That's what's behind Washington's embargo on Iran, its campaign to pressure other imperialist governments it competes with to join in the trade sanctions, the insultingly paltry donations by the White House for the victims of the recent earthquakes, and the deployment of additional U.S. naval and air power in the Persian Gulf. That's what's also behind the recent decision by Bonn to brand the Tehran regime as "terrorist" and the subsequent rupture of diplomatic relations with the German and other imperialist governments.

And that's why tens of thousands of Iranians poured into the streets of Tehran in April to condemn the latest attacks initiated by the government of Germany.

The immediate mobilization within Iran of thousands of relief volunteers to the quake-stricken areas is another reflection of the lasting impact of the revolution and how profoundly it changed the social consciousness of working people.

The regime that came to power after the 1979 revolution was a capitalist government that has defended the interests of Iran's capitalists and landlords and has progressively eroded the initial gains of the working-class rebellion. It needs to be replaced by a workers and peasants government. But the regime in Tehran, having come to power through revolutionary means and as a result of a deeply anti- imperialist struggle, remains in fundamental conflict with imperialism.

In this confrontation, working people in the United States and around the world should side unequivocally with the Iranian people and in defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The labor movement should demand unconditional and massive aid for the victims of the recent earthquakes, lifting the U.S. embargo and all other trade and economic sanctions, and restoring normal diplomatic relations.  
 
 
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