Leaders
As of late 2020, Ayatollah Khamenei remains committed to his vision of Iran’s “new civilization,” regularly inveighing against alleged American-Jewish conspiracies. In September 2020, the aged ayatollah tweeted to the world that Arab states seeking peace with Israel are doing so under the pressure of “Israelis & filthy Zionist agents of the U.S.—such as the Jewish member of Trump’s family—with the utmost cruelty against the interests of the World of Islam.” In Iran, the media and the Guards refer to the supreme leader as the “guardian of the Muslim world.” He speaks of transforming the Guards into a large international force to implement Islamic law and destroy Western influence. United States leaders are concerned that Iran is doing just that.
In November 2018, U.S. envoy James Jeffrey warned that Iran would create a Shia version of the Islamic State to conquer Iraq if given the chance. In death, Soleimani still commands Olympian status among the world’s Shia. In late 2019, he told President Trump, “If you cross our red line, we will destroy you. We will not leave any move unanswered.” But he was destroyed several months later and received the martyr status he repeatedly requested. The Guards’ Enemies List. The United States remains atop Iran’s enemy list and is likely to stay there indefinitely.
Periodically, Iranian leaders assure Western audiences that they have no quarrel with Americans. Ayatollah Khamenei explained that “Death to America” refers to opposition to American policies, not a wish for the country’s destruction. “The aim of the slogan is not death to the American people. The slogan means death to U.S. policies and arrogance.” But some observers are skeptical and point to the often-repeated Guards-run press characterizations of Westerners as greedy, aggressive, unsophisticated, superficial, and intent on destroying Islam. Prominent Americans who disparage the United States continue to receive warm receptions in Iran. During a solidarity trip to Iran, Louis Farrakhan chanted “Death to America” and declared that “America has never been a democracy.” Academic leftists toast Hezbollah fellow travelers for the pursuit of social justice. Some speak of an American “neo-conservative” plot to take the United States to war against Iran.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has demanded that Iran abandon its nuclear weapons program, shutter its heavy-water reactor, and open all nuclear facilities to international inspection. Iran must also abandon its ballistic-missile program and end its support for Middle Eastern terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It must halt support for the Houthi militia, pull out of Syria, and stop arming the Taliban. Iran must cease harboring al Qaeda leaders. As of this writing, there is no evidence that Iran will comply with the secretary’s demands. Former Guards leader Safavi has declared that the conflict between Iran and the United States is ideological and fundamental.
Some observers are convinced that Iran will continue seeking means and places to attack the United States. The Guards’ long reach extends worldwide, including the United States. In August 2018, two Iranian men were indicted for conducting surveillance at a Jewish facility in Chicago and gathering information on supporters of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq. Iran continues to court the leaders of the Green-Red Axis, who offer sympathetic accounts of controversial issues. Code Pink announced it would send a “peace delegation” to Iran to help “move our two nations from a place of hostility and military threats to a place of mutual respect and peace with one another.”
The Guards and the moi also continue to engage in espionage abroad. In 2019, German prosecutors charged an army linguist with knowledge of German military operations in Afghanistan with passing secrets to what they called “Iranian intelligence.” In response to this and other Iranian intelligence activities, the European Union placed several Iranians on its terrorist list and froze their financial assets.
Israel and Saudi Arabia
In November 2018, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that Israel was a “cancerous tumor” that must be “removed and eradicated.” Khamenei had previously branded Israel the “sinister, unclean rabid dog of the region.” He blamed “Zionists” for the anti-government demonstrations across Iran. Iranian leaders continue to promise to eliminate Israel from the map. Iran hopes to encircle Israel with proxies that control thousands of missiles and saturate its cities with bombs. In response, Israel’s defense chief has warned that his country will seek to “destroy any Iranian military presence” in Syria.
Iran has attacked Israeli and Jewish targets in the past, and some countries have warned Iran that they suspect the Guards have further lethal designs. Germany admonished Iran to stop surveilling individuals or groups, particularly Israelis. For example, the Guards were caught gathering intelligence on the former head of the German-Israel Friendship Society. Iranian leaders have not warmed to Saudi Arabia, and both countries compete for influence in the Middle East, notably in Yemen. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran after the execution of a Shia cleric sparked outrage among Shia across the Middle East. Saudi Arabia welcomed President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but is less enthusiastic about his December 2018 pledge to pull U.S. troops from the Middle East.
