Khamenei's Costly Display of Power in Iraq and the Region

Iran's economy continues to be trapped in stagflation, facing the largest sanctions in history, along with corruption and rent-seeking. In these harsh conditions, where millions of Iranians are caught in poverty and misery, hundreds of billions of tomans from next year's national budget have been allocated to religious seminaries and other religious institutions. Instead of tightening belts and mobilizing nationally around development and investment in infrastructure to reduce inflation and unemployment and increase economic growth, national resources are being spent on religious domains, clergy, and regional power displays through religion. The million-strong Arbaeen march this year is a living testament to this claim. There is no doubt that just as some individuals, during these difficult times, are spending the country's resources on expensive recreational trips to Europe and the USA, millions of people are also willing to travel for their religious beliefs and bear the costs. However, those who are aware of the bitter social issues and problems in society, and those who understand the horrific future that awaits the Iranian people if sanctions continue, should encourage the people to work and invest. This is akin to the process that Max Weber described in the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. The reconstruction of the graves of the Imams in Iraq was initiated by Iran's 'Headquarters for the Reconstruction of Holy Shrines' established in 2003, following the 'guidelines of the Supreme Leader.' The mission of this headquarters is to 'reconstruct holy shrines and religious sites in Iraq and other countries and provide scientific, cultural, educational, health, civil, and humanitarian services.' The financial resources and assets of the headquarters come from 'voluntary financial contributions from governmental and non-governmental organizations and other charitable individuals.' According to the head of the headquarters, when Iran began the reconstruction of the holy sites, 'the dust of estrangement was clearly visible on these sacred graves.' Power outages, water shortages, the destruction of many sites, and poor sanitary conditions were some of the characteristics of that period. Reconstruction work has been carried out and is ongoing in three phases: Phase One: Remedial actions within 2-3 years: resolving water issues, creating air conditioning systems, launching sound and lighting systems, as well as providing carpets and cleaning. Phase Two: Construction of the Haydariyah Hosseiniyah in Najaf, construction of the Abu Talib courtyard and portico, which quadrupled the pilgrimage space, stonework of the Karbala shrine, construction of the Seyyed al-Shuhada service complex and Imam Sajjad hospital. Replacement of the gold on the domes of Kadhimayn, stonework of the main courtyard, and expansion of the Safavid mosque, which increased the capacity to accommodate pilgrims fivefold. In Samarra, mirror work, gilding of the dome, stonework inside, and restoration of the porticos were completed. Phase Three: Major development projects: Implementation of the largest construction project of the headquarters in Najaf, which significantly expands the pilgrimage space of Imam Ali's shrine. In the new plan, the courtyard is named Fatimah Zahra. Its area is about 220,000 square meters. The design of the carpets for this shrine, covering 12,000 square meters, has been completed. The construction of the courtyard of Lady Zainab in Karbala is another project of this phase. The construction of the shrine of Abbas, which has dimensions similar to the current shrine, began in 2010 and is in the final stages of construction, with the completion of various intricately carved components such as window latticework, body vases, and spherical ornaments expected by the end of this year. Silver with a purity of 999 and gold with a purity of 24 have been used in the construction of this shrine, which has 14 windows, to prevent tarnishing. Phase Four: Future projects: 'Elevating the dome and slimming the columns of the shrine of Abal-Fadl al-Abbas (AS),' 'gilding the four minarets of the Kadhimayn shrine,' 'reconstruction of Bab al-Quraish and Bab al-Qiblah,' 'designing and participating in the implementation of the Sahib al-Zaman courtyard project,' and also 'designing and implementing the Imam Reza courtyard project,' 'small and large guesthouses,' 'clinics,' and 'completing the eastern and western covered projects of the shrines of Imam Kadhim and Imam Jawad' in Kadhimayn, 'executing development plans for the shrines of the two Imams in Samarra,' 'reconstructing the shrine of Salman al-Farsi in Madain,' and so on. The justification provided by Iranian officials for all these expenses is that all the holy sites of the Imams in Iraq have historically been built by the people and government of Iran. Three additional projects of the headquarters are as follows: the construction of the Hazrat Zahra residential complex located in Karbala, which has been operational since 2012; a residential, welfare, and medical project under construction at Seyyed al-Shuhada with an area of about 21,000 square meters and a built-up area of 14,000 square meters; and the construction of a new courtyard named Hazrat Zainab in Karbala, with an area of 160,000 square meters aimed at expanding the pilgrimage space of Imam Hussein's shrine. The competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia over Islam is part of the power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The million-strong Arbaeen march this year, in contrast to the two-million gathering of Hajj, is part of this display of power. Now, the display of power through religion has extended to the construction of religious sites. Saudi Arabia is expanding the Grand Mosque, while the Islamic Republic is pursuing larger projects. Recently, Shakri, the head of the Urban Development Committee