Beware of the Trivialization of Massacres in Iran

Secretary of State Marco Rubio hit the nail on the head, without mincing words. Showing himself paradoxically not very 'diplomatic' on this occasion, he displayed magnificent frankness by summarizing in a few words, in a short laconic phrase, the basis of the Iranian crisis from the perspective of the strained relations between Washington and the Islamic Republic. 'The leadership in Iran is in no way a reflection of the Iranian population (…). I'm not sure we can reach a deal with these people'...

These remarks echo those made in the same vein by former French Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is well acquainted with the centers of power in Tehran, having dealt with them. 'They are very good at trickery (…),' he emphasized in a televised interview. 'Their only concern is to buy time and (ensure) the longevity of the regime.'

Everything is said… But it still seems vital, particularly in the current context, to constantly bear in mind the ideological dimension, the deeply (and dangerously) theocratic foundations of the mullahs' regime, especially of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (the Pasdaran). It is by being fully aware of this doctrinaire, in all respects obscurantist dimension, that it becomes possible to perceive to what extent the American-Iranian 'talks' scheduled for this Friday, February 6, in Oman, risk constituting nothing more than a vast deception… Or, worse still, a serious strategic and historical, even moral, error.

After the large-scale massacres perpetrated in a matter of days by the security apparatus of the mullahs' regime, one can only condemn any 'deal' that would be concluded in Oman and that would be politically immoral in the highest degree. It would indeed represent a shameful rehabilitation, a reaffirmation of the alleged legitimacy of a power that killed in cold blood, in 48 hours (January 8 and 9), no less than 30,000 young people and adolescents in the prime of their lives (much more, even, according to various sources), some of whom were hanged from a crane, others liquidated at point-blank range on their hospital beds after being wounded by live bullets, still others coldly poisoned with mercury… Not to mention the arrests of doctors accused of treating demonstrators (!), and students abducted in the middle of university campuses.

To trivialize, under the guise of cynical realpolitik, the abominable atrocities for which the mullahs' regime is guilty, with complete impunity, would undoubtedly have the effect – if such a complacent stance is confirmed – of casting a heavy discredit on those who present themselves as standard-bearers of democratic values in the world and who are already bitterly called 'quitters' by many Iranians.

Parallel to this moral aspect, a rehabilitation of the current power through a supposed agreement, even a global one, will undoubtedly strengthen and embolden the radical wing of the Pasdaran, with all the destabilizing political (on a regional level) and destructive (on a security level) consequences that a deal that is manifestly deceptive would entail… No one is unaware, in this regard, that the leaders of the Islamic Republic have elevated lying and takiya (the dissimulation of true political intentions) into a system of governance based on a theocratic ideology, which, due to its divine character, imposes ensuring the perpetuity of power by all possible means. In this context, blind violence, mass killings, bloodshed, savage repression, torture, death sentences, summary executions become 'legitimate' and even constitute a religious duty.

Deception and takiya, combined with the absolute political power attributed to the Supreme Leader (the walih el-faqih), Imam Khamenei, in his capacity as the divine representative of the disappeared Imam el-Mahdi, explain why the mullahs' regime continuously pretends to discuss the nuclear issue with the international community, and particularly with Western powers. Except that these negotiations have been going on for nearly… 25 years! And, when an agreement is reached, Tehran has no scruples in brazenly failing to respect its commitments.

At each difficult phase the Islamic Republic goes through, the Supreme Leader gives the deceptive impression that he wishes to 'dialogue'; the real objective, however, is to gain time, awaiting a change of power in a decision-making country or an evolution towards a more favorable situation that would allow the hegemonic and expansionist policy initiated since 1979 by the Revolutionary Guard Corps to be relaunched with renewed vigor.

A year ago, almost to the day, on February 9, 2025, President Donald Trump declared that he hoped Iran would change its course of conduct, emphasizing that he wished to reach an agreement with Tehran instead of embarking on a military path. That was a year ago… We know what happened next.

The meeting in Oman is taking place today even though the mullahs' regime has not changed its anti-Western and fundamentally anti-American line of conduct by one iota since… 1979, displayed relentlessly for 47 years, as illustrated by the recent media posturing of Iranian deputies who, disguised as Pasdaran militiamen, chanted in unison a few days ago, in the middle of Parliament, 'Death to America,' while joyfully burning an American flag…