraqi Communist Party Condemns US Aggression and Calls for an End to the Unjust War on the Iranian and Palestinian Peoples.” Accessed 1 March 2026.
In Defense of Communism. “KKE: New Criminal US–Israel Attack on Iran Pushes the Middle East Closer to a Generalized War.” Published 28 February 2026.
Devdiscourse. “Athens Erupts in Protest: Hands Off Iran.” Published 1 March 2026.