29th January 2026

Press release – For immediate use

The Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights (CODIR), has today issued a call to the trade union and peace movement in Britain to back the international outcry against the build up of United States forces threatening Iran.

The solidarity organisation has made clear its demand for an end to the shootings and executions of protesters by the regime, consistent with its decades long support for human rights and for peace and social justice in Iran.

The present build-up of US forces however, sends a message to the Iranian people that they will not be allowed to determine their own future but may be forced to suffer US subjugation, or a proxy government imposed from outside.

The media profile and calls from sections of protesters for the return of Reza Pahlavi, son of the late deposed and disgraced Shah, is not regarded as having widespread support inside the country.

Gawain Little, CODIR General Secretary, stressed this point today, stating,+++

“For many Iranians the return of the Monarchy is simply an exchange of one dictatorship for another and will not bring Iran any closer to democracy.  Iran’s history is one littered with the adverse impact of external interference in its affairs. This must be resisted on this occasion so that the Iranian people can determine their own futures.”

CODIR understands that US action could be imminent if Iran does not accept the offer to “make a deal”.  Clearly, any negotiation will not be on equal terms. The threat of force from the US President Donald Trump, describing the “massive armada” of US vessels in the Gulf as being “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary”, is one which Iran has to take seriously, given US and Israeli action in June 2025.

In response, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi warned on X that Iran’s armed forces “are prepared – with their fingers on the trigger – to immediately and powerfully respond to ANY aggression.”

With the economy in freefall as a result of corruption, mismanagement and international sanctions, the Iranian people are not going to benefit from the belligerence of the United States or the ongoing violence of the Islamic regime.

Calls for an end to the violence of the regime have already been made by the education union NEU, public sector union UNISON as well as the IndustriALL Global Union, and Education International.  The progressive opposition inside Iran, linked to the network of outlawed trade unions continues to press for an end to internal repression as well as opposing foreign intervention.

CODIR is asking all supporters and affiliates to add their voices to the calls for an end to state repression and violence and to call upon MPs to press the British Government to raise its voice in support of dialogue rather than escalating military tension in the Middle East.

ENDS

Further information for Editors

Contact Information for CODIR:-

Postal Address:
B.M.CODIR
London
WC1N 3XX
UK
Website: www.codir.net
E-mail: codir_info@btinternet.com

Further information on CODIR

CODIR is the Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s Rights.  It has been established since 1981 and has consistently campaigned to expose human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

CODIR has worked closely with the trade union movement in the UK, the peace movement, all major political parties and Amnesty International to press the case for an end to torture in Iran’s prisons.  Major trade unions in Britain are affiliated to CODIR and support its campaign for peace, human and democratic rights, and social justice in Iran.

CODIR has published Iran Today, its quarterly journal, since 1981, explaining the latest developments in Iran and the most effective way that the British public opinion could demonstrate its solidarity with the people of Iran.

In recent years CODIR has worked closely with Stop the War Coalition and has been vocal against any form of foreign intervention in the internal affairs of the nation.