In the wake of Israel’s remarkable attack on nuclear facilities, military and other strategic targets, and leaders of the Islamic Republic regime in Iran, I have received many questions about the situation, informally from people on social media, and in a variety of media interviews. Allow me to share some important background and perspective.

Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran was a monarchy under the Pahlavi dynasty, with Reza Shah (1925–1941) remembered as a respected modernizer who fostered ties with nations like Israel and the United States. His deposition in 1941, orchestrated by Allied forces, marked a turning point. Following World War II, the rise of the Soviet-backed Tudeh Party, a communist organization, attracted many students and intellectuals. By 1953, nationalist movements led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, supported by communist factions, attempted a coup against Reza Shah’s son and successor, Mohammad Reza Shah. This coup was thwarted with CIA and MI6 assistance, preserving the monarchy.

The 1970s witnessed growing dissent among youth, fueled by Marxist and leftist groups like the Fedaiyan-e-Khalq and the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), which blended Islam and Marxism. These groups, alongside radical Islamists, orchestrated riots and guerrilla activities against the Shah. In 1979, with the instigation of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a coalition of leftists, Islamists, and mullahs overthrew the monarchy, establishing the Islamic Republic. Khomeini’s regime swiftly consolidated power, creating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to suppress dissent and export revolutionary ideology. The regime’s early years were marked by brutal purges of anyone the Islamic regime perceived as a threat.........

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