Four Regional Policies of the Islamic Republic

The Islamic Republic claims to be the dominant power in the region (Zarif, ISNA, October 31, 2016). Naturally, this power is not economic, scientific, cultural, or diplomatic; it is military power, specifically in the context of creating chaos in crisis-stricken areas with very weak governments like Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. The behavior of the Islamic Republic in its regional policy (placing military personnel in embassies in crisis areas, sending weapons and forces to troubled regions, recruiting Afghan and Pakistani Shiites to form interventionist brigades, training tens of thousands of foreign Shiite clerics, training tens of thousands of Lebanese, Iraqi, Afghan, and Pakistani forces, and attempting to weaken and overthrow opposing governments) indicates that the regime is pursuing a form of regional empire. The Islamic Republic has no strategy for achieving this empire other than a sectarian war against regional Sunni rivals. Those seeking this empire offer nothing but war, bloodshed, and violence. Actions such as supporting the Taliban against the Afghan government and American forces, the Houthis against the Yemeni government, Iraqi Shiites against Sunnis, Hezbollah against other groups in Lebanon, Hamas against Fatah and Israel, the Syrian government against Syrian opposition groups, and Bahraini and Saudi Shiites against Sunnis in these countries are aimed at igniting fires and then standing over these fires to boast over the corpses and ruins. The Islamic Republic has no presence in any security arrangements in the region and collaborates with no country on security matters because it seeks to create insecurity in other countries whenever it wishes. The goal of establishing an empire is pursued with four specific strategies: challenging American military forces in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman by creating insecurity for them, constantly threatening regional powers like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, supporting terrorism in any form possible, and providing unconditional support to governments that fall under the regime's control. The propaganda apparatus of the Islamic Republic is constantly trying to justify the tensions created in the region by the security and military forces of the Islamic Republic: "Why should the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea be safe for the U.S. and Saudi Arabia? Based on what logic do the Americans have nearly 70 military vessels between Bahrain and the Strait of Hormuz? Why should there be more than 17 American military bases around us? Right now, Saudi Arabia, with exports of nearly ten million barrels of oil per day, of which about two million passes through the Strait of Hormuz, has violated the rights and interests of Iran, Iraq, and others, and has been harming us for several years; why shouldn't we act to stop this damaging action? Nearly 90 percent of the original inhabitants of Bahrain are of Iranian descent; why don't we seriously and practically defend the Iranian-Bahrainis? Isn't it true that Europeans have attacked countries with a much smaller percentage of Europeans?" (Kayhan, July 16, 2016) After announcing the unprofessional behavior of the IRGC in targeting a U.S. Navy helicopter, the IRGC commander addressed the U.S. government, stating, "You are the problem." (Fars, November 30, 2016) IRGC boats have fired near U.S. aircraft carriers in international waters multiple times. The IRGC forces engage with ships in the Persian Gulf under various unrelated pretexts. An Emirati ship sailing under the Panamanian flag in the Persian Gulf was seized for what was described as "not using the international name of the Persian Gulf." Abotaleb Graylu, the deputy maritime and port director of Khuzestan Province, stated: "The name Persian Gulf has always been recorded in all historical texts in this manner, and the control and inspection center for vessels in the Imam Khomeini Special Economic Zone has made it a priority to prevent any damage to this national and historical name by foreign ships." (Tabnak, July 29, 2016) The constant threats to regional and extra-regional powers come while the commander of the IRGC Navy believes that "not only Saudi Arabia but none of the Gulf countries possess the elements of threat and attack against the Islamic Republic," yet threatens the Saudi government: "We can bring the Al Saud regime to its knees by night if we want to." (Club of Journalists, July 16, 2016) These threats extend to major powers and Saudi Arabia's allies and Turkey: "We must enter the battlefield with a revolutionary perspective because the solution to winning in this arena is the Islamic Revolution's perspective... Why should we sit and stare at the resolutions of the U.S. House of Representatives? Why shouldn't we act with a revolutionary perspective and a jihadist spirit, in the manner of the late Imam and according to the teachings of Imam Khamenei?" (Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Tasnim, July 16, 2016) Such statements are the norm and not the exception: "In a region named the Middle East, Iran