The drums of war are beating once again in West Asia, as Israel’s relentless attacks on Iran—killing over 220 people and striking critical infrastructure, including state broadcasting and nuclear facilities—threaten to drag the region into a wider conflict. Behind this aggression stands the United States, which, far from being a neutral observer, is actively preparing for potential military intervention. Recent reports confirm that the USS Nimitz carrier strike group has been rerouted toward Iranian waters, signaling Washington’s readiness to escalate hostilities. Meanwhile, the G7—a coalition of imperialist powers—has issued a statement endorsing Israel’s so-called “right to self-defense,” even as it bombs a sovereign nation.
The Biden administration, continuing the legacy of its predecessors, has maintained an aggressive posture toward Iran, despite hollow diplomatic overtures. The recent strikes came just as Iran and the U.S. were engaged in talks to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), exposing Washington’s duplicity. The reality is that the U.S. has never abandoned its goal of regime change in Tehran. From the 1953 CIA-backed coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh to the Trump-era assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, America’s obsession with controlling Iran has remained constant.
Now, with Israel acting as its attack dog, the U.S. seeks to weaken Iran—not just for its vast oil reserves, but to crush any resistance to American and Zionist domination in West Asia. The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) has rightly called out this charade, stating: “Trump and now Biden have pretended to negotiate while plotting war. Their goal is the same: a puppet regime that serves Wall Street and the Pentagon.”
The G7’s statement backing Israel’s aggression is a stark reminder of Western imperialism’s double standards. These nations—responsible for centuries of colonialism, slavery, and resource plunder—have the audacity to label Iran as the “principal source of regional instability” while arming Israel to the teeth. Prabir Purkayastha of NewsClick aptly notes: “The U.S. and its allies grant Israel the ‘right to self-defense’ while denying the same to Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. This is the language of empire.”
The timing of the G7’s endorsement is no coincidence. Just hours after their statement, Israel bombed Iran’s state media—an act of war disguised as “counterterrorism.” Meanwhile, Trump, ever the warmonger, took to Truth Social to demand the evacuation of Tehran, a city of 10 million people. Such reckless rhetoric reveals the true face of U.S. foreign policy: a willingness to risk millions of lives to maintain global dominance.
Even without direct military conflict, the U.S. has waged a brutal economic war on Iran through suffocating sanctions. These measures—imposed under the pretext of “nuclear concerns”—are designed to cripple the Iranian economy, starve its people, and foment internal unrest. Journalist Rania Khalek explains: “The sanctions are a weapon of mass destruction. They target hospitals, food supplies, and ordinary civilians, all to force submission to U.S. demands.”
This strategy is not new. The U.S. has long used sanctions, coups, and proxy wars to topple independent governments—from Cuba to Venezuela to Syria. Manu Karuka, a scholar of American imperialism, notes: “The goal is not just regime change in Iran but the fragmentation of West Asia to ensure U.S. corporate control over oil, trade routes, and labor.”
For Nepal, a nation that has suffered foreign intervention and economic exploitation, this escalating crisis is a warning. U.S. imperialism does not stop at Iran; it seeks to dominate the entire Global South. If Washington succeeds in destabilizing Iran, it will embolden further aggression—whether in Taiwan (against China), Ukraine (against Russia), or even South Asia.
Moreover, the U.S. war machine thrives on global instability. As military budgets balloon, working-class people in America and abroad pay the price through austerity, inflation, and stolen resources. The only solution is international solidarity among oppressed nations and working-class movements to resist imperialism in all its forms.
The anti-war movement must grow louder. From the streets of Beirut to the campuses of Europe to the labor unions of Nepal, we must:
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Expose U.S.-Israel war propaganda—No to “self-defense” narratives that justify aggression.
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Demand an end to sanctions—Sanctions are silent killers; they must be lifted unconditionally.
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Build bridges with Iranian, Palestinian, and anti-imperialist struggles—Our fight is interconnected.
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Pressure governments to cut ties with U.S. militarism—No support for NATO, no military alliances with empire.
The stakes could not be higher. Either we allow the U.S. to plunge the world into another catastrophic war, or we rise together to say: Hands Off Iran! No War for Oil and Empire!