Iran: Facing State Terrorism, End the Complacency

Thus, after the 'brilliant' military performance (!) of the 'support war' for Hamas and Gaza, Sheikh Naim Kassem now promises us a new 'support war,' but this time with the objective of coming to the aid of an even more distant regional actor: Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The leader of Hezbollah has therefore decided, or rather has announced (since he is not the one who decides on such matters…), that the Lebanese must show blind self-sacrifice, without any limit, up to the ultimate sacrifice, to 'defend' (?) a foreign force…

For all those who still had some doubts in this regard, or who refused to acknowledge the truth, Sheikh Naim Kassem has just brilliantly confirmed what was, for informed observers, a truism: Hezbollah is not a Lebanese party. Its members are indeed Lebanese, but its political decisions, its line of conduct, its political project, are transnational and take no account of local realities or the higher interests of the Land of the Cedars.

In fact, from its formation in the mid-1980s, the party very clearly stated in its political charter that for all strategic decisions, including the decision of war and peace, it pledges allegiance to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in his capacity as the divine, direct, representative of the twelfth occulted Shiite Imam, Imam al-Mahdi. Hezbollah thus pledges to the Iranian Leader, the walih el-faqih, a total 'religious obedience' that does not overly concern itself with the contingencies of this world, whether national, state, or socio-economic in nature.

From the perspective of this doctrine, which grants to the walih el-faqih absolute power exercised in the name of the occulted imam, the existence of an Islamic Republic based on these foundations defined in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini, as well as the perpetuity of 'armed resistance' – in service of this project – become a deeply religious duty, all the more dogmatic as it aims, like a catalyst, to pave the way for the return of the occulted imam.

In order to adhere, regardless of the circumstances, to the sacred nature of this doctrinal edifice, the most irrational behaviors become permissible, in this case, for example: repression, even bloody and large-scale, of any opposition, presented as an 'offense against God' (which provides the pretext for the summary verdicts pronounced by Iranian Islamic courts against protesters); systematic obstruction of any attempt to build a strong and sovereign central state, as illustrated notably by the Iraqi case and the current attitude of Hezbollah, which refuses to hand over its military arsenal to the army; the destabilization manu militari of the Levant countries through the export of the Islamic revolution, initiated in 1979 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

With the aim of progressively and meticulously creating favorable conditions for the success of this transnational Khomeinist project, the mullahs' regime plays on the 'time' factor… The deconstruction of the established order can indeed only be carried out slowly and gradually, while creating blockages and extending tentacles to different levels of power and economic sectors.

When the current circumstances or the balance of power are not favorable to this theocratic project, the strategy followed is clear: to give the impression of wanting to 'dialogue' and 'negotiate' an agreement with the opposing party. But this is only a deceptive perception, the true aim being to gain time, to procrastinate, while waiting for unfavorable circumstances to change or evolve. This explains the notion of 'strategic patience,' advocated by Khamenei, which is merely a diplomatic version of taqiyya, which consists of concealing one's true intentions while awaiting better days.

Unfortunately, some high-ranking Lebanese and Western officials are naively falling for this game. Negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program have been ongoing for more than twenty years! Throughout this period, the power in Tehran gave the impression that it sought an agreement on this issue, but at the same time, uranium enrichment continued steadily, away from the spotlight. It is also based on this same pernicious approach that Hezbollah constantly emphasizes its willingness to 'discuss' its disarmament. Except that this 'discussion' has been ongoing, episodically, since… 2006, when Speaker Nabih Berry organized a dialogue conference that deliberated at length on the matter! Do the Lebanese remember how many times the supposed 'defense policy' has been, since Taif, at the center of debates and 'discussions' in the highest spheres of power?

The dramatic upheavals of recent months, in Gaza as well as in Lebanon, and most recently in Iran – with the veritable bloodbath suffered by the civilian population – illustrate the urgent need to finally put an end to the naivety, or perhaps political hypocrisy, demonstrated by some leaders in the shadow of the pernicious and deadly maneuvers of ideologues who cling to medieval, and above all inhumane, methods in the exercise of power.

Weakness, complacency, and cowardly behavior in the face of militia blackmail and mafia-like intimidation campaigns can ultimately only result in the transposition of state terrorism to Western societies, as demonstrated by the direct threats made as recently as Tuesday by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs against European Union countries, 'ordered' without scruple not to list the Pasdaran as terrorist organizations.