Iran’s Mullahs Feeling the Pinch

Selected President Hassan Rouhani’s bellicosity notwithstanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran is on the verge of collapse upon the heads of the despised Mullahs and their emblematic Revolutionary Guards…

Many pundits and experts have speculated that it is just a matter of time before the confrontation between the world and Iran’s Mullahs. Especially, after President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal, which could possibly set off a catastrophic conflagration. The present standoff is bound to change, either by the U.S. use of force to make good on its threat that a nuclear Iran is not acceptable, or the Mullahs will manage to make the unacceptable an accomplished fact.

Although the main adversaries are the U.S. and Iran, much of the world has a huge stake in regard to this potentially catastrophic confrontation. Israel, the Persian Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq as well as nations farther away from the region are both willing and unwilling parties to this unfolding crisis.

The situation is dire indeed. Anyone who believes that sane rational people on both sides are engaged in brinksmanship to secure the best advantage would eventually work out a compromise, is deluding himself. In some cases, time works as a healer and even as a solution to thorny problems. Yet, this problem will not go away, and time would only make the cataclysmic clash more likely and deadly. There is, however, a non-violent solution, without appeasement that offers the best chance to resolve the impasse: change of regime in Iran.

Selected President Hassan Rouhani’s bellicosity notwithstanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran is on the verge of collapse upon the heads of the despised Mullahs and their emblematic Revolutionary Guards, (IRGC). A few pushes from the outside world would serve as the tipping point for long-suffering Iranians to rise and bury the Mullahs in the graveyard they so richly deserve and have made of Iran.

Here are some indicators of how seriously the Islamic Republic is ailing:

*   The $100 barrel of oil is no more. It is down to around $54. Oil money is the Mullahs’ lifeblood. The Mullahs are strapped. They can’t pay the salaries of teachers and other government employees, including their terrorist proxies. Rouhani’s largess to buy and hold his constituency has exacerbated the problem. The Islamic Republic is unable to continue to finance their terrorist clients abroad.

*   The great majority of Iranians are fed up with the misrule of the Islamic Republic and are willing to endure the sanctions. Students, workers, and women’s groups have been in the forefront in their fight with the Islamists. Even among the high-ranking clergy, a significant widespread dissension is surfacing. Ayatollahs in the twin holy cities of Qom and Mashhad, are in trouble. There are pockets of uprisings around the country.

*   Tehran was already quivering under some mild sanctions imposed by the international community over the its nuclear ambition, until President Donald Trump ditched the Obama nuclear deal a year ago and imposed numerous crippling sanctions against the Islamic regime. New tougher sanctions have hit the Iranian oil and metals sectors, as well as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) along with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran’s economy is suffering badly and it is threatening to breach some of the terms of the nuclear agreement it reached with the other major powers.

*   The Islamic Republic finds itself isolated and seeks a way out of this crisis without losing face.  President Trump’s sanctions against Iran have triggered a collapse in economic growth, pushing the Islamic republic into a deep recession and lifting inflation toward 40 per cent or higher. The British Royal Marines seized the supertanker Grace 1 on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that drew Tehran’s fury and could escalate its confrontation with the West.

*   Even after the nuclear deal, the perception was that Iran’s economy will excel. But it backfired. The Rial, Iran’s currency is shaky, the business community is deeply worried, and thousands of contracts remain unsigned due to the uncertainty of what might happen next.

*   Experts predict that hundreds of thousands of Iranian workers will join the already swelled ranks of the unemployed in short order. Senior foreign diplomats report a significant “moderation” in the Mullahs behavior and signs that they wish to get themselves out of the present predicament. Yet Tehran threatens it will increase enrichment because Europe has ‘indirectly violated’ the nuclear deal.

*   Fear of a possible attack by the U.S. has badly shaken the morale of the ruling elite who see their ill-gotten wealth and power in serious jeopardy. The multi-billionaire mullahs, are moving their assets out of the country and transferring it to a safer place.

