My original point wasn’t that anti-imperialism exists outside class analysis, but that in neo-colonial conditions, the form class struggle takes must be strategically sequenced.

Absolutely. Even outside of neo-colonial conditions I would argue this. Revolution is not a one and done deal, nor can any class afford to fight a war on all fronts against everyone at once.

This is a tactical necessity to isolate the primary enemy. To elevate the domestic “rich” as the immediate target while imperialist powers actively undermine sovereignty is to misidentify the principal contradiction and risk strengthening the external oppressor.

Not only that, but “rich” is a poor term that cannot be properly defined. The proletariat must be clear that the class boundaries lie in the ownership of industrial and mercantile/financial capital, not in some tax bracket.

However, there is a situation in which it makes sense for the loser classes to depose the upper classes even under colonial conditions. That’s if the national ruling class is too incompetent or collaborationist. I believe the overthrowing of the Qing dynasty can be such an example. Of course, this does not apply to modern day Iran.