Yassamine Mather

Legacy of the 2003 war

We all know who is responsible for Fallujah, writes Yassamine Mather

Pro-Zionists are false friends

We need a movement for genuine solidarity with the working class, writes Yassamine Mather

No substitute for politics

Is it really as simple as ‘social networks vs the hierarchies’? Yassamine Mather takes issue with Paul Mason

Panama and how we are ruled

Tax havens are an integral part of modern neoliberal capitalism, argues Yassamine Mather

Who are the ‘moderate’ opposition?

Amongst the chaos, new alliances are taking shape, reports Yassamine Mather

New era, new focus

The nuclear deal means we must refocus our campaigning priorities, writes Yassamine Mather

By your advisors shall you be known

Yassamine Mather takes apart John McDonnell’s pledge of responsibility

Iran’s Elections : Winners and Losers

Yassamine Mather analyses the results of elections to the majles and Council of Experts

Weapons of genocidal destruction

Nuclear weapons pose the threat of a devastating accident waiting to happen, warns Yassamine Mather

The global disorder of capital

Yassamine Mather introduces Alain Badiou’s Notre mal vient de bien loin

A lifelong internationalist

Yassamine Mather salutes a dedicated Marxist fighter

Open for business

Who will gain most from the lifting of sanctions? Yassamine Mather reports on the latest deals

A dynasty of ill-gotten gains

Yassamine Mather looks at the life of Ashraf Pahlavi who died on January 7 aged 96

Method behind the madness

While the Saudi kingdom’s callous executions must be condemned, Yassamine Mather says Iran’s official protests are sheer hypocrisy

Time to shed illusions

Only the international solidarity of our class can deliver a lasting solution, writes Yassamine Mather

Deselect the Labour warmongers

Labour is now divided into two parties. One is led by Jeremy Corbyn, the other by Hilary Benn, argues Yassamine Mather

Making matters worse

Official reaction to the atrocities in France demonstrates once again that imperialism has no answers, writes Yassamine Mather

Sharm el-Sheikh and airport screening

Yassamine Mather looks beyond the criticisms of the Egyptian authorities following the downing of Metrojet flight 9268

Compromise in the offing

With talks over Syria set to continue, Yassamine Mather reports on the contortions of the rival powers

State and internet

The hacking of TalkTalk has reminded us of the risks and compromises associated with the web, writes Yassamine Mather

There are no national solutions

Yassamine Mather pinpoints the problem with Jeremy Corbyn’s alternative economic policies

Their Kurdistan and ours

Dariush Zand, communist medic

Fruits of intervention

Yassamine Mather surveys the mess that imperialism has created

Join fight to transform Labour

Yassamine Mather points to a key decision facing next month’s Left Unity conference

Two culpable rivals

What lies behind the Mecca tragedy? Yassamine Mather looks at the facts

War and peace

Yassamine Mather looks at the contradictions in Jeremy Corbyn’s foreign policy

One shameful U-turn after another

In the name of the ‘next stage of the revolution’, reports Yassamine Mather, the SWP and its co-thinkers are once again backing the Muslim Brotherhood

Erdoğan’s twin strategy

Turkey’s ‘game-changer’ has exposed the illusions of sections of the left, writes Yassamine Mather

Part of the ‘lunatic wing’ - like Jack Straw

Smearing Jeremy Corbyn as a friend of Islamist extremists is disingenuous, hypocritical and incorrect, writes Yassamine Mather

Dependent on global hegemon

Yassamine Mather discusses the possibilities following the nuclear deal

Edging towards a deal

Yassamine Mather reports on the conclusion of Iran’s negotiations with the P5+1 powers

Destabilisation and failed states

IS terrorism has little to do with Islam, argues Yassamine Mather

Saudi dirty tricks exposed

But Riyadh will remain a key imperialist ally, predicts Yassamine Mather

In service of humanity?

