OPINION: Empowering Iranians: a non-military solution for Israel’s security
Iranians, who have already demonstrated their bravery in fighting the brutal regime, must be empowered to topple the regime in Tehran without a single shot needing to be fired.
It’s believed chess was developed in Iran and checkmate is derived from the Persian ‘Shah-Matt’, meaning, ‘The King is helpless’.
Since the unprecedented attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic, the state of Israel found itself in a predicament. To strike back or hold fire.
Despite calls for restraint from the West, Israel launched a retaliatory strike against the Islamic Republic. As expected, the IDF targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a para-military force supporting the dictators in Iran as well as aiding and funding proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
It is widely known that many in Iran stand against the theocratic dictatorship of the Islamic Republic and the vast majority want a regime change. The precision strikes resulted in no collateral civilian casualties or damages to the civilian infrastructure. Anything less would have played into the hands of Tehran.
The Islamic Republic has downplayed the Israeli retaliation claiming initially that all drones and missiles were intercepted, only later to admit that some missiles struck an airbase but resulted in no damages.
Tehran had stated that their revenge attack on Israel had ‘concluded matters’ and their attempt to downplay Israel’s retaliation may be an indication that the Islamic Republic does not have an appetite for further escalation at this time.
However, there is now an opportunity for the hardliners in the IRGC to demand action against the Jewish state either by another round of direct engagement or an escalation through one of the many proxies funded and supplied by the IRGC.
Israel may find that the Iranian counterstrikes may not be as forgiving as the first strike. Perhaps the Islamic Republic sent the slow-flying drones to test the best routes into Israel and observe the coordinated response of the IDF and her allies. Rumours from Iran suggest that many of the drones were unarmed.
For the last four decades, the Islamic Republic has been steadfast in calling for the destruction of Israel. A no-response by Israel would have bolstered the hopes and aspirations of Tehran and its proxies that Israel is not invincible and would eventually be defeated and destroyed.
A military strike against Iran will certainly escalate the conflict. A war of attrition will be costly. If Israel had failed to strike back, her sworn enemies would have seen this as a sign of weakness and indecisiveness, paving the way for further attacks.
However, none of the above scenarios will permanently resolve the threat faced by Israel and the free world. The attack against the Islamic Republic will, with regret, not force a regime change. A non-response would have emboldened the regime in Tehran. The regime will survive regardless, a possible checkmate!
The Islamic Republic is unpopular with nearly all Iranians. The regime has plundered the economy and our environment. Tens of thousands of Iranians have been executed and an untold number have been imprisoned, tortured, and raped.
Multiple uprisings by unarmed civilians have been ruthlessly crushed, resulting in thousands of deaths. The very young have been targeted by death squads and snipers and many teenage girls were systematically raped. The savagery of the regime’s response to the national uprising in September 2022 was so brutal and inhumane that a U.N. fact-finding mission charged the Islamic Republic with crimes against humanity.
The Islamic Republic is responsible for the spread of terror and hate in the Near East and beyond. This includes kidnapping, assassinations and sea piracy.
Yet, despite the unacceptable and threatening actions of a rogue terrorist state, the Western democracies are desperately attempting to appease a regime that murders, executes, and rapes its civilians and has dedicated its existence to the demise and destruction of Israel.
It is of grave concern that Western diplomats have failed to reflect on the consequences resulting from the appeasement afforded to Hitler’s Germany.
Israel may need to think ‘outside the box’ and consider a solution that will guarantee the safety and security of the nation.
By empowering the Iranian people through maximum support and by encouraging the Western democracies to stand firm with their principles of freedom and Human Rights, the Islamic Republic will be isolated economically. The empowered Iranians, who have already demonstrated their bravery in fighting the brutal regime, will without doubt and hesitation topple the regime in Tehran without a single shot having to be fired by Israel or her allies.
Without the support of Israel, the Islamic Republic will survive to the detriment of Iran, the Iranians as well as Israel. A nuclear-armed Islamic Republic may truly be an international checkmate.
- The Association of Iranian Human Rights and Allies is a non-profit organization based in the UK
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