Since 1979, there has been one shining example of steadfast “resistance”: the Islamic Republic of Iran. Interestingly, though, it is actually a theocracy, despite its pretensions about being a republic. It is a bit like the North Korean Kim dynasty pretending to be a “democratic people’s republic” – authoritarians always like to speak and rule on behalf of “the people.” So, this post will be devoted to the ever-glorious “resistance” the Iranian theocracy has been offering the region, since its inception. The fact that most countries in the region consider this Iranian interference or even aggression does not matter.

Zarif at the Doha Forum

One key topic on the agenda at the recent Doha Forum was Israel. The majority of sessions focused on the Jewish state and the discussion concerning Iran was not different. Moderated by Trita Parsi, it included the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, the former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Italian political scientist and former top-level adviser to the European Union Nathalie Tocci. The session was remarkable, because it perfectly demonstrated the Iranian theocracy’s continued obsession with Israel.

Parsi repeatedly wanted to discuss the emerging Israeli threat; Tocci had a few remarks to make about Israel as well; and Budaiwi argued that Israel was acting ridiculously in the region. Indeed, the Palestinians and their supporters were allowed to make appearances in Doha. But while everyone liked to talk about and criticize Israel, the popular topic of conversation could not defend itself, because it is never invited to such gatherings – it does not have to be a government representative, any Israeli expert would have sufficed. The session about Iran, however, was comical, because of the star of the show: Zarif.

Zarif used interesting oratory skills. He shouted, paused for effect regularly, stared at his audience with wide eyes, and gave a brief history lesson about how Iran had been the victim of attacks and occupation for seven millennia. It is true, Iran has suffered from attacks and occupation, but I believe that King Leonidas did not invite the Achaemenid Empire to come to Thermopylae. Anyway, despite multiple challenges Iran is facing, Zarif was certain that anyone in the region could now finally see that Israel was the source of instability. Why, he asked, did Iran need to be blamed for the problems caused by the Jewish state? After all, Iran had no territorial ambitions on its friends in the region.

Ironically, Budaiwi mentioned Israel briefly, but tried to steer the conversation in another direction: the Iranian threat. He requested that Iran address its occupation of three islands claimed by the UAE, that it would stop interfering with Shia minorities in Gulf countries, that it would cease implementing policies that destabilized the region, and that it would refrain from exporting the Islamic revolution. Of course, Zarif would have none of it and it almost descended into bickering between both men. Sometimes, Israel does not factor into regional security concerns, apparently. But Zarif returned to one thing on which the Iranian theocracy continuously prides itself: “resistance.”

Regional “resistance”

According to Zarif, it is rather simple: the United States is always imposing, while the ayatollah regime is always “resisting.” Well, it clearly was resisting Saddam Hussein’s invasion which created the Iran-Iraq War. But, as Pierre Razoux pointed out in his history of the war, it was Iran that contributed to the war’s continuation for many more years. After successfully repelling the Iraqi invasion, it demanded the removal of Saddam Hussein from power, as a condition to end the war. That demand was understandable, yet it also wanted to install an Islamic revolutionary regime, while trying to gain territory as well. Indeed, it launched a massive assault on the city of Basra, carried out by using crude human wave tactics that sacrificed thousands of men. Moreover, it had no qualms sending children into battle, as religious zealotry was used to drive young boys to attack Iraqi positions carrying nothing more than grenades and pistols. And, of course, Hussein used chemical warfare against Iranian forces. It was a brutal war that lasted eight years.

However, after the........

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