The Tudeh party, the successors to the Communist Party of Persia – an Iranian socialist organisation that has suffered suppression and bloody purges since the 80s – recently made a press release declaring their support for the protest sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini and called for the overthrow of the Islamic republic.

Is this organisation in any way positioned to lead a revolutionary effort to replace the theocratic Islamic republic with a socialist republic, or does the recent upheaval constitute an unnecessary risk to Iran, which may instead fall victim to a US controlled colour revolution? Who are the contenders for state power in the event of this unrest galvanising into a civil war, and what are the chances of socialists/communists coming out on top under such circumstances?