The Iranian Revolution is Stronger Than Ever After 40 Years

By Henry Srebrnik, [Summerside, PEI] Journal Pioneer
 

On Feb. 1,1979, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini landed at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, after more than 14 years in exile. And the world changed forever.

An Iranian monarchy that had seemed so secure had now crumbled into dust and the country’s ruler, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, had already fled the country.

A few months later, at a talk I gave in Toronto, I suggested that this would prove to be an event even more important that the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.

I was right. The Soviet Union no longer exists, while Iran’s Islamic Republic goes from strength to strength. 

Iran remains a very strong state, supported by a robust form of religiously-based nationalism. It exports its ideology throughout the Middle East and farther afield. It provides weapons to proxies and supports terrorism, while also working diligently to destroy Israel.

How did all this come about? It all began in 1963, when the Shah instituted a series of measures intended to accelerate Iran’s modernization and strengthen and centralize his power. These reforms were known as the White Revolution.

The powerful Shi’a clergy were enraged both by their reduced power and authority, and by the increased penetration of Western culture. One of the strongest voices against these reforms came from a cleric named Khomeini, who issued a strongly worded declaration denouncing the Shah and his plans.

In return, he was arrested and then exiled to Turkey. He then settled in the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf in Iraq, where he continued to call for the Shah’s overthrow. Forced to leave Iraq in October 1978, Khomeini moved to a suburb of Paris – but not for long.

Following his return to Iran, Khomeini oversaw the writing of the country’s new constitution, which has been called a hybrid of theocratic and democratic elements. While there are elections for the presidency and the Majlis, or parliament, they are subordinate to the Council of Guardians, a clerical body, and the Supreme Leader. 

As the highest-ranking political and religious authority in the nation, the Ayatollah became the country’s ruler, and governed until his death on June 3, 1989. His successor, Ali Khamenei, rules today.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the regime. The mullahs had to cope with the brutal invasion unleashed by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in 1980; the eight-year conflict resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iranians. 

They have also faced resistance from their own people at times; for example, there were major disturbances in 2009 following the clearly rigged re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

The regime was forced to respond with violence, and many hundreds of protestors died or were imprisoned in the post-election unrest. 

A year ago, Iranians, facing economic hardships, poured into the streets to denounce ­Supreme Leader Khamenei. But the clerical establishment has always weathered these storms. In fact, Tehran has taken advantage of the chaos unleashed by the Arab Spring by expanding its reach across the Middle East. 

It now virtually controls the fates of Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, and supports a Shi’a uprising in Yemen. The Sunni Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, now live in fear of Iran, so much so that they are even prepared to work with Israel. Iran has even had covert contacts with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The United States for the past four decades has used both the carrot and the stick approach when dealing with Tehran. 

President Barack Obama tried to reason with the regime’s political leaders; this culminated in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed by Washington along with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions that had been imposed on Tehran.

On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal and re-imposed sanctions. He has been far more outspoken about the dangers posed by the regime.

Tehran was probably continuing the work on developing nuclear weapons in any case. Should they eventually succeed, Tel Aviv will disappear from the face of the earth. The Iranian mullahs should never be underestimated.