Can robots and artificial intelligence be subordinated to human need? Yassamine Mather examines the issues

Least of Khamenei’s problems

The US bears the main responsibility for the current situation in Iraq and Syria, writes Yassamine Mather

Facing up to stagnation

The latest US figures are indicative of a continuing problem, writes Yassamine Mather

King promotes his favourites

What is the significance of the power struggle within the Saudi dynasty? Yassamine Mather investigates

Children of ayatollahs flaunt their wealth

In the wake of the Lausanne nuclear deal, the question of economic inequality has become central, writes Yassamine Mather

How not to arm ourselves

Yassamine Mather looks at the problems resulting from the attempt to create ‘safe spaces’ in universities and student unions

Will the deal bring peace?

Yassamine Mather examines the prospects following the Lausanne agreement

Ready to drink from the poisoned cup?

While Iran’s negotiators haggle, the supreme leader is using Shia advances in Iraq and the Houthi civil war in Yemen to divert attention from a possible beyond-the-wire nuclear deal in Lausanne. Yassamine Mather reports on latest developments

The crown under the turban

Who will come out on top, as the deadline for a nuclear deal approaches? Yassamine Mather looks at the latest claims being made about the Islamic regime

Maverick left nationalist

We reproduce below correspondence between comrade Freeman and LU national secretary Kate Hudson and also publish a statement issued by Left Unity’s Communist Platform

Amendments galore, seats decided

Yassamine Mather reports on the February 28 meeting of the national council.

Will there be a deal?

As negotiations continue, Yassamine Mather examines the intricacies of Middle East relations

The debt is illegitimate

Yassamine Mather looks at the background to the Greek crisis

Hypocrisy abounds

Yassamine Mather can hardly believe the sickening tributes being paid to the Saudi tyrant

CIA roots of Islamist fundamentalism

Did outrage caused by the provocations of an irreverent magazine provoke the Paris attacks? Yassamine Mather looks beyond this simplistic myth

Disastrous legacy

Why do some on the left call for the west to step up its intervention against IS? Yassamine Mather looks at the results of past efforts

How not to run a party

NC member Yassamine Mather reports on the December 13 meeting

The masses bear the brunt

Yassamine Mather assesses the latest extension of negotiations between Iran and the 5+1 powers

The tyranny of safe spaces

We cannot start from the premise of exclusion, argues Yassamine Mather

No safe space for women

Yassamine Mather points to the link between two outrages in the Islamic Republic

The IS conundrum

The siege of Kobanê raises more questions than it answers, writes Yassamine Mather

Preparing for 2015

The LU national council agreed that there should be no electoral coalition with Tusc. NC member and Communist Platform supporter Yassamine Mather reports

The origins, politics and economics of the Islamic State

As imperialism once again changes its allies, the left needs to stick to its principles, says Yassamine Mather

Iran, Israel and Isis

Yassamine Mather looks at the assault on Gaza in the context of the Middle East as a whole

Cold facts and conspiracy theories

Yassamine Mather examines the most likely explanation for the tragedy in eastern Ukraine

Israel's secret nuclear arsenal

Talks designed to secure an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme look like they will be extended. Meanwhile, Yassamine Mather looks at the one country in the Middle East that is already armed with nuclear weapons

Descent into regional chaos, horror and fragmentation

Bush and Blair promised democracy and prosperity, writes Yassamine Mather - a lie echoed by their social-imperialist allies

Iran: Arrogance and the supreme leader

As Iran and the US edge closer towards cooperation over Iraq, Yassamine Mather looks at the evolution of Ali Khamenei

Iraq: A disaster waiting to happen

The US and Iran find themselves on the same side and ready to cooperate, warns Yassamine Mather

Leadership meets at last

Yassamine Mather reports on the first meeting of the LU national council

Europe: Alternative to populism

Have the courage to think of a different Europe, urges Yassamine Mather

Regime still on the ropes

Deadlock over nuclear negotiations has exacerbated tensions both inside and outside Iran, notes Yassamine Mather

Egypt: ‘Road map to democracy’ sham

The coup may have been aimed at the Muslim Brotherhood, writes Yassamine Mather, but now the working class is under attack too

Six Counties can of worms

Yassamine Mather analyses the Gerry Adams arrest

Political legacy of hostage crisis

The 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran had nothing to do with ‘anti-imperialism’, argues Yassamine Mather

