The 'Friendship' Treaty with the Great Satan

Friendship and enmity are common in the relations between countries. Historically, countries have sometimes engaged in friendship and at other times in enmity based on their interests. Iran and the United States are no exception to this. For instance, the friendship between the two countries culminated in the signing of the Treaty of Friendship in 1955. This is akin to two individuals forming a brotherhood pact due to their strong friendship. It is clear that the Treaty of Friendship indicates the strength of amicable relations between the two countries. With the escalation of the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, the Iranian monarchy and the United States signed the 'Treaty of Friendship and Economic Relations and Consular Rights' in 1955, a significant act to Moscow to deter any thoughts of aggression towards Iran. The treaty included maximum commercial, consular, customs, and shipping privileges. The first article of this treaty states that 'there will be a stable and lasting peace and sincere friendship between Iran and the United States of America.' At the same time, the signing of such a treaty was a signal to other countries that any aggression by a third country (e.g., the Soviet Union) against one of the two parties to the friendship treaty (e.g., Iran) would be considered aggression against the other party (e.g., the US, Iran's friend). (Although this meaning is not explicitly mentioned in the text of the treaty, it was implicitly understood by Moscow in the context of the Cold War.) If we consider the signing of such a treaty as a sign of the intensity of 'convergence' between the two countries, it took only 22 years from its signing until 1979 for the two governments to enter a path of severe 'divergence' after the fall of the Iranian monarchy and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. The deterioration of relations can be seen when, in November 1979, less than nine months after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the US embassy in Tehran was stormed, and 52 American diplomats were held hostage for 444 days. Following this incident, Washington severed its relations with Tehran, but remained committed to the Vienna Convention (1961), still considering the Iranian embassy in Washington as Iranian diplomatic property. However, the situation in Tehran was different. The Islamic Republic grossly violated the Vienna Convention, completely seizing the US embassy building and utilizing it as a government building. This was the beginning of a saga that has continued for nearly 40 years. Revolutionaries called the US embassy a den of espionage. Ayatollah Khomeini referred to its occupation as a greater revolution, described America as the 'Great Satan,' and denied America's coercive power by stating that 'America can do nothing.' When it was his successor's turn, he taught 'American studies' and 'anti-Americanism' for about 30 years. He never missed an opportunity to highlight America's enmity, describing the Washington-Tehran relationship as 'wolf and sheep' at one point and 'Tom and Jerry' at another. It is evident that the relationship between 'wolf and sheep' does not establish 'friendship,' let alone 'stable and lasting peace and sincere friendship.' However, how is it that the Islamic Republic has resorted to the Treaty of Friendship in its protest against America's violation of the JCPOA and the imposition of new sanctions? Although this action has legal justification, it lacks political and ideological justification. The fundamental question is, if the Islamic Republic truly believes in its claims against America, why has it not annulled this treaty until now? Is it possible for this regime's ideology to have friendship with the devil? More surprisingly, the Islamic Republic has not only not annulled the Treaty of Friendship with the US, but it seems to have suddenly forgotten that this treaty was concluded between the 'traitorous Shah' and 'the world-eating America.' It seems the Islamic Republic has forgotten that it overthrew the Shah and occupied the US embassy? It seems to have forgotten that the relationship between the two parties is one of 'wolf and sheep,' with 'pure Muhammadan Islam' on one side and 'the Great Satan' on the other. Given this, what does it mean to resort to the Treaty of Friendship between Iran and the US? Is this not a mockery of oneself? If it is not, it is enough for the proponents of anti-Americanism to take a look at social media to see how they have been ridiculed by the public and critics alike. Many examples can be cited where the Islamic Republic has lived and continues to live in contradiction. However, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Republic, pouring cold water on the enmity of the 'Great Satan' with 'pure Muhammadan Islam' is indeed a great contradiction and a mockery of itself and pouring cold water on the 40 years of the Islamic Republic's existence.