Above Photo: javad fadakar/Flickr
February 01, 2020 “Information Clearing House” – Since the end of WWII the US, as the world hegemon, has conducted coups against many nations, including Iran in 1953. Although actions in 1953 are officially confirmed by unclassified CIA documents, the role of the CIA in creating the IRI still remains classified. After the revolution in 1979, the IRI was very popular. However, that popularity was short lived; it was encouraged by the US and allies in an effort to topple the IRI by the establishment and support of four fifth columns:
1. MKO, with Saudi’s financial support
2. Pro-monarchy activists, again with Saudi’s support
Opposition criticism of the IRI since 1979 has been as follows:
First, the IRI as a theocracy has been breaking the promise of democracy and deceiving Iranians, therefore, needs to be replaced by a secular democracy.
Second, the IRI committed executions and imprisoned many Iranians in the name of god, Islam, and the revolution.
Third, indications suggest that IRI, as an anti-communist force, came to power with the help of the US. It is now known that the IRI has helped the US in Afghanistan and Iraq, though it has been campaigning against the US since coming to power. Those contradictions suggest that, IRI may be a US puppet, as was the Shah.
Fourth, policies of IRI resulted in Iranians suffering under US pressure in the form of illegal embargos, threats of war, including nuclear, economic sanctions, and assassinations, resulting in continuous social fear and anxiety for Iranians.
Fifth, many Iranians have felt the need to immigrate, resulting in hardship, loss of income and wealth, and a steady and massive brain drain.
Sixth, the IRI war with Iraq, promoted and supported by the US, lasted from 1980 to 1988, costing more than 600,000 lives.
Seventh, the IRI has made life much more difficult economically as well, including double-digit inflation rate and unemployment, poverty, and inequality.
Eighth, the state budget has been growing, including massive waste, dependent mainly upon exports of oil.
However, as yet the IRI has not been toppled.
IRI Advancing Military Power to Resist the US: Since the Collapse of the USSR in 1989 the strategic value to the US of IRI declined, US threats of war against Iran increased and, after 9-11, the frequency and the level of threats have been increasing steadily. Moreover, as General Clark revealed, the US planned to invade Iran. In response, IRI made a Defense Agreement with Syria in 2005. In December 2011 Iran’s cyber warfare unit seized a US drone, safely landed and successfully copied it; they then started domestic mass production with improvement in precision and range.
After the war in Syria, the IRI recruited two army divisions of zealous Muslims, one from Afghanistan and one from Pakistan (video in Farsi). In 2012, IRI moved those forces and those of Hezbollah to Syria. With Russian air protection they defeated US-created ISIS and the Obama doctrine of terrorist proxy war. That was a major strategic success for both Iran and Russia. In November 2016, Iran acquired Russian S-300 air defense, which they copied and reproduced, thereby arming itself with home-made defense and retaliatory weapons for relatively low cost.
Uniting Iran: Several vital factors encouraged Iranians to be united with IRI:
First, since 1979, the US has been increasingly hostile, causing the general population of Iran to become united in support of IRI. That unity peaked and was confirmed recently by the funeral of General Soleimani inside and outside Iran (video).
Second, Iranians worry that the US, using its established fifth columns mentioned earlier, might induce another “revolution” and replace the IRI with another US-puppet that might be even worse than IRI, as the IRI was worse than the Shah.
Third, IRI has created a semi-welfare state by subsidizing basic necessities, and lately providing free medical insurance to all, a situation that does not exist even in the US.
Fourth, overt US existential threats including a steady increase of sanctions, as economic terrorism have had a direct impact on ordinary Iranians.
Fifth, the US demand for Iranians to topple the IRI is believable based upon recent US history of regime changes in many countries, specifically in the Middle East, Central and South America.
Sixth, Trump’s “maximum pressure” on the Iranian people rather than IRI via sanctions has had a significant impact on ordinary Iranians.
Seven, by now Iranians, as well as the world, have recognized that western democracy is based on wealth and is not true democracy.
IRI Strategic Planning and Calling the US Bluff: IRI moved on many fronts to thwart the US:
First, going to Syria and defeating US-created ISIS and western backers was a vital strategic act. Because Iran stopped ISIS in Syria, devastation, as in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, was prevented in Iran.
Second: Policies and the ability to produce defensive and offensive weapons have made the prospect of a US invasion costly; the US backed down.
Third, development of strategic alliances with Russia and China, with their UN veto power has effectively made overt US aggression illegal.
Fourth, IRI making a major strategic shift to the balance of world power in favor of Iran, Russia, and China, against western imperialists.
Fifth, in June 2019 Iran surprised the world by shooting down a US drone in the Persian Gulf; there was no US military response.
Sixth, in late December 2019 IRI conducted military exercises with Russia and China in the Gulf of Oman.
Seventh, on January 3, 2020 the US assassinated General Soleimani, an act condemned around the world. Following that action, Iran labeled the Pentagon a terrorist organization and US a terrorist state.
Eighth, the most important strategic achievement of Iran was its response to that killing, shooting 22 missiles into two US military bases in Iraq, again without a US response.
Ninth, IRI developed a policy of changing US assets into liabilities; also showed that the sole purpose of US weapons has been to increase corporate profit, not for defense.
Tenth, according to Duff, Trump’s attempts to force Iraqi’s PM to resign, by suggesting he and his defense minister could be killed, failed when the PM refused and made it public. Then Duff concluded: “We now enter a new world, not just one with America “schooled” but with America’s actual role exposed, occupier, terrorist and thief.”
Conclusions: While the Iranian people had low approval of the IRI for years, they have been gradually uniting as the government counters US provocations, sanctions, sustained hostility, aggression, and existential threats against Iranians. Recently, they have been more critical of the US than the IRI. There is general support of IRI’s series of major strategic achievements including defeating ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and their strategic alliances with the emerging world powers of China and Russia. Most importantly, IRI prevented US from invading Iran, made history and changed the world balance of power against US aggression, hopefully moving toward a more peaceful and safer world. However, fifth columns in Iran still exist, but with less support from Iranians; the feeling of independence has not been as strong since nineteenth century.