The Heroic Struggle of Comrade Mohammad Kazem Azin Will Continue by All Anti-Imperialist Fighters for the Liberation of the People of Iran

“10 Mehr” Group, September 15, 2026 —

On Sunday, September 13, 2026, the anti-imperialist and liberation movement of the people of our homeland lost a very rare gem, the recovery of whose like, if not impossible, will be extremely difficult. Comrade Mohammad Kazem Azin was a steadfast Marxist-Leninist and anti-imperialist, a tireless fighter, and a consistent and sincere revolutionary who, despite all the physical difficulties that life had placed in his path at various times, did not cease his revolutionary struggle for a single moment. Until the very last moment, from his hospital bed, while he was barely even able to sit up, he continued to be engaged in organizing and directing political activities. And his final testament was also this: “Comrades, continue the path. The future belongs to us.”

Our connection and that of our comrades with our dear Comrade Kazem goes back to the beginning of the 1990s, that is, the beginning of the collapse of the socialist camp. It was at this time that the future of global processes, the question of the correctness or incorrectness of China’s separation from the Soviet Union, the split with the Tudeh Party of Iran, and the necessity of a Leninist approach to the events following the collapse of the socialist camp, on the one hand, and the necessity of rebuilding Iran’s Marxist-Leninist left movement in the face of the rise to power of Iran’s neoliberal capitalist faction led by Mr. Rafsanjani and his supporters, on the other hand, intensely occupied his mind. And this issue marked the beginning of a long period of several years of joint discussion and debate sessions among our comrades in New York for the purpose of seeking and finding a path for the future course of the movement. And what was striking in this regard, was Comrade Kazem’s flood of profound theoretical and political questions and proposed paths that he brought to the meetings each time.

It was in the course of these discussions that both the humility and the revolutionary sincerity of Comrade Kazem became increasingly clear to all the comrades. This comrade never approached issues on the basis of political or organizational prejudices. He was seeking to find the truth, and whenever he saw reality as being inconsistent with his past and present views, he accepted it with complete sincerity and corrected them. A striking example of such a revolutionary characteristic of his was his sincere critical approach to the phenomenon of Maoism in China, the designation of the Soviet Union as “social-imperialist” by the Chinese leadership of the time and China’s rapprochement with United States against the Soviet Union, the Maoist split in the Tudeh Party of Iran, and, in relation to the period after the Revolution in Iran, the cooperation of Maoist currents with the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and Bani-Sadr, and so on. It was this very revolutionary sincerity of Comrade Kazem that enabled him, without a moment’s hesitation and with profound attention to objective historical realities, to call many of his past positions into question and sincerely, and on the basis of historical realities, correct his previous views — a commendable sincerity that has been seen in few revolutionaries.

It was from this stage that our group of comrades in New York, together with Comrade Kazem, reached the conclusion that a united movement had to be created with the participation of all left forces that understood the historical ideological, political, and struggle-related necessities of the present stage, regardless of their organizational and party backgrounds, so that it could play an increasingly effective role in organizing Iranian left forces in the U.S. in defense of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran against the assaults of imperialism and the sabotage of the neoliberals supporting Mr. Rafsanjani. The outcome of such a conclusion was the formation in 1998–99 of a united current of the left forces present at the time, which was named “Toward Unity,” and which for nearly a year published a monthly journal of the same name; and Comrade Kazem’s role in this process, both in terms of organization and the preparation of material for the journal, was key. With Comrade Kazem’s help, comrades from Maoist, Trotskyist, Fedai, Tudeh, and even nationalist backgrounds joined hands and began a joint anti-imperialist activity in defense of the Iranian Revolution, without regard to the past demarcations among these forces. Although this movement, because the objective and subjective conditions of the movement were not ready at that time, did not achieve the expansion we had sought, it laid the groundwork for several decades of sincere and close cooperation among us up to the present day.

This process of rapprochement and cooperation with Comrade Kazem reached its peak when the idea of creating a current called the “Group of Supporters of the Anti-Imperialist Left Alliance of Iran” was raised among some comrades inside and outside the country — including Comrade Kazem himself — in order to confront the phenomenon that is today known as the “NATO Left,” and within this framework the possibility once again arose for collective cooperation among comrades from different political currents. And once again it was Comrade Kazem who wholeheartedly rolled up his sleeves and took the helm of putting this objective into practice. What we know today as the “Group of Supporters of the Anti-Imperialist Left Alliance of Iran,” and whose existence we are proud of, owes its existence more than anything else to Comrade Kazem’s tireless efforts, consistent struggle, and revolutionary self-sacrifice, especially under the extremely difficult conditions of illness in recent years. For this reason, the name of Comrade Kazem Azin has been inscribed at the forefront of the struggles of Iran’s anti-imperialist left forces, and undoubtedly a day not far off will come when the entire liberation movement of the Iranian people will also remember him as one of its heroes.

Until that day arrives, we will all continue his path.