It started with Trump's violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),
otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal.
As revolutions go, two things the Iranian Revolution of 1979 has in common with its French counterpart two hundred years before is its reign of terror. The second is the attempt to spread their ideologies to neighbouring states. The years 1792 in response to revolutionary fervour, there was absolute mayhem which saw thousands executed and imprisoned. Tehran fared no better executed Royalists and those suspected of collaborating with the old regime. The French declared war on almost all of Europe attempting to spreading their own ideas of Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite across its borders. The Iranian Mullas are in proxy wars trying to impose Pan-Islamism in the region. The Revolution in Iran, also sparked a religious Shia awakening that saw Ruhollah Khomeini coming to power. A deep-thinking philosopher and a cleric, who aspired to lay claim to Shiaism very soul. In the process, he made Islamic fundamentalism a political force that was to change Muslim Politics around the world. The Revolution also declared itself on the side of justice and equality harbouring some faint shades of Marxism. Its message to reform the social structure, help the deprived and to reduce the ever-widening economic divide under the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Revolution toppled. In one fell swoop, it fell under the spell of an emboldened Shia Theocracy professing its guardianship in Velayat-e faqih.
The Iranian Ayatollahs rule did not correspond to Plato's idealist vision of Philosopher King, for possessing a love of wisdom, to drive Republics towards utopia. In its veins, it had religious fundamentalism. Without doubt, in the forty years since the Revolution Iran, has produced generations of scientists and technocrats capable of developing nuclear programs and sophisticated weapons systems and a continuous increase of regional influence. This has come at a cost to its people and the region as a whole. Internal suppression accompanied the support of aggressive fundamentalism, that embodied the regime's concept of Pan-Islamism. The regime inclination to use violence to spread their ideology hardly differentiates Iran from that of a rogue state. From the Revolution early days, it encouraged students to storm the American Embassy in Tehran, holding its US citizens hostage. There was the London embassy siege, the Fatwa to murder Salman Rushdie. Iran was also suspected in the bombing of French, and American Embassy compounds in Beirut in 1982 and 1983 respectively, killing scores of American, French and Lebanese nationals. So far, forty years after the Revolution, Iranian people struggling to find their identity, freedom and economic well being. A tortuous root in a jungle of violence, strict and monolithic emblems of a theocratic regime none more so contrived than the wearing of the Hijab. The elaborate revolutionary visions not endorsed by intelligence and accountability but fuelled by destabilising the region.
Then came a light of reason and hope. Following the embassy sieges, the American administration had imposed economic Sanctions against the Iranian administration. For a time it crippled the economy. Resilience to suffering learnt from the Iraq/Iran war had its limits, it eventually came to the negotiating table. Nevertheless, during this lull, Iran had managed to embark on a nuclear programme that worked in its favour; a bargaining chip to ease the sanctions, the US Government's go-to foreign policy tool. Eventually, in 2015 Iran and six world powers signed a nuclear deal named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). A deal that placed strict limits on Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief and the release of $100 Billion of Iranian money held with American Banks. The deal did not include any mention of Iran's subversive activities which carried on regardless. And the deal did not produce prosperity, as Mr Rouhani had promised Iranians, and Iran continued to test missiles and meddle abroad.
In the early period of the Trump administration, having previously cooked up a deal with Saudi Arabia, President Trump described the JCPOA "was the worst deal ever negotiated". The US administration announced it was withdrawing from it and stringent sanctions were reimposed. The sanctions, this time, though went unrecognised as such, were illegitimate imposing them after breaking an international agreement when Iran was still complying with the deal. The European signatories laboured with it trying to keep it on life support. In keeping with Iran customary aggressive approach, President Ruhani issued an ultimatum to the European powers, almost chocking the agreement to death. His country would no longer comply with parts of the deal and later threatened to walk away from it. Well, so much for Hope, Light and Reason, since then US and Iran relations took a nosedive.
In the early period of the Trump administration, having previously cooked up a deal with Saudi Arabia, President Trump described the JCPOA "was the worst deal ever negotiated". The US administration announced it was withdrawing from it and stringent sanctions were reimposed. The sanctions, this time, though went unrecognised as such, were illegitimate imposing them after breaking an international agreement when Iran was still complying with the deal. The European signatories laboured with it trying to keep it on life support. In keeping with Iran customary aggressive approach, President Ruhani issued an ultimatum to the European powers, almost chocking the agreement to death. His country would no longer comply with parts of the deal and later threatened to walk away from it. Well, so much for Hope, Light and Reason, since then US and Iran relations took a nosedive.
The United States is protecting American interest against Iran using Israel as a tool.
A pretence for guaranteeing regional stability.