of the Tehran City Council, along with Chamran and several professors from Amir Kabir University, traveled to Iraq to visit the Fatimah Zahra courtyard in Najaf. Upon returning from the trip, Shakri stated that there is no courtyard named Fatimah Zahra registered in the world. The construction of the Fatimah Zahra courtyard, with approximately 220,000 square meters of built-up area and a four-story building, will be 'the largest courtyard and pilgrimage complex in the Islamic world.' He emphasizes that 'even the expansion of the Grand Mosque does not compare in terms of built-up areas.' According to forecasts, this project is expected to be operational by the end of 2015. The naming of this courtyard after Fatimah Zahra has been approved by Ayatollah Sistani and Ayatollah Khamenei. According to Shakri, 'all specialized forces, managers, and workers' of the project are working on the 'Iranian' plan for the Fatimah Zahra courtyard. During the days of the million-strong Arbaeen march, this courtyard provided food and accommodation for about 30,000 people daily, and at night, at least over 20,000 people were accommodated in the buildings and courtyard area. Question: What is the cost of constructing the Fatimah Zahra courtyard with approximately 220,000 square meters of built-up area and only 12,000 square meters of carpet? This is one of the large budgets that Iran has spent in Iraq. As mentioned above, according to the charter of the 'Headquarters for the Reconstruction of Holy Shrines,' the revenues of this institution are sourced from public and governmental resources. Ahmad Salek, the head of the Cultural Commission of the Parliament, also stated during his visit to Karbala: 'The government and parliament should assist the reconstruction headquarters in better planning for the opportunity to be present in Iraq. We have a plan in this regard that we will hopefully present in the parliament.' Shakri states: 'We hope that with the liberation of the holy shrines in Syria and, God willing, with the liberation of the Baqi graves, we can take on the reconstruction of the Baqi graves and Syria.' Comparison of Iraq and Iran: Iraq is not under banking, oil, or insurance economic sanctions. Iran, under sanctions, has lost its oil markets and needs $400-500 billion in investment in its oil and gas sector. Iraq has claimed the second position in OPEC oil exports. Just look at Iraq's oil revenues over the past four years: 2011 - $71 billion, 2012 - $94 billion, 2013 - $90 billion, 2014 - approximately $70 billion. Iraq's population is about one-third of Iran's population. Iran has rushed to assist Iraq and the Kurdistan region against the terrorist group ISIS, providing them with weapons and losing some of its forces in the process. Billions of dollars have also been sent to Iraq through pilgrims and the reconstruction of holy sites. What assistance has Iraq provided to Iran in its emergency situation? There may have been some assistance that the author of these lines is unaware of. Ayatollah Khamenei and other leaders of the Islamic Republic are seeking to build a 'strategic depth for the Islamic Republic' in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, Afghanistan, etc. These massive expenditures in these difficult conditions are made for this purpose. Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, during the funeral of General Hamid Taghavi, who was killed by ISIS in Iraq, stated: 'The sick rumor spreaders these days are promoting the question of what relation there is between Samarra and Hamid Taghavi, and what business we have with what is happening in Iraq and Syria; the answer to this question is clear: if the Taghavis do not shed blood in Samarra, we must shed blood in Sistan, Azerbaijan, Shiraz, and Isfahan.' Shamkhani referred to the significant role of this year's million-strong Arbaeen march in Iraq, considering it a product of these sacrifices. He stated: 'The achievements resulting from sacrifices for the revolution are not something our nation will easily give up, and this year's Arbaeen and that magnificent march are the fruits of these bloods, and these bloods will illuminate the future of the region.' General Salami, the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also stated: 'Today we see that the capacities of the Islamic Revolution have connected from Iran to Iraq, and we have a popular army in Iraq connected to the revolution that is dozens of times larger than Hezbollah in Lebanon in terms of quantity. In Syria, we also have a popular army connected to the Islamic Revolution on the ground, modeled after the Basij thought. In Yemen, where the fulcrum of US Peninsula policies lies, Ansar Allah operates like Hezbollah, acting in accordance with the logic of the Islamic Revolution in our geopolitical space.' The Soviet Union once had the largest army in the world and dominated all of Eastern Europe. However, the largest army in the world and the most advanced military weapons could not prevent the collapse of that regime and the disintegration of that country. Even the main leaders of that regime no longer believed in that ideology, and although they had the 'capability' to suppress, they lacked the 'will' to suppress. All Iranians wish for Iran to become a powerful country. However, if Iran becomes like North Korea—where thousands of its people die from hunger—or another Syria, it will destroy itself and its people. Iran becomes powerful when its 'national security' and 'national interests' are guaranteed. Iran's 'national security' and 'national interests' will be secured with a democratic system committed to human rights—which has peaceful relations with regional countries and friendly relations with Western governments, especially the US. Iran's enemies do not want Iran to have a democratic system committed to human rights and to establish friendly and strong relations with the US. Their interest lies in the continuation of enmity between Iran and the US.