Daily Alert Archives

Iran's Mullahs Can Never Change, Never Be "Friends"

(Gatestone Institute) Dr. Majid Rafizadeh - For more than four decades, Western politicians have extended diplomatic overtures, economic incentives and concessions to Tehran in the hope that engagement could moderate its policies. Yet, every attempt at diplomacy has failed. Like it or not, the nature of the Iranian regime is inseparable from its ideological foundations. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not a normal state, or even a conventional dictatorship. It is an ideological entity that derives its very identity from opposition to the U.S., Israel and the West. These are not just foreign policy stances but central tenets of the regime's existence. The regime refers to the U.S. as the "Great Satan" and Israel as the "Little Satan," righteously positioning itself as the force of divine justice against these supposed embodiments of evil. For the Iranian mullahs, hostility toward America and Israel is the fundamental pillar of their legitimacy. If the regime were to abandon its enmity toward the U.S. and Israel, it would lose the entire justification upon which it has built its power. In pursuit of a nuclear deal, the Obama administration lifted sanctions, provided billions of dollars in sanctions relief, and even delivered pallets of cash to the ruling mullahs. The result? The Iranian regime did not just fail to moderate its behavior, it escalated its hostility, using the funds it received from the U.S. to do it. One of the greatest illusions in Western diplomacy is the belief that Iran can be persuaded to abandon its nuclear program through negotiations. The Islamic Republic views nuclear weapons as the ultimate guarantor of its survival. The regime will agree to talks only when it needs to buy time. If the West wants to truly confront the threat posed by the Iranian regime, it must stop pursuing fruitless negotiations and instead adopt a strategy of strength.
2025-03-16 00:00:00
Full Article