The mirage of Iran’s ‘moderates’

The victory of Masoud Pezeshkian about Saeed Khalili in the second round of the presidential elections in Iran has rekindled hope in European chancelleries and in Washington that a new positive phase of relations between the Islamic Republic and the West can be opened. A few analysts, who are between naive, well-intentioned and unaware of the true nature of the Iranian regime – among them the former foreign minister Ana de Palaciousually lucid in her analyses – have rushed to celebrate Pezeshkian’s success at the polls, highlighting his academic and critical profile compared to the clerical and intransigent of his rival. These optimistic voices have even gone so far as to affirm that with the new Iranian president there is a high probability that the situation in the Middle East will significantly reverse itself and the door will be opened to a two-state solution for the definitive pacification of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Holy innocence and may God preserve their sight.

In Iran, an extractive, corrupt, totalitarian and criminal oligarchy rules with an iron fist, made up of the Revolutionary Guard, the Basij militias and the Shiite clerics, headed with absolute power by the religious Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

A simple detail reveals to what extent Western democracies have a wrong idea of ​​events in Iran. The media and “experts” on international affairs accept official figures for participation in both parliamentary and presidential elections when they are absolutely false and reflect a majority rejection of the iniquitous regime that oppresses them by Iranians to a much greater degree than is perceived in our latitudes. In the last parliamentary elections, held in March, the majority of Iranians rejected the iniquitous regime that oppresses them. Internal resistance controlled almost two thousand polling stations The survey was conducted throughout the country in large cities, medium-sized towns and rural areas in all provinces, yielding a very precise estimate of the number of voters, which turned out to be 8% of the census, nothing like the 40% provided by the authorities. In the first round of the recent presidential elections, the number of polling stations observed by the underground opposition was even higher and their measure of turnout was 12%, which makes the official figure of 39% a pure fantasy. Of course, the 50% in the second round publicized by the ayatollahs is another invention that we will meekly swallow here.

In Iran, an extractive, corrupt, totalitarian and criminal oligarchy rules with an iron fist, made up of the Revolutionary Guard, the Basij militias and the Shiite clerics, headed by the religious Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who directs foreign and security policy, decides how oil revenues are distributed and without his consent not a leaf is moved. The role of the President of the Republic is secondary and if he dared to challenge the Supreme Leader he would end up in prison or on the gallows. Therefore, Poor Pezeshkian will face bitter days if he dares to introduce any far-reaching changes.

A gang of torturers and thieves

The fact that the Guardian Council, the voice of its master, has allowed a soft-profile presidential candidate does not reflect any reformist will on the part of the ruling stratum, but rather a way of deceiving the West, of alleviating some internal pressure and of pretend that the system is democratic when it constitutes a theocratic dictatorship of unparalleled cruelty and intransigence. The regime’s program remains unchanged: equip itself with nuclear weapons, destroy Israel, weaken the West, establish itself as the hegemonic power in the Near and Middle East, liquidate the internal and exiled resistance and subjugate the Iranian people through terror. While in the White House and in the European capitals they do not understand this harsh, but inevitable reality, Iranian citizens will continue to suffer poverty under the inquisitorial yoke of a gang of torturers, thieves and murderers, Israel will continue to be besieged and Hamas, Hezbollah and other Tehran franchises will run riot, spreading instability and violence. Negotiation and appeasement do not work with implacable and fanatical enemies; only firmness and determination produce results and stop them. Anyway, let’s dream that Pezeshkian’s arrival will improve things until the next slap in the face leaves us looking like fools again.