The current scale of the war is continuously expanding. Although Iran’s Khamenei has been killed in the bombing, the theocratic regime in Iran has not collapsed, and this regime is still desperately struggling to maintain itself. It is not only launching missiles everywhere to attack various Middle Eastern countries but also even attacking the US aircraft carriers. However, such actions are futile because the Iranian regime does not rely on the people to resist American and Israeli aggression; instead, it suppresses popular resistance. This will inevitably lead to failure.
As for the American imperialists and Israeli gangsters, undoubtedly they are invaders. They are not for the interests of the Iranian people but for the interests of their own monopolistic bourgeoisie to invade Iran, aiming to establish a new reactionary regime or even a more reactionary regime to cruelly rule over the Iranian people.
It can be said that, now that the US and Israeli armies are pressing heavily and bombing Iran wildly, the main target should still be directed against American imperialism. Currently, the attitude towards the Iranian government should be based on the government’s own stance. If the Iranian government intends to resist, it can be supported; if the Iranian government is reactionary and intends to surrender (whether to American imperialism or to China and Russia imperialism), then its conspiracy should be exposed, and it should be forced to resist. But at present, without a strong people’s democratic force within Iran, it is very difficult to prevent the Iranian government from surrendering.
In 1937, Chairman Mao also wrote about what kind of measures should be taken to resist Japanese invasion during the Anti-Japanese War, and explicitly pointed out that “the method depends on the policy. When the policy is non-resistance, all methods reflect non-resistance… If the policy is resolute resistance, then a set of methods consistent with this policy must be implemented”. I believe this can serve as a standard to judge the current attitude and policy of the Iranian government. I quote these as follows:
(1) Mobilize the entire military. Mobilize our two million plus regular troops, including land, sea, and air forces, including the central army, local armies, and Red Army, with the main force immediately dispatched to the national defense line, some remaining in the rear to maintain order. Entrust loyal generals to command all aspects. Convene national defense meetings to decide strategic policies and unify combat will. Transform the political work of the military to ensure unity among officers and soldiers, and between the military and civilians. Determine one aspect of guerrilla warfare to undertake strategic tasks, coordinating guerrilla and formal warfare. Eliminate traitors within the army. Mobilize a certain reserve force, train them, and prepare for frontline deployment. Provide reasonable supplies and equipment for the military. According to the overall policy of resolute resistance, develop the above military plans. China’s military is not small, but without implementing these plans, it cannot defeat the enemy. Combining political and material conditions, our military strength will be invincible in East Asia.
(2) Mobilize the entire people. Launch patriotic movements, release political prisoners, abolish the “Emergency Punishment Law of the Republic” and “News Inspection Regulations,” recognize the legal status of existing patriotic groups, expand patriotic organizations across all sectors including workers, peasants, merchants, and students, arm the people for self-defense, and cooperate with the military. In short, give the people the freedom to be patriotic. Combining popular and military strength will deliver a fatal blow to Japanese imperialism. A national war relying on the masses is undoubtedly impossible to win. The lesson of Abyssinia is a warning. If sincere resistance is to be maintained, this point must not be ignored.
(3) Reform political institutions. Include all parties and people’s leaders in managing state affairs, eliminate pro-Japanese and traitorous elements hidden within the government, and combine the government with the people. Resistance to Japan is a major matter; a few people cannot handle it alone. Rushing to do so will only cause delays. If the government is truly a national defense government, it must rely on the people and implement democratic centralism. It is both democratic and centralized; the most powerful government is such a government. The National Assembly must truly represent the people, be the highest authority, and oversee the country’s major policies and plans for resisting Japan and saving the nation.
(4) Diplomacy against Japan. Do not give Japanese imperialists any benefits or convenience; instead, confiscate their assets, cancel their debts, purge their agents, and expel their spies. Immediately establish military and political alliances with the Soviet Union, closely unite with the most reliable and strongest country capable of helping China resist Japan. Seek sympathy from Britain, the US, and France for our resistance, and strive for their aid without losing territorial sovereignty. Defeating the Japanese invaders mainly depends on our own strength; external aid is indispensable. An isolationist policy is advantageous to the enemy.
(5) Announce a program to improve people’s living standards and immediately begin implementation. Abolish heavy taxes, reduce land rent, restrict usury, improve workers’ treatment, improve the lives of soldiers and lower-ranking officers, improve the lives of minor officials, and provide relief for famines: start from these basic points. These new policies will increase people’s purchasing power, promote market prosperity, energize finance, and will not cause the country’s finances to collapse as some claim. A country with such a large population cannot be without financial and economic measures; claiming otherwise is unreasonable.
(6) National defense education. Fundamentally reform past educational policies and systems. Abandon ineffective and unreasonable methods. Use newspapers, publishing, film, theater, and arts in accordance with national defense interests. Ban pro-Japanese propaganda.
(7) Anti-Japanese fiscal and economic policies. Fiscal policies should be based on the principles of paying according to ability and confiscating Japanese imperialist and traitor assets; economic policies should focus on boycotting Japanese goods and promoting domestic products—all for the purpose of resisting Japan. Poverty is a wrong approach; with new policies that benefit the people, poverty will not occur. It is unreasonable to claim that such a vast country has no solutions for fiscal and economic issues.
(8) The entire Chinese people, government, and military must unite to build a solid Great Wall of national united front. Implement the resistance policy and the above measures relying on this united front. The key is the close cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.