*   The Islamic Republic is facing serious setbacks in Lebanon, in the Palestinian Territory, in Syria, and even in Iraq. The Mullahs’ attempt to seize power in Lebanon has aroused much of the Lebanese population against them and their proxy, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, is in disarray. The Iraqi thug-cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army, the Mullahs’ mercenary force, face serious problems due to the pressures from the U.S. and Iraqi government.

*   The above is by no means an exhaustive list of troubles the Mullahs face. Yet, they should make us realize that both Rouhani and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his gang are on shaky ground now that the Iranian people in all strata of life in Iran despise them. A nudge here, a nudge there will likely topple the Islamofascist’s regime and save everyone a lot of trouble.

It is both dangerous and unnecessary to attack Iran militarily, nor does the U.S. need to go the route of appeasement with a seriously weak adversary, as the IRI under the rule of the mullahs is now proving itself to be. The most effective and prudent solution is to change the regime in Iran. This idea is hardly new. What is new, however, is a list of non-violent undertakings that holds considerable promise in disposing the homicidal-suicidal Mullahs. Governments should enact the following:

*   Declare unequivocally the commitment to respect the territorial integrity of Iran, as well as the rights of Iranians to decide, through a democratic process, all matters pertaining to their life and their country.

*   Initiate, without delay or equivocation, a comprehensive program of assistance to all democratic Iranian opposition groups, including Mr. Reza Pahlavi who is very popular inside and outside of Iran, in their struggle to accomplish the regime change themselves.

*   Proclaim far and wide, the cardinal reason for taking these measures against the Mullahs’ “Reign of Terror” is to prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons, the threat they pose to the region as well as to the world, and the stimulus they provide for other nations to develop their own nuclear arsenal.

*   Force other countries to enforce even more crippling sanctions by inspecting every vessel headed for Iranian ports to make sure they do not ferry prohibited material. Other than vessels known to be carrying foodstuffs and medicine, each ship should be subjected to an elaborate inspection.

*   We should once again persuade Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and other Persian Gulf Arab oil producers to significantly increase their output and drastically cut the price. It is the least they can do to forestall the emergence of a nuclear Shiite Iran bent on ruling the region.

*   Obtain court orders to freeze the overseas assets of Iranian leaders, since they are clearly ill-gotten funds that rightfully belong to the nation.

*   Shut down, or severely restrict the operation of the Mullahs’ businesses in Dubai and other Persian Gulf states.

*   Shut down Iranian missions. Severely restrict Iranian officials and nuclear scientists from foreign travel. Recall your ambassadors from Iran.

*   Deny the Iranian Airline operation and encourage non-Iranian airlines to cease serving the country.

*   File legal charges against the leaders of the Islamic Republic’s wanton violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; for their crimes against humanity, genocidal actions against religious and political groups; for support of international terrorism; for the demolition of religious sites and cemeteries; for rape, torture, and summary execution of prisoners of conscience; for forgery of documents, for acts of blackmail and fraud, and much more.

*   Declare and treat the clerical regime as illegitimate.

*   Shut down the Islamic Republic’s web sites and block their television and radio broadcasts.

*   Provide Internet & Wi-Fi Access across Iran.

*  Identify the agents of the Islamic Republic and prosecute them as promoters of international terrorism. Investigate individuals and organizations that lobby or front for the Islamic Republic.

*   Take all necessary steps to stop investments in Iran. Persuade banks to refrain from dealing with Iran and the issuance of letters of credit.

*   Pressure businesses to stop dealing with Iran. Warn countries such as China and Russia against commercial adventurism.

In short, the Iran problem is urgent. It is a world problem. A warning to the world: You need to act now. Apathy is sleep. If you sleep, you weep.

© Copyright by Amil Imani, 2019. All rights reserved.

Email Amil: freeamericanpress@yahoo.com