Iran's ruling elite, bluntly, believes that both its survival and its mission depend on acquiring nuclear weapons. They saw what happened to Libya and Ukraine when their leaders gave up their nuclear weapons, and understood that this was not the way to go. To Iran's rulers, their nuclear program is not just a policy objective to protect the continuation of their regime, but the centerpiece of Iran's ideology and propaganda. Despite having some of the world's richest oil and gas reserves, the regime has accepted crushing sanctions and economic ruin, all under the excuse of pursuing nuclear power. The regime's goal is the bomb.
Many different groups were involved in the 1979 revolution that overthrew the monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini quickly eliminated his rivals and imposed an Islamist system unlike anything else in modern history: Velayat-e-Faqih, or "the rule of the Islamic jurist."
In this vision, drawn from a radical interpretation of Twelver Shiism, political power belongs not to the people, but to Allah, and through Him to the clerical class acting as representatives of the Twelfth Iman, known as the "Hidden Imam." This belief forms the foundation of the Supreme Leader's authority. Iran's Supreme Leader is not just a political figure, but is considered divine, with a legitimacy given not by man but by Allah.
In Iran, the Supreme Leader is the only absolute ruler. He appoints the judiciary, controls the military, dictates foreign policy, and approves or rejects all applicants for election candidacy. Elections exist, but are meaningless ceremonies. Presidents and parliaments do not govern, they obey. What is absent from the Islamic Republic of Iran is a "republic."
The West still fails to grasp this regime's worldview. It is not just authoritarian, it is theological. It sees the world in binary terms: believers and infidels, Shiites and non-Shiites. It also believes that history is heading toward a final confrontation, in which Iran will be prepared militarily and spiritually to lead. That is why the Iranian nuclear program is not negotiable. It is holy, sacred. (Ed note: Excellent, well written article, well worth taking the time to read.) (Read More)
