Left questions U.S., Israel justification that Iran is developing nuclear weapons

The Hindu

23-06-2025

Left parties have jointly condemned the U.S. airstrike on Iran, calling it a grave violation of Iran's sovereignty and the United Nations Charter.
In a strongly worded statement, the district units of the CPI(M), the CPI and the SUCI(C) in Kalaburagi criticised the move as an act of imperialist aggression aimed at destabilising West Asia and asserting Western dominance over the region's strategic resources.
The statement, released by CPI(M) district secretary K. Neela, CPI district secretary Mahesh Rathod K.R. and SUCI-C district secretary Veerabhadrappa, noted that the United States and Israel have justified the strike on the grounds of Iran developing nuclear weapons.
However, it pointed out that Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi clearly stated on June 19 that there is no evidence of Iran making any systematic attempt to build nuclear weapons. And, even the U.S. intelligence agencies have admitted to lacking concrete proof, it added.
Despite Iran being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the U.S., having withdrawn from the agreement, continues to escalate tensions, the Left leaders said.
They added that the June 12 Israeli airstrike on Iran was deliberately aimed at derailing any possible diplomatic talks between the two nations. While U.S. President Donald Trump earlier proposed a two-week window for dialogue, the joint attack reveals what they called a clear intention to provoke conflict in the region.
The Left said that the actual aim behind such military action is to establish imperialist control over West Asia, destroy Iran's autonomy and secure access to vital resources.
The leaders further said that the strike serves the interests of the global military-industrial complex and international capitalist forces which are struggling to recover from a prolonged crisis.
The statement compared the current situation to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, also based on unverified claims, which was later proven baseless. The use of B-2 stealth bombers in the recent Iran attack mirrors the previous aggressive actions and shows a dangerous disregard for diplomacy, they said.
Calling the U.S. position hypocritical, the Left leaders pointed out that it remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons, despite lecturing others about nuclear threats. The airstrike, they said, can severely intensify the conflict, threaten global peace and have disastrous consequences for ordinary people, particularly in countries like India, which are heavily dependent on oil imports and West Asian employment.
The Left parties urged the Union government to immediately abandon its pro-U.S. and pro-Israel foreign policy stance and instead, join global efforts to halt the conflict. They announced that protest actions will be organised and appealed to peace-loving citizens of India to stand in solidarity with them denouncing imperialist aggression.