[Militant, No 479, 16 November 1979, p 10]
The resignation of the Bazargan government and the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran are only the latest manifestations of the revolutionary turmoil which is gripping Iran.
The Shah’s overthrow has not solved, for the masses, the immense problems they face. On the contrary, unemployment has rocketed to 20% of Iran’s ten million workforce, prices have jumped and shortages of essentials like cooking oil, eggs and meat have become commonplace.
Occupation of the American Embassy is connected with the suspicion that American Imperialism is intending to restore the Shah to power. But as Khomeini has stated such a development is completely ruled out. Ayatollah Khomeini is attempting to cement a mass movement behind the senior clergy and divert attention away from the fundamental problems by encouraging actions against symbolic targets like the US Embassy.
Khomeini is at present being pushed by different forces. At first, in concert with Bazargan, Khomeini sought to restrain the revolutionary movement.
But following the mass demonstrations of the unemployed in April, the rising tide of class struggle and the virtual shut-down of large sections of industry Khomeini’s Central Revolutionary Islamic Council nationalised the banks, insurance and most of industry in July.
But despite this nationalisation, the economy has remained in crisis, mainly due to the absence of any economic plan which is impossible without a planned economy. The resulting unrest undermined Bazargan’s attempts to re-assemble the state machine and prepare the way for their counter-revolution.
Bazargan struggled both to restrain Khomeini’s actions and to co-operate with him to hold down the working class and national minorities. But this co-operation broke down as Khomeini responded with anti-capitalist measures to the masses demands and at the same time worked to consolidate the clergy’s power.
Just before his resignation Bazargan wanted to dissolve the ‚Council of Experts‘. This council has been elected, in elections controlled by the clergy, to review the draft Constitution approved by the government and Revolutionary Council.
But far from just reviewing the draft the Council of Experts was adding new clauses, the main one which gave Khomeini supreme spiritual and political powers, including command of the armed forces and veto of presidential candidates. However while the cabinet drafted a letter to the council of experts they decided not to send it because it was clear it would not have the slightest impact.
For months now it has been plain that the Bazargan Government had no real power to control events. Even Khomeini has been unable to stop the disintegration of the country as the army is in no shape to suppress the national minorities. Khomeini has been striving to consolidate a theocratic dictatorship, but it is clear that the Iranian workers will not accept Islam as the answer to all their problems. There will be no stability in Iran until the masses‘ demands are met, which is impossible on the basis of capitalism.
By Bob Labi
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