Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the whole shebang, By Osmund Agbo

In the land where the Zagros Mountains meet the horizon and vast deserts tell tales of ancient times lies a country historically known as Persia. Its history weaves the rich mosaic of human civilization. From its very inception, Iran has stood as a cradle of culture, intellect, and empire. The ancient Persians, through the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires, were pioneers in science, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy, contributing invaluable advancements to the world.

The Islamic conquest in the 7th century introduced Islam and integrated Iran into the Islamic caliphate, fostering a golden age of Persian culture and learning under the Abbasid Caliphate. The Safavid Dynasty later established Shia Islam as the state religion, shaping Iran’s distinct identity. In the modern era, the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties faced internal strife and external pressures, culminating in the 1979 Iranian Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini, which established the Islamic Republic.

Iran, though predominantly Shia Muslim, is a country of significant ethnic and religious diversity, reflecting its long history as a crossroads of civilizations. The population includes various ethnicities and religious communities such as Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and Bahá’ís, each contributing to Iran’s rich cultural tapestry.

Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest Jewish communities, dating back over 2,500 years. According to tradition, the Jewish population in Iran began with the Babylonian Exile when the Persian King Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland in Israel, though many chose to stay in Persia (modern-day Iran). Although many Jews emigrated after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a substantial community remains, primarily in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. Despite facing challenges, Iranian Jews have been well integrated into society and have played a vital role in the country’s cultural and economic development.

The relationship between Israel, the Jewish state, and Iran hasn’t always been as hostile as it is today. In fact, under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran and Israel maintained a pragmatic relationship. The two nations engaged in economic and military cooperation, sharing concerns about the rise of Arab nationalism and Soviet influence in the region. However, the 1979 Iranian Revolution dramatically altered this dynamic.

The roots of Iran’s conflict with Israel trace back to the aftermath of World War II. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, amidst significant Arab opposition, set the stage for regional tension. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian Revolution, espoused a fervent anti-Israel stance, branding Israel as the “Little Satan” and a usurper of Palestinian lands. This ideological shift was rooted in a blend of religious conviction and political strategy, as Iran sought to position itself as a leader of the Islamic world and a champion of Palestinian rights. Support for militant groups opposing Israel, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, became a cornerstone of Iran’s foreign policy, escalating tensions even further.

Iran’s use of proxy groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthi rebels has been a key strategy to extend its influence across the Middle East and counter its regional rivals, particularly Israel and Saudi Arabia. These groups, despite operating in different contexts, share ideological alignment and substantial support from Tehran, including financial aid, advanced weaponry, and military training.

Hezbollah, based in Lebanon and established in the 1980s with Iranian support, has grown into a powerful political and military force capable of significant influence in Lebanon and the broader Levant region. It serves as a strategic tool for Iran against Israeli interests and participates in conflicts like the Syrian Civil War.

Similarly, Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni-Islamist militant organization governing the Gaza Strip, receives financial and military support from Iran despite the Sunni-Shia divide, united in their opposition to Israel. Iran’s backing enables Hamas to conduct attacks against Israel, including rocket fire and tunnel warfare.

In Yemen, the Houthi rebels, a Shia Zaidi group, have been engaged in a civil war against the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition since 2014. Supported by Iran with weapons, training, and financial assistance, the Houthis carry out attacks against Saudi Arabia, aiming to expand Iranian influence on the Arabian Peninsula and weaken Saudi power. Through these proxies, Iran projects its power and influence across the Middle East, challenging its adversaries and creating strategic depth in regional conflicts.

Additionally, Iran leverages media and propaganda to spread anti-Israel and anti-U.S. narratives, seeking to sway public opinion and turn Middle Eastern populations against U.S. policies. Iran also exploits regional conflicts and opposes peace efforts, such as the Abraham Accords, to prevent the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states.

By portraying Israel and the U.S. as destabilizing forces and positioning itself as a defender of the oppressed, particularly Palestinians, Iran seeks to gain favor with Arab and Muslim populations. This multifaceted approach is designed to create a regional environment where Israel is diplomatically isolated and anti-U.S. sentiment is strong, thereby increasing its influence in the Middle East.

