The Iranian regime, led by the Revolutionary Guard, has appointed a new Supreme Leader for Iran. The status quo appears unchanged, meaning the Iranian people will continue to suffer until God decrees otherwise. The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader exposes a major power struggle within the regime, reflecting a conflict not only with the world but also with the people themselves.
Since 1979, there have been numerous uprisings against the regime, at times escalating to bombings targeting its pillars. The regime responded with brutal repression to maintain control, with the death toll in the January uprising exceeding 32,000. This brutality has defined the Tehran regime, not only towards its own people but also towards the people of neighboring countries and some Arab states that were under Iranian influence until recently, including Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Lebanon presents another example.
Hezbollah, often referred to as the Party of Satan, has turned the country into an Iranian fiefdom and carried out acts of terrorism not only against various segments of Lebanese society but also against citizens of Gulf states. Its activities have included hijackings, bombings, and assassinations.
The Iranian regime has pursued a political doctrine of “exporting the revolution,” viewing it as a means to incorporate the region, or the so-called strategic periphery, into the Persian Republic. In other words, it seeks to impose the same sectarian and political ideology promoted by Tehran in all neighboring countries. This approach reflects clear political immaturity, as the era of forcibly changing people’s beliefs ended centuries ago.
Today, nations possess cohesive popular support, and only a leader detached from reality would attempt such a course of action. Reports have emerged of an Iranian plan to seize control of Bahrain and occupy the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia during the so-called “Arab Spring” using 100,000 fighters. These reports indicate that the regime does not seek stability in the region as long as its nefarious goals are unfulfilled. The current war has exposed paradoxes that reveal the Iranian regime’s aggression toward the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. Over the past 12 days, the leaders of these countries have exerted strenuous efforts to end the war.
For years, Gulf leaders extended a hand of cooperation to Iran as a neighboring state. However, Iran responded with further sectarian and political interference, going so far as to threaten the region’s capitals with destruction. The current war has revealed the ugly and sinister face of Tehran, as the Gulf states were targeted by more than three thousand drones and missiles. While it is true that GCC armies intercepted most of the missiles and drones, it is also clear that Iran is not fighting Israel or the United States, but rather attacking secure and stable countries whose leaders spared no effort to help Iran out of the predicament it created for itself.
The aggression and brutality that the Gulf states have endured from Iran far exceed the attacks Iran has launched against Israel.
So what does this mean? Can things return to normal after this systematic Iranian aggression against Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman? Furthermore, Iran’s attacks on maritime navigation and its obstruction of passage through the Strait of Hormuz constitute a grave crime and a blatant disregard for international law.
Such actions necessitate a unified global stance to oppose Iran and hold it accountable. The friendship the Gulf states sought to establish with Iran has been shattered by the Revolutionary Guard. Nevertheless, wisdom and political prudence remain the foundation of the region’s leaders’ efforts to end this war, as they are people of peace who seek good neighborly relations. Will the new Supreme Leader grasp this reality?
