Don Quixotic and ineffective Tehran
WE heard the speech that Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khomaini delivered to the Iranian Army officials a few days ago, during which he explained the historic slogan, “Death to America.” This reminds me of a famous incident involving Egyptian Prime Minister Al-Nihas Bash in the 1940s. At the time, his opponents described him as ‘Tartur’ (ineffective). They claimed that he was being controlled by his wife and that his wife was the actual prime minister, not him.
Because of this, he delivered a speech on this issue. He asserted: “They are saying that I am ‘Tartur.’” Immediately his MPs chanted: “Long live ‘Tartur.’” Then he continued: “But I am not Tartur.” They responded: “May Tartur fall.”
Over the past four decades, Iran has been raising the slogan, “Death to America … death to Israel.” When negotiations on the nuclear agreement started, the first measure it took was remove banners on the streets bearing such a slogan. But when the US withdrew from the agreement, the banners started flying again.
This demonstrates that the Mullah regime, led by its supreme leader, has no slogan other than the one it used to fight against the US and Israel. This happened at a time the Israeli military planes were bombarding Iranian forces in Syria daily. Iran did not dare retaliate. Instead, it resorted to yelling, threatening and transferring its weapons depot from Damascus Airport to Homs; whereas its puppet in Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened to annihilate the Israeli Army in any confrontation. He said all this while hiding in the basements in Dahieh, South Beirut.
Nasrallah is not different from the Iranian leaders who are living the Don Quixotic life but he is at an unprecedented level.
They have filled the world with slogans of challenge and resistance such as “world bully” and “transforming the White House into Husseiniya.” They have never confronted an America soldier or fired a single bullet at Israel.
Head of the Revolutionary Guard Muhammad Ali Jafari resorted to the occupied islands of the United Arab Emirates where he threatened the neighboring countries, the US and Israel.
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Muhammad Jawad Zaref denied that Iran’s leaders said they will wipe Israel from the map, exactly as he did in his interview in the French newspaper, ‘Le Point,’ about two months ago.
The regime in Iran is in confrontation with the US and Israel based on the principle: “Hit us hard and we will insult you hard;” given that the country continues to incur losses in Yemen, Syria and Iraq. Despite that, its supreme leader is not ashamed to threaten to wipe the US nose on the ground. The political schizophrenia of the Mullah regime and the terrorism it has been carrying out for the past four decades were the bases of its isolation globally.
Iran should have looked at issues from a realistic point of view, such as its internal conditions and the growing anger of its people. It should look for ways to rescue itself from the choking crisis which these people are feeding on through such slogans.
Unfortunately, some are chanting behind Iran in whatever slogan it comes up with, exactly as it happened with Al-Nihas Basha. Instead of a single Tartur, there are hundreds of Tarturs in Tehran even if they try to appear like peacocks.