A dreadful chapter of imperialism

Hayri Kozanoğlu

We know that American imperialism has a dirty record. Orchestrating military coups in various regions, particularly in Latin American countries, being behind unsolved assassinations, interfering in political processes through threats and bribery, and so on... But Trump's boasting about the murders that explicitly targeted Iran's religious leader Khamenei, former President Ahmadinejad, and schoolgirls in Minad represents a leap forward in the dark history of imperialism.

It should be remembered that the claim that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction prior to the invasion of Iraq was proven false. In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi's lynching amid Hillary Clinton's laughter, which was supposed to pave the way for democracy in the country, was disproved by the never-ending civil war and the de facto division of the country. The allegation that Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his opponents was never proven, but the support given by the jihadist Colani, who was brought to power through various intrigues, to the latest operation clearly revealed him to be a servant of the US and Israel. This time, they launched an attack that turned the entire Middle East into a fireball, based on the fallacy that Iran was developing nuclear weapons and posing a threat to US interests.

THE FIRST MOVE IN 1953

To recall recent history, the US's first move to bring Iran, with its vast energy resources, under its control began in 1953 with a coup that overthrew the country's legitimate president, Mossadegh. This was because Mossadegh had initiated efforts to nationalise oil and planned a comprehensive land reform. The Shah Reza Pahlavi, who was put on the throne, followed a pro-American line, brutally suppressed his opponents, signed agreements for large military arms purchases from the US, and was the person who ignited the desire for nuclear weapons that was revived under the Mullah regime in Iran.

In 2025, the US suddenly joined Israel's attack on Iran, bombing the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities with bomber aircraft capable of carrying 15-ton bombs launched from Missouri. Trump announced that they had destroyed Iran's nuclear capacity. This came during the meeting between US and Iranian negotiators in Geneva. According to Omani Foreign Minister Bedir Al Busaidi, who participated in the talks, Iran would eliminate its stockpile of enriched uranium, refrain from any efforts to use nuclear energy except for medical purposes, and accept full inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The economically strapped Iranian regime was also receptive to American companies' energy investments and efforts to modernise existing facilities, indicating that it was open to economic cooperation. In 2015, Iran signed a comprehensive agreement with the P5+1, which included the US, the UK, China, Russia, France and Germany, to limit its nuclear programme. This agreement came into force in early 2016. While things were going well in a way, this chapter also closed with Trump's unilateral withdrawal in 2018.

In fact, the movement of the world's largest aircraft carrier, Gerald Ford, towards the region, and the deployment of two warships carrying numerous F-35, F-22 and F-16 fighter jets in the Persian Gulf, indicated that the US would find an excuse to attack in any case. But even while diplomatic talks were ongoing, Israel's decision to press the button and launch such an operation went down in history as a prime example of betrayal, so to speak.

UNLAWFUL ATTACK

Everyone already knows that declaring war on a sovereign country without a clear reason and without even notifying the UN is clearly contrary to international law. Taking action without the approval of Congress is also clearly contrary to US domestic law. There is no support for the war among the American public either. Trump's MAGA bloc attempted to win over the masses by criticising the Democratic Party for waging ‘endless’ wars under the pretext of ‘democracy, freedoms, human rights,’ and this factor likely played a role in his 2024 election success. Now, the possibility of divisions emerging in Trump's own backyard is very high. The terror wrought in the country by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) forces, known as ICE, using rogue methods, and the execution of two US citizens in plain sight, is causing a huge backlash against the Trump administration. As is well known, Trump is in trouble over the Epstein files. He is making a great effort to prevent the connections to himself from coming to light. He also suffered a major blow when the Supreme Court ruled that he had exceeded his authority on customs tariffs. Far from increasing industrial employment as he promised, it has declined over the past year. Inflation and the cost of living continue to weigh heavily on ordinary Americans. In such a tight spot, this war move could be seen as an attempt to set a new agenda. It could be thought of as a move to revive the image of a great leader who has been worn down on other fronts.

IT WILL HAVE A COST

However, on the international stage, the US, alongside its ally Israel, projects an image of an isolated military power rather than a global hegemony. It has failed to bring even its closest historical ally, the UK, on board. The economic cost of such a baseless war, of deploying a third of its naval forces to the Persian Gulf, will soon become apparent. Frankly, Trump, who is now intoxicated with victory, faces difficult days ahead. But at this point, since he is not the type to make a rational assessment and take a reasonable line, it seems likely that he will become even more aggressive and embark on new adventures that will cause new problems for his own people and the peoples of the world.

In such a situation, there is no contradiction between our hope that the Iranian people will overthrow the Mullah regime through their own will and our strong condemnation of the current imperialist aggression of the US and Israel. Firstly, in line with our feelings towards our own country, it is a natural consequence of our desire for the neighbouring and brotherly Iranian people to live in a democratic, free, secular society. Secondly, it is a requirement of our anti-imperialist stance, which fundamentally opposes imperialist aggression and respects the independence of countries. On the contrary, it is entirely consistent and morally correct. Unfortunately, recent developments do not indicate that the days we long for are near for the Iranian people.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Emperyalizmin berbat bir sayfası, published in BirGün newspaper on 3 March 2026.