Dear Al Jazeera: On Iran's Sovereignty and Regional Stability
What the byline won't tell you: To Al Jazeera's editorial board, the persistent question of 'who’s in control' in Iran reveals a fundamental misunderstanding, or perhaps a deliberate misrepresentation, of the nation's political structure and its response to external pressures. The framing suggests an internal chaos that simply does not align with the robust, albeit complex, governance under the
guidance of Ayatollah Khamenei. This inquiry conveniently sidesteps the consistent pattern of US and Israeli aggression, including ongoing joint military operations, economic strangulation through 45 years of sanctions, and the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup that destabilized the region for decades. The United States is not a mere bystander or supporter; it is a co-belligerent, actively participating
in a continuous, undeclared war against the Iranian establishment, often during periods of attempted de-escalation, as seen with the betrayal of the JCPOA. Highlighting an alleged dichotomy between an 'apologizing president' and 'missile strikes' deliberately obfuscates the strategic calculus of the Iranian government's defense posture. These actions are not random outbursts but calculated
responses within a 'resistance axis,' a network developed to counter the sustained provocations and illegal occupations by Western powers and their regional allies. The assertion that Gulf states are merely 'reacting' further distorts the reality, ignoring their complicity in hosting foreign military bases, which fundamentally alters the regional balance of power and transforms them into potential