The Case for Iran

(Mr. Isaac Yomtovian is an engineer and developer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Born and raised in Iran, Mr. Yomtovian recently released his book Leaving Iran – A Glimpse Into The Persian Mind which details his experiences growing up as a Jew in Iran. He is a frequent speaker on Iranian and Jewish history, Islamic law and the experience of Iranian-American Muslims and Jews.)

Writing as a first generation Iranian-American, it is my understanding from my many years of required study of Islam as part of my formal education,  that the Islamic Republic of Iran is obligated to follow the orders of its founder and former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to develop nuclear technology and ultimately a nuclear bomb.  As a result of Khomeini’s order shortly after the chemical attack by Iraqi leader Sadam Hussein in March 1988, Iran’s determination to develop a nuclear program has become a religious and patriotic obligation, in hopes of fulfilling its desire to become a regional super power representing the Islamic world.

This order and obligation must be fulfilled unless the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini and the Council of Guardians or the Assembly of the Experts reverses it with the issuance of a new order.

The United States has no appetite for another military intervention and the ugly war that would follow. Iran will no doubt secure some type of nuclear program and will try to dominate its neighbors. While Israel is the principal publicly declared target of Iran, the reality is that Iran will first seek to dominate other nearby areas, in fulfillment of its goal to become an Islamic superpower. Immediate targets would be the oil-rich Persian Gulf Islands (Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs, Kish, Bahrain) with significant Shiah Muslim populations. Then the holy cities of Iraq (Najaf, Karbala, Koofeh and Basra). Finally, Afghanistan would be targeted in order to reunite it with its motherland, Iran (Persians and Afghans share 2,500 years of history, language, customs and culture).

No Iranian representative, president, or minister can negotiate away the basic religious obligation to achieve a nuclear Iran.  Use of Taghieh (lying to deceive the enemy) has been ordered by Khamenei and will be fully utilized in all negotiations to allow the successful development of a nuclear program and the weakening of the U.S. and its allies. Jihad (armed struggle) against the enemies of Allah is also a religious obligation.

No military action against Iran can, by itself, solve the Iranian issue because suffering and martyrdom are integral elements of Shiah belief. A more effective strategy to remove the Iranian nuclear threat would be to implement a three-step process leading to regime change. Clearly time is of essence.

1. Intensify Economic Pressure – Trade sanctions against countries buying oil from Iran are to take effect in June, 2012. These sanctions must be tightly enforced. In addition, exports to Iran must be gravely curtailed to include only minimal foodstuffs, medicine, etc. No military equipment, spare parts, etc., must be supplied.  The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controls the economy of the country and is the direct beneficiary of all oil and export sales, banking, and drug trafficking.   Strong sanctions and tightening of the flow of funds into Iran will create a significant disruption of the IRGC causing the meltdown of the strongest organized military/terror group in Iran. In addition, foreign assets of the key ruling families of Iran (Rafsanjani, Khameini, etc.) must be kept frozen, and travel to and from Iran must be closely monitored.
2. EXPAND COVERT ACTIVITIES – Funding must be provided to implement covert actions to break the allegiance of the clerics and the IRGC leaders. Almost every Iranian cleric and IRGC leader has a price on their loyalty to each other.  Rather than spend the blood of our soldiers and billions of dollars for military equipment, the United States could pay off or eliminate the top100 influential leaders of the IRGC and the clerics and remove them by taking advantage of their corruption and greed.  Covert removal would also be effective.
3. EMPOWER THE OPPOSITION – An international effort must be initiated to empower and support the Iranian opposition and advocates of freedom, democracy, and human rights. Effective actions could include providing funding to the organized opposition groups within Iran, providing free laptops, cameras and cell phones to young Iranians who oppose the regime. Millions of copies of simple Farsi translations of the Koran and the Islamic constitution should be sent to Iranian youth, so that they can see for themselves the ideology their government supports. U.S. visas should be provided to Iranian doctors, engineers, and other intellectuals and PhD candidates.  Elite Iranian students should be recruited to US universities. A highly controlled program to offer asylum to the top scientists, IRGC and military officials and their families should be developed. Emptying Iran of its brain power will cripple the country.

High-profile Iranians in Diaspora must be empowered and funded to publicly speak out and lobby the leaders of the Western world.  For example, the former queen Farah Pahlavi, her son prince Reza and former Minister and Ambassador Ardeshir Zahedi must be empowered to actively enter the public arena and express their opposition to the existing regime.  It is their responsibility and obligation to support all freedom-loving Iranians.  And it is in the best interest of the West to finance the activities of the existing organized Iranian opposition groups, former high ranking Iranian officers, ministers, and scientists making it possible to further organize and assist regime change from within Iran.

Regime change can succeed through the internal uprising of the 85+ percent of the Iranian population who are dissatisfied with the government, along with millions more in Diaspora.  Trillions of dollars spent in past wars demonstrate that it will not be possible to change the regime in Iran through war.  A fraction of this cost could be well spent to create the conditions which would lead to regime change.  Clearly time is of essence.

 

Mr. Isaac Yomtovian is an engineer and developer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Born and raised in Iran, Mr. Yomtovian recently released his book Leaving Iran – A Glimpse Into The Persian Mind which details his experiences growing up as a Jew in Iran. He is a frequent speaker on Iranian and Jewish history, Islamic law and the experience of Iranian-American Muslims and Jews.