many of these states and their governments are openly hostile to communist elements, but a communist party actively opposing their government would risk destabilising it and then playing themselves directly into the hands of the imperialist states. an indefinite “united front” would be desirable, especially in countries like iran, but it seems all leftist organisations in these states have either decided to fully support the government in everything, becoming controlled opposition (KPRF in Russia) or western puppets like (MEK) or whatever the fuck the “leftist opposition” in russia, belarus is.
I guess I would make a difference between Iran and Russia, for example. Russia is geopolitically strong enough and has a weak enough communist opposition inside that I think revolutionary defeatism is a good strategy to follow, I mean you should have contact with other communist revolutionary defeatist orgs in the west to push for peace in both blocks, reduce military expenditure, and when (if) war times come, push for revolution on both sides.
In Iran, given its much weaker geopolitical position, it doesn’t have in my opinion a strong enough standing to weather the consequences of a revolution, like, probably would be immediately invaded by the west as soon as a power vacuum/civil war broke out, and wouldn’t receive meaningful help from China.
Just my two cents