Imperialism, war and crisis

Yassamine Mather reports on two days of stimulating debate

End all sanctions, free the prisoners

Now is the time to step up the pressure, writes Yassamine Mather

Solidarity with women of Iran

Yassamine Mather salutes those struggling against oppression

Quotas harm the cause

The left should not succumb to neoliberalism’s phoney version of equality, argues Yassamine Mather

Legacy of the Arab spring

Three years after the start of the mass revolts Yassamine Mather assesses the situation in Tunisia and Egypt

Behind the liberal facade of Rowhani

Despite the easing of sanctions and the mixed messages in Tehran, writes Yassamine Mather, the Islamic regime is thoroughly committed to the capitalist free market, not the welfare of the masses

A region in flux

Yassamine Mather of Hands off the People of Iran examines the failure of political Islam and imperialism’s attempts to adjust its alliances

Iran-US: Paper tigers and false victories

The deal with Iran represents a partial, but important success for imperialism, writes Yassamine Mather

Iran: End sanctions now

Whatever the final result of negotiations, writes Yassamine Mather, it is the millions of ordinary Iranians, not their rulers, who have suffered

Iran executions: Brutal signal to opponents

Yassamine Mather reports on the latest wave of executions

AWL: Matgamna’s chauvinistic tirade

Imperialism may not have invented political Islam, writes Yassamine Mather, but it has certainly used it to its advantage

Iran: Step up solidarity

The apparent thaw in US-Iran relations could offer new opportunities for the workers’ movement, argues Yassamine Mather

Communist Platform

Statement of aims and principles:

Telephone diplomacy riles Israeli hawks and Iranian conservatives

Immediate results from the thaw in US-Iran relations will be few and far between, warns Yassamine Mather

Iran: Edging towards a settlement

US sanctions appear to have produced results for imperialism, writes Yassamine Mather

Imperialism: More than Syria in its sights

There has been a dramatic change in the politics of the Middle East, writes Yassamine Mather

Gilbert Achcar: Enough ‘humanitarian’ exceptions

Imperialist military intervention is always designed to advance imperialist interests. Yassamine Mather responds to the excuses of Gilbert Achcar

Iran: No let-up on sanctions

How long after the inauguration of the new president before disillusionment sets in? Yassamine Mather discusses the limitations of Hassan Rowhani

Progressive sentiments amidst reactionary illusions

Gilbert Achcar has strongly objected to being described as a ‘social-imperialist’ in the Weekly Worker. So what is the truth about him? Yassamine Mather investigates

Egypt: Two reactionary forces

Celebrations at the fall of Mursi are understandable, writes Yassamine Mather, but no-one should have illusions in the role of the army

Egypt: Not the next stage of the revolution

Continued economic decline sealed the fate of the Muslim Brotherhood, writes Yassamine Mather. But martial law also represents a defeat for the working class and democracy

Surveillance state: What we knew already

Yassamine Mather surveils the recent UK-US electronic spying scandal

Iran election: Not a victory for progressives

A massive protest vote humiliated the conservative candidates. But paradoxically the election of a centrist can boost the regime, argues Yassamine Mather

Mars expedition: Symptom of systemic decline

There is nothing truly utopian or universalist in capitalist space programmes, says Yassamine Mather

Iran: Boycott sham elections

Yassamine Mather advocates a boycott and stresses the need for regime change from below

Iran: Election farce exposes regime’s crisis

The Iranian elections are a travesty that demand a boycott, says Yassamine Mather

Iran: Boycott the vetted election, not the mass protests

The Islamic republic is bitterly divided at the top and subject to crippling international sanctions. Yassamine Mather analyses the political situation in the run-up to the June 14 presidential poll

Syrian bombing: Netanyahu attempts to provoke new confrontation

Over the weekend of May 4-5 Israel launched air raids against targets in Syria. Yassamine Mather and Moshé Machover, two members of the Hands Off the People of Iran steering committee, discuss the issues raised by this latest development

Iran May Day: Defying the regime

Yassamine Mather reports on the growing politicisation of the Iranian workers' movement

Margaret Thatcher: The woman who armed Saddam Hussein

Yassamine Mather digs up some of the recently departed's dirty politcal laundry

Neoliberal feminism: Out of the mainstream, into the revolution

Yassamine Mather critiques neoliberal feminism, which is now the dominant mode of thought

