Demonstrators shouting “Death to the dictator!” targeting Ayatollah Khamenei; government buildings on fire; live ammunition fired at protesters and piles of dead in the morgues… the images filtering out of Iran bear witness to a revolt spreading throughout the country and to a raging repression.

This bloodbath may stop the revolt, but it may also fuel it.

Those who are demonstrating know that the regime is ruthless with protesters. The youth uprising that shook the country after the murder of Masha Amini by the morality police for wearing her headscarf improperly resulted in tens of thousands of arrests and over 500 executions. Despite that, Iranians have returned to fight.

This kind of mass courage and fighting spirit has often changed the course of history. So, will this revolt finally bring down this obscurantist and anti-worker dictatorship? It would be a first step and we can only hope for it!

The roots of this revolt are both political and social. In Iran, as elsewhere, the gap has widened between a privileged few and the working population. The bourgeoisie and the regime's dignitaries have become considerably wealthy through exploitation and corruption. They have access to everything despite the American embargo!

The dignitaries of the Islamic Republic claim to be the champions of the fight against imperialism, yet they send their sons and daughters to study and live in the United States, which they nevertheless portray as ‘’the great Satan’’! To their people, they preach religiosity, the submission of women and sacrifice but they live in luxury and copy Western customs!

Meanwhile, the working classes are bearing the brunt of water and medicine shortages as well as power cuts. Workers are paid weeks or months late and they have seen their purchasing power plummet to the point where they struggle to afford food and housing. This growing poverty is now affecting a whole section of the petty bourgeoisie and even shopkeepers of the Tehran Bazaar, hitherto loyal supporters of the regime, have taken to the streets.

Today, hundreds of thousands of women and men feel they have nothing to lose and want to overthrow the regime. But the question is, what should replace it?

Iranian workers are well aware that one dictatorship can replace another. The mullahs came to power in 1979, leading a revolution against the hated pro-American dictatorship of the Shah, only to establish one of the worst ever dictatorships.

Ironically, it’s now the Shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, who’s been living in golden exile in the United States, who is trying to propel himself to the head of the uprising!

While Iranians risk their lives, a plethora of vultures are ready to swoop down on Iran.

The United States and Israel are talking about military intervention to stop the massacre. How hypocritical! With their hands covered with the blood of Palestinians, they’re among the worst perpetrators of mass murder!

In reality, Trump and Netanyahu are maneuvering to find a replacement for the regime that would be entirely devoted to them. After all, even among the Revolutionary Guards, there may be candidates to replace Khamenei.

One thing is certain: the rebels must be wary of alternatives imposed from above. Whoever is presented to them as a “leader'' will be chosen for their ability to bring the population back into line and for their subservience towards the United States. Democracy and women's freedom will be no more their concern than it is Trump’s!

If Iranian workers don't want to spill their blood today for those who will trample them underfoot tomorrow, they must lead the revolt, establish their own organization and set their own political goals. During the revolutionary events of 1979, Iranian workers built workers' councils but ultimately allowed the ayatollahs to control them. Lessons must be learned from this part of history and recent uprisings.

Workers needed no one in order to revolt, they don't need anyone to lead and govern them! If they are conscious of this, they can turn this revolt into a revolution and bring about a regime of a completely different nature; a regime led by the workers, the only regime capable of tackling all forms of oppression.

Nathalie Arthaud