2026 is only a few weeks old, yet world events are already unfolding at breakneck speed. From Donald Trump’s kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, to the killing of Renee Good and the protests against ICE in Minneapolis, and now the growing mass movement and the prospect of US intervention in Iran, huge events are shaking up the world situation.

In the first episode of the new season of our current-events podcast Against the Stream, Jorge Martín and Hamid Alizadeh unpack what these developments mean. They focus in particular on Iran: what is really happening on the ground, how today’s crisis is the product of centuries of imperialist meddling in the region, and what position communists should put forward in response.

Against the Stream is the Marxist current-affairs podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International. New episodes air every Thursday at 6pm GMT on YouTube.

📖 RECOMMENDED READING 📖

Iran:

Imperialists and Pahlavis – hands off Iran!

🔗https://marxist.com/imperialists-and-pahlavis-hands-off-iran.htm

After Ruining a Treasured Water Resource, Iran Is Drying Up - Yale E360

http://e360.yale.edu/features/iran-water-drought-dams-qanats

The effect of international sanctions on the size of the middle class in Iran - ScienceDirect

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0176268025001090

How Iran’s economic pain sparked explosion of unrest – Financial Times

http://www.ft.com/content/770dc40f-66be-4542-a584-3b6144117314

Venezuela:

Donald J Trump’s New Year’s gift to the world

🔗https://marxist.com/donald-j-trump-s-new-year-s-gift-to-the-world.htm

Trump’s attack on Venezuela: condemn this act of criminal aggression! – RCI statement

🔗https://marxist.com/condemn-criminal-us-attack-on-venezuela.htm

A week from US military aggression: where is Venezuela going?

🔗https://marxist.com/a-week-from-us-military-aggression-where-is-venezuela-going.htm

[Podcast] Hands off Venezuela

🔗https://marxist.com/podcast-hands-off-venezuela.htm

ICE:

United States: ICE murder of Renee Good – who are the real terrorists?

🔗https://marxist.com/united-states-ice-murder-of-renee-good-who-are-the-real-terrorists.htm

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