But Tehran’s territorial ambitions in the region have come at a tremendous cost. Aside from its economy being crushed by crippling economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies, Tel Aviv has not taken the threat posed by Tehran lightly. Backed by its “big brother” America, the Jewish state has engaged in far-reaching, multi-pronged overt and covert operations, launching a series of attacks against Tehran. Iran has become a testing laboratory for the cutting-edge spy tools and game-changing military technologies of the U.S. and Israel.

Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear bomb has long been one of the most contentious issues, fiercely opposed by both the U.S. and Israel. For Israel, the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran represents an existential threat, prompting an all-out campaign to derail Tehran’s efforts.

In 2010, it was widely believed that the United States and Israel developed a highly sophisticated and malicious computer worm, later named Stuxnet, as a cyber weapon to target and disrupt Iran’s nuclear program, specifically its uranium enrichment facilities. The worm’s payload disrupted the operation of the centrifuges used in uranium enrichment by subtly altering their rotational speed. The software caused the centrifuges to spin at dangerously high speeds until they crashed, all while reporting normal operations to monitoring systems, making it difficult for operators to detect the sabotage. Stuxnet, for the first time, demonstrated the potential for malware to cause physical damage to critical infrastructure.

In 2020, Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated using an AI-assisted, remote-controlled killer robot. To date, Israel has assassinated more than a dozen nuclear scientists and military commanders, both inside and outside of Iran. The most recent was the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s top political leader, in a compound heavily guarded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in Tehran.

These attacks are not limited to military personnel and formations but also include the sabotage of Iran’s infrastructure. In February of this year, major gas pipelines in Iran were blown up, causing widespread disruption in the flow of heating and cooking gas to several provinces, affecting millions of people. Israel has also carried out cyberattacks that disabled servers belonging to Iran’s oil ministry, causing chaos at gas stations nationwide.

Iran has reeled after each attack, which it views as a national embarrassment, pledging to find the culprits. It has announced multiple times that it has uncovered Israeli spy networks, but this has neither reduced the frequency nor the audacity of Israeli attacks.

I hear all the chatter about the looming threat of World War III, the heated propaganda wars, and the reckless brinkmanship, but I remain unfazed. I’ve seen enough to recognise the bravado for what it is. Yet, one can’t help but grieve for the innocent lives lost — the men killed, the children orphaned, and the women widowed in this grim dance of death. What worries me most is how the world seems to repeatedly bow to the cheap blackmail of the military-industrial complex.

This shadowy group manipulates world leaders into pouring money into military arsenals while urgent global humanitarian crises are left to fester. But despite all the posturing, neither Biden nor the Ayatollah truly hunger for war.

Let’s be real — no nation understands the limitless capabilities of the United States better than Iran. America’s reach extends far beyond its famed military might. On the flip side, Washington is acutely aware of the American public’s reluctance to plunge into another endless Middle Eastern war, especially after the disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The ongoing conflict is fueled in part by the egos of these nations’ leaders, who often prioritise their personal and political interests over the well-being of their countries. Leaders on both the Israeli and Iranian sides have, at times, taken actions that escalate tensions, not necessarily because these actions are in the best interest of their countries, but because they serve to bolster their political standing, reinforce their power, or appeal to their hardline supporters. These decisions, driven by pride, ideology, or a desire to project strength, can lead to military confrontations, economic sanctions, and diplomatic rifts that have long-lasting negative impacts.

Unfortunately, it is the ordinary men, women, and children who bear the brunt of these ego-driven conflicts. Civilians suffer the consequences of leaders’ choices through economic hardship, loss of lives, displacement, and a constant state of insecurity. While these leaders may gain short-term political advantages, the broader population faces the enduring pain and suffering caused by these power struggles, creating a cycle of violence and resentment that perpetuates the conflict. Anyone praying and hoping for a lasting peace to materialize in the Middle East should wait till hell freezes over.

Osmund Agbo is the author of Black Grit, White Knuckles: The Philosophy of Black Renaissance and a fiction work titled The Velvet Court: Courtesan Chronicles. His latest works, Pray, Let the Shaman Die and Ma’am, I Do Not Come to You for Love, have just been released.