Round table discussions were replaced by sabre-rattling, bluff and counter bluff, persistent threats met with counter threats. All of this fell into the lap of Israel who scorned at the Obama administration for going ahead with the JCPOA deal. Israel and the US were now on the same platform with one voice setting the agenda for the entire Middle East. Sunni, Saudi Arabia joined in this heated verbal fray in an outward show of solidarity against Shia Iran, but ominous signs were building up for a confrontation. On the one hand Saudi v Iran on matters of theological orthodoxies, America v Iran for greater influence on the region and Israel willingness to attack Iran drawing on their old and tired existential arguments. Taken together, creates an epicentre for conflict, and an ideal scenario for fuelling an arms race. Iran now looks poised to resume its slow but steady march towards the bomb and relentless drive en route to empire building. That is if the sanctions don't push it over the edge beforehand.
Renewed sanctions on Iran and the threat to punish anyone who trades with it have wrecked what is left of the JCPOA agreement, effectively cutting off Iran from the global economy. The idea was "to bring Iran to its knees" but unfortunately the American administration use of blunt tools such as sanctions to cripple the economy is hurting Iran's population. The Mullas chauffeured in BMW's, making millions on contracts and creating monopolies on goods by withdrawing subsidies on others. The unabashed corruption of the elite continuous unabated.
The young no longer have the revolutionary zeal that welcomed Khomeini on arrival to Iran from exile in 1979. Instead, after forty years, they are suppressed and coerced into complying to imposed social norms and arbitrary laws. Old dogmatic clerics setting antiquated ideas on diverse, well educated young people using the revolutionary guards as their main tool to keep order. In true Khomeini fashion, the Shia Mullas preach martyrdom and sacrifice for the cause. During the Iran/Iraq war Khomeini sent thousands of children to the front line as waves of human shields. While the sanctions continue missing their targets, inflation is rising underscored by a depreciating Iranian Rial that guarantees a downhill slide in the standard of living. In November 2019, triggering the greatest existential crisis in the regime's 40-year history. Protesters took to the streets in Tehran and other major cities calling for regime change. The government resorted to brute force, killing at least 1500 protesters and arresting thousands of others.
Setting the Agenda for Iran as well as for the entire region.
Turning to issues of state, a cold war is heating up, it all depends what the end game is. It is, however, doubtful whether both the US and Israel have an end game built in its strategic security architecture for the region. The increasing tension in the Gulf risks escalating into a major conflict. From the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and its maximum pressure policy. The arms build-up thus far, by politically impotent, Saudi Arabia, increasing activities by US naval forces in the Gulf waters, the downing of US drones and blowing up tankers by the Iranians and the killing of Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have added to the likely hood of military confrontation. A situation is not too dissimilar to the arms race pre-1914 that eventually unleashed a war with devastating consequences. None of the actors wanted war, but all stumbled into one. As then between allied Germany and Austria misinterpreting words on a diplomatic document so could US and Israel. Faced with conflicting messages coming out from Trump's administration that is not too difficult; war could be only a tweet away. To borrow from philosopher Georg Hegel, "We learn from history that we do not learn from history."
New ideas coming through from the Trump administration, setting up the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), along the lines of NATO wouldn't do it. An alliance, excluding Shia Iran, made up of Sunni Muslim countries, including Israel would antagonise Iran further, can only prolong the simmering regional conflict. Rather than serving as a bulwark against Iranian aggression, it can aggravate it further.
Iran, the United States, including Israel, is faced with two options. For avoiding a showdown, to let Iran simmer under the pressure of sanctions leaving its population to suffer continued deprivations weighing up the odds for the population to rise up en masse demanding regime change. Or, faced with such possible implosion, on the edge of losing control, running out of patience, the regime would go all out with their nuclear programme crossing the strategic red line. In the process threatening the simmering status quo, putting Israel existential reality on notice. A risky situation; building reactors can be quicker than for sanctions begin to bite. With such an imminent threat, the US and Israel would then react, a possible overreaction, throwing any chance at diplomacy. Even though both the US and Israel have developed precision weapons, the possible loss of life and carnage, in war is inevitable.
The other option is dialogue. Time to draw a new Middle Eastern security architecture to deal with conflicting concerns. A system that can set the agenda and take into its account genuine interests of the countries of the entire region. For the United States to drop its demand for regime change, ease the sanctions to formulate a peace accord matrix. For Iran to relinquish its seemingly inexorable quest for nuclear armament. An agreement for the cessation of terror activities and adoption of Arab peace initiatives including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A challenging and ambitious proposal indeed, but if the geopolitical countries genuinely want peace, it can work.
The unparalleled power of American might
made subservient to the financial clout of its Middle Eastern allies.
T
