Iran's Mirage: The 'Reformist' Trap
by Majid Rafizadeh • July 13, 2024 at 5:00 am
[A]ny Iranian politician must be prepared to impose the government's Islamist laws rigorously and crush any form of opposition to the Islamic Republic. The political landscape in Iran does not tolerate dissent or deviation from these core principles, ensuring that only those who conform entirely to the regime's ideology can navigate the tricky waters of the regime's politics.
In Iran, any individual who genuinely seeks to reform the system is likely to be swiftly eliminated, if not executed.
[The new Iranian president, Masoud] Pezeshkian, whom the Western mainstream media have laughably labeled a "reformist," is, in fact, a dedicated supporter of the regime's all-powerful militia, an officially designated terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC returned the compliment and supported Pezeshkian back.
The regime uses these so-called "reformists" or "moderates," with their seemingly friendly demeanor and calls for improved relations and "peace," to deceive the West. In reality, their sole objective is to have sanctions removed, generate more revenue, and ultimately strengthen the IRGC, the Supreme Leader, the regime's system, and its network of proxies and terror groups.
These political figures are strategically positioned to create a mirage: the illusion of potential reform to lure the West into a false sense of security while the central objectives of the regime remain unchanged -- and expansion-by-proxies and the nuclear weapons program forge ahead.
The unlawful JCPOA deal resulted in the lifting of sanctions and reintegrated Iran into the global financial system. Billions of dollars flowed into Iran's treasury. That influx of cash ultimately fortified the regime, the IRGC, and their operations, illustrating not only the Iranian regime's adeptness at manipulating starry-eyed Western officials to achieve its strategic goals, but worse: it exposed the gullibility of the US and the West who eagerly run into these staged mirages and traps.
Pictured: Pezeshkian addresses a gathering of his supporters in Tehran, Iran, on July 3, 2024. (Photo by Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
The mainstream Western media outlets are overflowing with headlines praising Masoud Pezeshkian, the new, supposedly "reformist" president of Iran. The word "reformist" appears invariably alongside his name, thereby spotlighting an enormous lack of understanding regarding Iran's ruling mullahs and their theocratic establishment.