Turkey and Kurds: Imperialism welcomes deal

Yassamine Mather looks at the new PKK ceasefire and what it means

Iran: Need our support

Yassamine Mather reports on the developing social catastrophe

Iran: Towards barbarism

Corruption and war are taking their toll on the Iranian regime, Yassamine Mather reports

Women and capitalism: Double burden of oppression

Is women’s inequality endemic to capitalism? Yassamine Mather spoke to socialist feminist Bridget Fowler

Iran: Corruption, repression, fightback

Yassamine Mather reports on the chaos that is the Islamic Republic

Sexism: Macho culture and the lessons we can learn from the Middle East

How should sexism be combated? Yassamine Mather compares the situation in Britain with the practice of two guerrilla organisations

Iran tribunal: What a legalistic shambles

The ‘resolutions’ of the Iran Tribunal have proved Hopi right, argues Yassamine Mather

Iran: Sanctions mean war on the people

Hands Off the People of Iran remains true to its slogan, ‘No to imperialism, no to the Islamic regime’. Yassamine Mather describes the devastation and hunger inflicted on Iranians

Stepping up the threats

The upcoming US Presidential elections are only ratcheting up the threat of military action against Iran reports Yassamine Mather

Islamists gaining ground

The US seems happy to see the Muslim Brotherhood gaining influence in Damascus, writes Yassamine Mather

Sealed trains and class traitors

Yassamine Mather interrogates the excuses used by ‘leftwing’ supporters of the Iran Tribunal

Accepting funds from the CIA

Supporters of the Iran Tribunal have desperately been trying to defend their abandonment of working class principle. Yassamine Mather reports on the contortions

Regime change must come from below

Sanctions and malware are preparatory acts of war against Iran. Those who condemn the crimes of the regime should also condemn the crimes of imperialism and its agents, writes Yassamine Mather

Iran and Islamophobia

Is there something suspect about the opposition of Hands Off the People of Iran to the Iranian theocracy? Yassamine Mather answers some of the allegations

Imperialism finds new pretext for threats

As Iranian workers went out in remarkable numbers for May Day, a new dispute over some small islands in the Gulf shows that despite apparent progress on the nuclear question a new source of tension has been found. Yassamine Mather reports.

Mobilise against threat

We must mobilse against the threat of war with Iran says Yassamine Mather

Time is fast running out

It is clear that the Obama administration is preparing US public opinion for war, writes Yassamine Mather

Our duty to Iran's working class

Speaking at a CPGB meeting in Manchester in support of Hands Off the People of Iran, Yassamine Mather makes the call for urgent and principled solidarity

The last president?

The latest rigged elections have produced a predictable result as Supreme Leader Khamenei consolidates his power, says Yassamine Mather.

Threats, opposition and solidarity

On what basis should we mobilise against an attack on Iran? Not by calling a truce on our opposition to the Islamic regime, argues Yassamine Mather

Normalised duplicity

Yassamine Mather reviews new film A separation, directed by Asghar Farhadi, on general release.

No war on Iran! For regime change from below!

Make your voice heard against war and repression, urges Hands Off the People of Iran chair, Yassamine Mather

Islamists courted by imperialists

The Muslim Brotherhood has shown itself to be the biggest political force. Meanwhile the left is under attack. Yassamine Mather gives her impressions following a recent visit to Egypt

Embassy stunt backfires

The attack on two diplomatic compounds was a gift to the imperialists, writes Yassamine Mather

Strange political symbiosis

The US and the Iranian regime need each other, argues Yassamine Mather

Explaining the longevity of the theocratic regime

It is riven with contradictions, corrupt, internationally isolated and opposed by the majority of its own people. Yet the Iranian regime survives. Yassamine Mather looks at the long history of struggle against the Islamic Republic

Israel and Iran talk up threats

Iran is keen to divert attention onto the 'foreign enemy', writes Yassamine Mather

Reformists crave reconciliation

The Iranian regime is deeply divided, but what are the prospects for the democracy movement that filled the streets in 2009-10? National chair of Hands Off the People of Iran, Yassamine Mather, spoke to Mark Fischer

God's representative in Tehran sees off 12th Shia imam fan

What lies behind the power struggle in Iran? Yassamine Mather looks at the contending factions