is everywhere, even though it is nowhere." (Deputy Commander of the Quds Force, Fars, October 29, 2016); "Today, the Islamic Revolution... has reached such capability that it can discipline the U.S. anywhere in the world." (Naghdi, head of the Basij Organization, IRNA, November 2, 2016) The Islamic Republic is even willing to maintain close relations with terrorist groups like the Taliban, who killed Iranian diplomats in Herat, to disrupt regional stability: "Regarding the recent contacts between the Taliban and Iran, he said: Iran is our neighboring country, and we are trying to establish good relations with this country. We want to draw the attention of neighboring countries and regional countries to the fact that we have no problem with them." (Zabihullah Mujahid in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Etemad, June 27, 2015) The new leader of the Taliban spent two months in Iran, and Iranian domestic sources confirmed this (the Jahan News website was shut down after confirming this news, Radio Farda, June 15, 2016). For four decades, the security forces of the Islamic Republic have carried out terrorist operations against the United States, Israel, dissident Iranians, and Arab governments in the region. Support for collapsing governments Hassan Firouzabadi, the senior military advisor to the leader of the Islamic Republic, describes Bashar al-Assad as a benevolent and people-friendly figure after the massacre of 400,000 people in Syria. (Mehr, July 31, 2016) The officials of the Islamic Republic can go so far in justifying support for dictators and butchers in the region. Today, all military forces of the Islamic Republic (the army and the IRGC) and their allies (Hezbollah Lebanon) are completely at the service of a regime that has not shied away from any crime to suppress the popular uprising of 2011. During the capture of Aleppo in December 2016, thousands of women, children, and sick people were massacred by the forces of Bashar al-Assad's army, Hezbollah Lebanon, and the Quds Force of the Islamic Republic. This massacre continued for five years in this city with barrel bombs. The aim of the military intervention is not to defend the country's borders and prevent an attack by ISIS—as they claim—but to have forces adjacent to the Israeli border and to expand military influence in that area. Khamenei has clearly stated this goal: "The pride of the Islamic Republic today is that we have forces adjacent to the borders of the Zionist regime and above them: Hezbollah forces or resistance forces or Amal forces. The fact that they are so dissatisfied and say why the Islamic Republic intervenes is because we have forces above them today. This is a great honor for Islam and the Islamic Republic. The young people who went to Syria and Iraq, mainly to Syria, had this insight. Some people today sit at home and do not understand what the issue is." (Alf, December 6, 2016) What are the justifications for this policy? Officials previously referred to ethics, Islam, and the deprivation of peoples to export their revolution. However, with the consolidation of power, they no longer see the need for them. They have invented new justifications for their imperial ambitions. One of these inventions is extending the borders of the Islamic Republic to the borders of Israel: "If we had remained silent and Syria was occupied, the path for coming behind the borders of Iran would have been prepared. We maintain that our front line is with the Palestinians, and if we support them, Israel will remain in its place." (Ali Akbar Nategh Nouri, ISNA, July 27, 2016) The second aspect is self-defense, while after Iraq during Saddam's time, no group or country has attacked Iran. ISIS sought to establish a state in Iraq and Sham, not Iran, unless we consider Iraq and Sham as part of Iranian territory. Although ISIS has not carried out any operations in Iran and has not approached Iran's borders, the deputy of the Tharallah Headquarters states: "Some seem not to know that if we do not fight the enemy in Syria, we will have to fight on our own soil." (Tasnim, July 31, 2016) This statement has been repeated by all propaganda apparatuses of the Islamic Republic to justify intervention in Syria for five years. However, the issue is not about defending the country's borders, as ISIS has always been dozens of kilometers away from the Iranian border. The moment the Islamic Republic entered the war in Syria was a moment of feeling danger for the Bashar regime, not for the emergence of ISIS. The Islamic Republic and Hezbollah Lebanon have been at war with non-ISIS opponents of Bashar, not ISIS. The military personnel of the Islamic Republic have clearly articulated their goals for military intervention in other countries: "Today, the defenders of the shrine stand against the conspiracies of the enemies and have turned pieces of Islamic lands into graves for the wishes of the arrogant." (Deputy Commander of the IRGC, Fars, August 5, 2016) The Islamic Republic does not want Western states' influence in the region, not because it wants to free and liberate the peoples of the region, but because it wants to place them under its own control.