How Iran’s rulers use terror and deceit to spread instability across the Middle East.

On November 25, during a meeting with Basij forces, Ali Khamenei emphatically declared, “An arrest warrant for Netanyahu is insufficient; an execution order must be issued,” about the ICC’s actions a few days earlier.

We are living in a troubling and absurd time where those who commit acts of violence and crimes remain secure and enjoy security, while individuals fighting against terrorism face trials or even execution. As Salman Rushdie aptly put it: “This situation is grotesque.”

The Islamic regime in Iran was founded on distorted perceptions, falsehoods, historical fabrications and radical political Islam propagated by Khomeini and the Shi’ite clerics, which has inflicted immense harm on both Iran and the broader Middle East.

This regime is characterized by backwardness, delusion and a constant state of crisis. Both Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei are fixated on Quranic verses that promote violence and slaughter, showing a complete disregard for peace, coexistence, or even respect for other religions and ethnicities.

The current regime in Tehran is fundamentally hollow and devoid of substance. It is not an exaggeration to describe this despotic and outdated regime as a blend of radical Islam and communism. Over the past 46 years, its superstitious, deceitful and populist religious ideology has served as a mechanism for unchecked power and displays of sheer barbarism.

Tyranny in Tehran

In today’s world, absurd courts driven by misguided ideologies issue rulings that appease Islamic terrorists and terror networks established throughout the Middle East. Yet, the global media often neglects to highlight that over the last half-century, Iran’s two dictators – Khomeini and Khamenei – have been far more destructive than the Mongols and are a stain on the history of humanity.

The current Islamic caliphate regime in Iran bears no significant difference to the bloodthirsty Safavid monarchs or the incompetent Qajar dynasty. Today’s rulers in Iran are essentially the successors of the Pakistani Fedayeen of Islam (Islamic Commandos) terrorist group.

These kangaroo courts also fail to recognize that the mullahs created the Shia crescent terror network, orchestrated the atrocities of October 7, and actively pursue the destruction of Israel.

The tyrannical regime in Tehran operates as a toxic combination of sycophancy, corruption, mafia networks and religious fanaticism. In the winter of 1979, under the banner of “the Lord,” Khomeini laid the groundwork for one of history’s bloodiest and most corrupt “divine” governments on Earth, instituting a reactionary order that is crude, savage and grotesque – all falsely under the guise of “pure Mahometan Islam.”

The current Shia rulers in Tehran operate within a mafia-like system populated by dangerous individuals who shamelessly and brazenly claim their legitimacy. They rely on terrorism, chaos and crisis creation to maintain their rule. Their ideological foundation is rooted in thuggery, charlatanism and radicalism – all key elements and hallmarks of Khomeinism.

This regime’s ideology is fundamentally hostile to global friendship, harmony, peace and order. Domestically, it rules through violence; internationally, it deliberately spreads terror and fear. The regime, under Khamenei’s orders, has repeatedly sent terrorist groups to assassinate U.S. president-elect Trump while plotting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s murder, without facing any significant condemnation or accountability.

Called an “ayatollah,” which means “a sign of God on Earth,” Khamenei’s false sanctity remains largely unchallenged and unmasked. He should be viewed as a symbol of corruption, theft and violence reminiscent of historical caliphate rulers of Islamic history (over the past 1,400 years).

While the absurd court issued ludicrous rulings against Netanyahu on November 21, 2024, it ignored critical lessons from history. Since 1979, Khomeini and Khameini have proven more dangerous than Hitler (Germany), Mao Ze Dong (China), Lenin and Stalin (Russia), Mussolini (Italy), Pol Pot (Cambodia), Kim Jong-un (North Korea), Fidel Castro (Cuba), Idi Amin (Uganda), Franco (Spain), Gaddafi (Libya), Saddam Hussein (Iraq), and Ceausescu (Romania). It seems the courts – and much of the world – are blind to reality.

The plundering regime seeks to establish a “union of Islamic states.” At the regime’s core now lies a push for his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, to be his successor – a move designed to create a façade similar to a Saudi-style crown prince.

Historically, such hereditary succession mirrors the corrupt practices of the Umayyad Caliphate when Yazid inherited power from his father Muawiyah. The history of the Shia imamate is rife with hereditary rule. If the current regime in Iran retains power, its behavior will remain
unchanged and continue to perpetuate terrorism and instability in the region for years to come.

While the world has heard Khamenei’s statements, it has remained largely silent. Global media appears to be enamored of Tehran’s propaganda, and these outlets eager to amplify regime’s propaganda often celebrate even their defeats as “victories,” while promoting Khamenei’s military threats against Israel or his ambitions for nuclear armament and bomb-making.

Whenever faced with serious challenges, the mullahs retreat into defensive postures. Khamenei has grown confident that he can manipulate global media narratives and is adept at using deceit to market his agenda, establishing terrorist groups against Israel whose actions are framed as “Islamic victories” behind the fa?ade and a false narrative of “Islamic resistance.”

This delusional and cowardly dictator seems to evade serious scrutiny. While Israel actively dismantles Islamic terrorist networks related to Iran’s regime, the media remains silent – failing to question Khamenei’s self-proclaimed status as leader of the Islamic world. No one challenges the irrationality of his claims or his reliance on propaganda in declaring himself infallible.

Meanwhile, global media continues to gloss over these realities and metaphorically apply “lipstick to a pig.” When Khomeini and Khamenei proclaimed “We stand until the end,” no one queried whether that “end” meant the destruction of Israel and the Middle East.

As American author Henry Miller wrote in 1975, we are indeed living in “the time of assassins.”

The writer is a counterterrorism analyst and Middle East studies researcher based in Washington, with a particular focus on Iran and ethnic conflicts in the region. His new book is The Black Shabbat, published in the US. Follow him at erfanfard.com and on X @EQFARD.