scientific journal Political Sociology of the Islamic Revolution

Rereading the anti-imperialist ideology of the Tudeh Party of Iran in light of the imposed war on Iran by Iraq: Analysis of the structural link of the party with the geopolitical interests of the Soviet Union

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ali Darabi

Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Radio and Television of Iran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
The present study, with an interpretive-historical approach, examines the ideological policy of the Iranian Tudeh Party towards the imposed war on Iran by Iraq (1970-1978). This study claims that the party’s stance at this time was influenced by the interests and geopolitical considerations of the Soviet Union in the region, rather than being rooted in an independent analysis of Iran’s national interests or indigenous theoretical foundations. Also, relying on the method of critical discourse analysis and using published documents of the Tudeh Party, its official publications, and an analysis of the context of Soviet foreign policy, this study attempts to show the mechanism of the party’s ideology being influenced by Soviet foreign policy towards the imposed war on Iran by Iraq. The results show that the party’s interpretation of the war as a “fratricidal war provoked by Western imperialism” and its emphasis on the “necessity of maintaining stability in the region” were in fact in line with Soviet goals of preventing the spread of tension and maintaining the balance of power against Western influence. This alignment, despite highlighting the “anti-imperialist” aspect of the party’s ideology, led to the neglect of the national and independence-seeking dimensions of the fight against foreign aggression in the party’s discourse, and had undesirable consequences for its political and social position in Iran.

Keywords

Tudeh Party of Iran, Iraq'
s imposed war against Iran, anti-imperialism, Soviet geopolitics
scientific journal Political Sociology of the Islamic Revolution
Volume 6, Issue 2 - Serial Number 22
Summer 2025
Pages 383-406

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