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On the anniversary of the women, life and freedom movement: USA must fight against Iran

This week marks the second anniversary of the bloody Iranian uprising that followed the assassination of Mahsa Amini and gave rise to the international solidarity movement “Woman, Life, Freedom”.

In the absence of clear instructions from the White House, the Islamic regime has left us running in circles for two years, twiddling our thumbs and not knowing what to do with Tehran.

The fact that we do not have a comprehensive Iran strategy will be made even more shockingly clear on another upcoming anniversary: ​​the attacks by Hamas on Israeli citizens on October 7.

The question of Tehran's clear involvement in the Hamas attacks – like fingerprints on a smoking gun – is meaningless in the murky world of Islamic terrorism. Propaganda, fatwas, sermons and pamphlets, which are now largely distributed in cyberspace, were and remain a powerful recruiting tool in the Islamic regime's toolbox.

As Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, told his ministers shortly after his return from exile to Iran in 1979: “Don't think your words are useless. Go out and spread your propaganda. I have tried it myself and, thank God, it works.”

The Iranian flag flies in front of the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, on March 6, 2023. (Source: REUTERS/LEONHARD FOEGER/FILE PHOTO)

But in the face of strong American leadership, no amount of propaganda should have as much impact. “America's weakness is a provocation,” former national security adviser HR McMaster recently declared. McMaster called US President Joe Biden's approach to Iran “irresponsible” and argued that Tehran is essentially “very weak” but continues to behave brazenly because we “let them get away with it.”

The famous British historian Arnold Toynbee, despite his anti-Semitic views, made a similar warning statement: “Civilizations do not die by murder, but by suicide.”

So what is this suicidal tendency that has encouraged our murderous enemies?

One of them is the asymmetry of intentions. While the Islamic regime has clearly stated its goal of replacing the Western-dominated world order with a global Islamic caliphate, in dealing with Tehran we vacillate between punches (sanctions) and flowers (lifting or non-enforcement of sanctions). With such an inconsistent and incoherent approach, we are stabbing ourselves in the back, not our enemy.

That's why the past decade has been increasingly marked by the regime's attempts to kill Americans on American soil. From former President Donald Trump to current American and foreign diplomats and Iranian operatives based in the country, Tehran is busy planning its next murderous move.

Tehran is also fueling division within America. According to US intelligence director Avril Haine, the regime is funding the anti-Israel protests currently sweeping major American cities.

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The Justice Department has also identified “increasingly aggressive Iranian [disinformation] Activity during this [presidential] election cycle,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland last week.

The Islamic regime can afford its malicious foreign policy because, since Ms Amini's assassination, nearly $100 billion worth of illegal oil sales have flowed into Tehran's coffers – mostly from China.

At the expense of Iranians' livelihoods, Hamas, Iran's most warmongering proxy, receives about $350 million from Tehran each year, according to Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Financial Oversight and Investigations. That's 93 percent of Hamas's entire annual budget.

Iran has also been generous to Hezbollah, which the US State Department estimates received around $700 million in 2020 alone, while providing scholarships to thousands of Houthi soldiers in Yemen to wage their war against Israel and international shipping.

Did Amini's death and the flood of backlash that followed in any way deter the regime? Not really. Under the leadership of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, security forces continue their brutal crackdown on Iranians who defy the regime's draconian rules.

Just last week, an Iranian activist was sentenced to 12 years in prison for responding to an unfinished sentence tweeted by Khamenei with a single period. The period, according to prosecutors, symbolized Shanbehzadeh's desire to end the Islamic Republic.

Not surprisingly, the regime's unpopularity is growing: less than half of registered voters participated in this summer's presidential election, and voter turnout was at an all-time low.

Yet, at 85, Khamenei still believes the West is doomed. “With enough patience, you can turn sour grapes into sweet molasses,” a Persian proverb he likes to repeat in his weekly sermons, which do not involve cooking or recipes.

The Machiavellian Ayatollah's patience may already have paid off. According to an assessment released by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in late July, Iran is just weeks away from producing the enriched material needed to build a nuclear weapon. That number continues to drop as both US presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, have yet to unveil their long-overdue Iran strategies.

The Islamic regime has gathered its proxies around Israel, its agents are moving into American soil, and its leadership is consolidating its hold on power. It is no longer the superpower it claims to be, but a superpariah.

Two years ago, Iranians started a movement against the mullahs.

Now it is time for American politicians to finally follow suit and put a stop to the evil power and malicious propaganda of the Islamic Republic.

The author is an adjunct fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of a forthcoming book on Iranian foreign policy. She holds a PhD in Iranian Studies from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.



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