Defend academic freedom from corporate conformism

Commodification is wrecking higher education, argues Yassamine Mather

'Islamic feminism' and women's emancipation

Yassamine Mather examines the reality of the continuing struggle against the regime's oppression

Successful strike

Yassamine Mather reports Kurdish towns and cities closed down

Contamination spreads

Yassamine Mather reports on the effects of the Egyptian upsurge

Stepping up solidarity

John McDonnell MP will launch a new campaign at the Hands Off the People of Iran annual conference this coming Saturday (February 12), reports Yassamine Mather

Unity is only temporary

The anti-Mubarak coalition will break apart once alternative political and economic interests are presented, writes Yassamine Mather

Amadinejad slapped as factions turn on each other

Yassamine Mather looks at the growing tensions in the Islamic regime

Lions, foxes, and asses

Wikileaks confirms that the Tehran regime's nuclear programme is dangerous and ought to be opposed by socialists, writes Yassamine Mather

Sanctions take their toll

Yassamine Mather calls for international solidarity with Iranian workers

Adding a new dimension

Yassamine Mather of Hands Off the People of Iran is standing for the STWC steering committee. This is her election statement

Sanctions siege turns into cyberwarfare

The Stuxnet virus is a new form of warfare. Instead of Iran being attacked by planes and missiles it has been USBs. Yassamine Mather reports

Spin and lies in US

Yassamine Mather exposes the concerted efforts of the Islamic regime against Iranian women

Divided theocratic regime paralysed by sanctions

As the US steps up it efforts to provoke regime change from above, Yassamine Mather looks at the reasons for the failure of the working class to win leadership of the opposition movement

'Reformists' exposed on first anniversary

As imperialist sanctions are stepped up, leaders of Iran's 'opposition' are in headlong retreat. Yassamine Mather reports on the anniversary of the 2009 rigged elections

No alternative within capitalism

What does the bail-out of Greece mean for international capital? Hillel Ticktin spoke to Yassamine Mather

Execution to impose terror

Our response to the judicial murder of Kurds should not be to call for the Iranian regime to be hauled before a tribunal for 'crimes against humanity', writes Yassamine Mather. It should be to step up our solidarity

Courage to tell the truth

Yassamine Mather condemns the farce of the UK general election

May Day demands

Iran's workers will once again use May Day to remind the religious state and 'reformist' Islamists alike of their power, writes Yassamine Mather

From 'smart sanctions' to sanctions with 'bite'

It is the Iranian people who lose and the regime that gains from imperialist threats, writes Yassamine Mather

Opposition to imperialism does not mean support for Ahmadinejad

Mohammad Reza Shalgouni is a founder-member of the Organisation of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) and has been elected as a member of its central committee on a number of occasions. He spent nine years as a political prisoner in Iran under the shah and today is an active supporter of Hands Off the People of Iran. Yassamine Mather interviewed him for the Weekly Worker

Two wrongs don't make a right

Yassamine Mather looks at the politics, hypocrisy and dangers of Ahmadinejad's nuclear programme

'Reformist' confusion stunts opposition protests

Yassamine Mather reports on the February 11 Revolution Day celebrations

'Reformists' fear revolution

The attempt by the two wings of the Iranian regime to shelve their differences is unlikely to defuse the mass movement, writes Yassamine Mather

Fighting over the corpse

As the two wings of the regime continue to squabble, write Chris Strafford and Yassamine Mather, the opposition movement grows in radicalism and confidence

Entire regime is the target

Opposition in Iran is no longer directed at supporting one section of the theocracy against the other. The days of the regime are numbered, say Yassamine Mather and Chris Strafford

Ahmadinejad’s possible role in savage beatings

The Mail on Sunday (November 29) published a photograph purportedly showing Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the regime’s London consulate in April 1984. Comrades from the Fedayeen (Minority), who had forced their way into the building, were imprisoned and severely beaten by Iranian staff. Yassamine Mather was a member of the Fedayeen (Minority) at the time and spoke to the Weekly Worker about the incident

Workers organise against regime

More than 300 workers in the Abadan oil refinery gathered on Thursday November 12 to protest against non-payment of wages and bonuses, saying they had not been paid for more than three months. Yassamine Mather reports

