Iranian Revolution: 46 Years of Resistance
The following is a slightly edited report from Global Resistance for Peace and Justice that first appeared on Facebook on Feb. 10.
A webinar — “Iranian Revolution: 46 Years of Resistance” — held on Feb. 9, 2025, focused on the Iranian Revolution and its impact on the region, with panelists highlighting the significant progress made in various social and economic indicators, Iran’s ability to defend itself and its role as an inspiring source for resistance movements. The discussion also covered the challenges Iran faces, including the impact of sanctions and the threat of imperialism and the importance of self-reliance for national liberation.
Iranian Revolution’s achievements and challenges
The webinar opened with Global Resistance for Peace and Justice co-convener Ali Abu Talebi reading the network’s founding statement, which emphasizes opposition to oppression and solidarity with resistance movements worldwide.
Hamid Shahrabi, HOLA [House of Latin America] Research director and Global Resistance’s co-convener, discussed the achievements of the Iranian Revolution, comparing the situation before and after 1979. He presented statistics showing significant improvements in various social and economic indicators, such as the human development index, literacy rates, life expectancy and access to health care, contrasting these with pre-revolution figures to highlight the progress made since the revolution.
Hamid stressed Iran’s ability to defend itself and its role as an inspiring source for resistance movements in the region. He highlighted Iran’s progress in various fields, including nanotechnology, despite facing harsh sanctions. Hamid also addressed the challenges Iran faces, including the impact of sanctions and the threat of imperialism. He stressed the importance of the Iranian people’s awareness of these challenges and their dedication to defend the revolution. Hamid concluded by expressing optimism about Iran’s future, given its new alliances and the changing global landscape.
Iran’s resilience amid U.S. imperialism
The second speaker was Professor Nina Farnia, a legal historian who focused on the role of the United States in modern imperialism. Dr. Farnia discussed the sanctions on Iran within the context of imperialism and resistance. She underlined the remarkable feats of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in sustaining their sovereignty despite facing severe sanctions and direct warfare.
Farnia also discussed the four primary pillars of U.S. imperialism: sanctions, war and militarism, foreign aid and dollar dominance. She emphasized Iran’s ability to defend itself and its understanding of theories of national liberation, which has allowed it to survive and thrive despite the challenges posed by U.S. imperialism.
Iran’s anti-imperialist stance
Farnia discussed the current political and social debates in Iran, foregrounding the importance of the country’s anti-imperialist stance and its interactions with a declining U.S. empire. She further highlighted the role of the Iranian people in shaping their society and the potential for the revolutionary objectives set out in 1979 to advance.
She also addressed the challenges posed by the Techfides [IT Strategic Solutions company], emphasizing their role as U.S. agents and the need for the freethinking sovereign peoples of the region to deal with them.
Imperialism, resistance and autonomous development
Dr. Max Ajl, a leading Middle East scholar and contemporary thinker, discussed the role of Iran in the people’s war in the Arab-Iranian region, particularly Palestine’s struggle for national liberation. Ajl discussed the concept of resistance movements and their strategic victories in the Arab-Iranian region.
He criticized the western understanding of imperialism and capitalism, arguing that it is often based on a fairy tale-like perception of market exchange and the role of nation states and emphasized that wars and sanctions are central tools of imperialism, used to contain autonomous development paths and prevent countries from accumulating capital based on their own labor and resources. He also highlighted the importance of sovereign industrial and military projects and the fear of U.S. imperialist ideologues of countries delinking and emerging autonomously.
Iran’s role in the Arab-Iranian region
Ajl discussed the role of Iran in the Arab-Iranian region, emphasizing its ability to offer an ideology and material resources to forces challenging the U.S. system. He highlighted Iran’s sharing of technology, training and drone technology with resistance movements, enabling them to practice a form of people’s war. He also noted Iran’s ability to offer a deterrent umbrella and its role in defeating U.S. proxies like ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and Syria].
He criticized the propaganda campaign that claimed the defeat of Hamas, Hezbollah and other resistance forces. The demonization of Iran vis-a-vis the actual role it plays in struggles of liberation in the region is an imperialist design to defeat sovereign development and undermine regional resistance against U.S.-led imperialism.
Themes discussed in the open forum
His Excellency Richard Lobo, from the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the Philippines, shared his thoughts on Iran’s position as a strong country, its multilateral position and its ability to overcome imperialist sanctions and other forms of external aggression.
He also asked about the lessons Iran can give to other countries and how Iran envisions its future interaction with the U.S. regime. Nina Farnia responded, emphasizing the importance of self-reliance for national liberation and citing examples of Cuba’s and Nicaragua’s literacy projects. She also discussed Iran’s support for Indigenous self-defense forces in Lebanon and Iraq.
Syria, Trump and U.S. foreign policy
Furthermore, Farnia discussed the potential for Syria to become the next front in the anti-imperialist war in the region, noting that the resistance may win but it would take time. She emphasized the need for an honest understanding of Syria’s historical role.
Ajl addressed Trump’s chaotic statements and actions, particularly his domestic agenda and its potential impact on the U.S. people. He also argued that the U.S. state seeks control over the reconstruction of Gaza, which means blocking aid, disabling recovery from disease, destruction and heightened displacement of Palestinians to neighboring countries.
This poses a threat to Jordan, Qatar and Egypt as extensions of U.S. tightened control over land use and population management. He concluded by suggesting that closer attention should be paid to U.S. foreign policy actions rather than just Trump’s rhetoric and that the U.S. alliance structure in the region is playing a negative role.
Iranian revolution’s impact and unity
The discussion covered several topics related to the Iranian Revolution and its impact. Ngabirano, joining from Africa, congratulated Iran on the 46th anniversary of the revolution and highlighted its importance as an inspiration for other countries facing similar challenges. Sandew Hira emphasized the need for dialogue between secular socialist and religious-inspired social justice philosophies to strengthen anti-imperialist unity.
Hamid addressed questions about the role of Ayatollah Khomeini, stressing the importance of his ability to mobilize and unite people against imperialist aggression. He also stressed the need for greater communication and cooperation between revolutionary Muslims and socialist revolutionaries, focusing on commonalities rather than differences. [Ayatollah Khomeini was the architect of the Iranian Revolution that overthrew the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran – and was the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, established in 1979.]
Farnia emphasized that the dichotomy being posed between the Islamic Republic (state) and the people is baseless, and that the people of Iran are not yearning for regime change and /or what the U.S. presents as the destiny of a people and nation that challenges U.S. imperialism — defeat.
Popular support and imperialism
The panel discussed the importance of popular support in fighting imperialism, using Cuba and Venezuela as examples. Hamid mentioned the need to fight corruption and limit imperialist influence internally. Farnia argued against regime change in Iran, highlighting the vibrancy of Iranian society despite economic challenges from sanctions. Ajl suggested that practical solidarity campaigns against sanctions on Iran should be prioritized over symbolic expressions of solidarity.
The discussion concluded with the host, Global Resistance co-convener Sarah Raymundo, expressing the importance of cherishing the Iranian Revolution and defending its resistance against U.S. imperialism and offering an invitation for organizations to cooperate with the Global Resistance for Peace and Justice network.