Workers gain new courage

Iranian demonstrations have given a real boost to working class opponents of the regime, writes Yassamine Mather

Regime’s most persistent opposition

Ali Pichgah is a veteran of the Iranian oil strikes of 1979-81, when he was a representative of the Tehran refinery workers shora (council) on the National Shora of Oil Workers. He spoke to Yassamine Mather about the current situation in Iran

No even-handedness

Hopi political discussions focus on the role of imperialism and what position to take, reports Tina Becker

Iran: No let up in US threats

Problems facing the peoples of Iran and West Asia are rooted in the contradictions of 21st century world capitalism, says Yassamine Mather

No to imperialist threats

Yassamine Mather reports on the latest developments in Iran and calls for international solidarity

Lies cannot stop imperialists

In her speech to the October 27 conference of the Stop the War Coalition, Somaye Zadeh of Campaign Iran tried to counter the imperialist lies about the Tehran regime with misinformation of her own. Yassamine Mather insists upon the truth

Filling a political gap

Yassamine Mather of Hopi spoke to Mark Fischer after the Stop the War Coalition conference

For principled solidarity

Yassamine Mather of Hands Off the People of Iran points to the renewed imperialist threats but warns against the anti-imperialism of fools

Open letter to Andrew Murray

From Yassamine Mather, Hands Off the People of Iran

Bellicose diversions

Yassamine Mather comments on the speculation about possible 'shock and awe' attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran's nuclear installations and other strategic targets

Clear distance

In less than a week, over 50 people were executed by public hanging in Iran's islamic republic. Yassamine Mather says communists and democrats must take a clear stand

Anti-imperialism and Tehran

There is a cynically organised media campaign designed to pave the way for further sanctions or selected military strikes. Does that mean we should support the Tehran regime? Speaking at the Marxism fringe, Yassamine Mather - Workers Left Unity Iran - explains the real meaning of anti-imperialism

Petrol rationing sparks protests

After months of hesitation and delay, Iran's islamic rulers this week gave a two-hour warning before imposing fuel rationing for private vehicles. Yassamine Mather comments

US-Iran talks

After weeks of anticipation and with the expected media hype, the first official meeting between Iran's Islamic republic and the United States in nearly 30 years took place in Baghdad this week. Yassamine Mather reports

Double standards in London and Tehran

In the furore over the capture of British sailors and marines and their theatrical release by Iran's islamic regime, a number of essential points seem to have been forgotten by the British media, and even by so-called anti-war broadsheets, says Yassamine Mather

Gift for militarist faction

Last week, when the militarist faction in the Iranian regime realised they had captured 15 British marines and sailors, it must have seemed like a gift from heaven. Yassamine Mather reports

Will Tehran be next?

Every day the media publish new information about plans for a military attack on Iran and, although many of these stories are simply recounting previous revelations, there is no doubt that the danger of (limited or extensive) military action by the US is now very real. Yassamine Mather reports

Heads in the sand

Yassamine Mather reports on the Stop the War Coalition's Scottish conference - which missed the opportunity to seriously discuss the question of Iran

Defend Iran's workers, not its rotten regime

Over the last two weeks, although Iran is facing a major military attack, protests and demonstrations against harsh economic conditions have escalated within the country. Yassamine Mather reports

Against imperialist war, for Iran workers

Yassamine Mather analyses the latest developments in Iran and takes a closer look at 'Campaign Iran'

Iran solidarity

Yassamine Mather (Critique editorial group) explains why the campaign 'Hands off the People of Iran' has been set up. To get in touch with the campaign, email nowaroniran@yahoo.co.uk

Iran's workers need support

Iran's president Ahmadinejad is a defender of neoliberalism, says Yassamine Mather

Against war, for workers' rights

Yassamine Mather reports on Iranian workers taking to the streets on May Day

Women show the way

Yassamine Mather reports from a march of Iranian women in exile

Basra quagmire

Yassamine Mather (Iran Bulletin Middle East Forum and Critique) calls for solidarity with the Basra oil workers

No to war, no to mullahs

Yassamine Mather (Critique and Iran Bulletin Middle East Forum) comments on the situation in Iran