Daily Times

“One of the components of power is our strategic depth. Presence in the countries of the region and the support of the nations of the region for the Islamic Republic is the strategic depth of the Islamic Republic; the Islamic Republic cannot ignore it; no wise government will. … This broader transborder view, this strategic depth is sometimes even more necessary than the country’s most necessary issues. (Khamenei’s quotes from his site http://farsi.khamenei.ir/speech-content?id=43647 )

Khomeini’s regime does not shy away from interfering in the countries of the region. Military intervention in other countries is one of the pillars of the Iranian regime and its guarantor of survival. Supreme Leader Khamenei had repeatedly said that if we were not to fight in Syria we would have to fight in Kermanshah and Tehran.

Iran’s military intervention during the uprising of the Iraqi people is another example of the mullahs’ day-to-day warmongering policy. Mullah Kazem Fattah Nahavandi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Nahavand, said in last Friday prayer’s sermon: “The current protests in Iraq have a lot in common with the January 2018 protests in Iran …”

His remarks are quite correct that the uprising of the Iraqi people, like the uprising of the Iranian people in 2018, took place primarily in protest to poverty, corruption and unemployment, but that the Iraqi people are not ignorant about the root of this corrupt and deplorable situation of their homeland as a result of the covert occupation of their country by religious dictatorship of the Vali-e-Faqih (Supreme Leader).

This is the same phenomenon that has made the Iraqi people, like the Iranian people, one of the most deprived and impoverished nations in the world, despite their vast wealth. That is why, one of the central slogans of the insurgents is “Al-Shab Yarid Isqat Nezam” (people want to overthrow this regime). The representative of the Vali-e-Faqih in Gonbad, Mahmoud Torabi said: “They diverted the quiet protests of the people to rioting against Hashd-al-Sha’abi and slogans against Iran.”

What has emboldened the Iranian regime in regional interventions and its blind terrorism has been the inaction of the international community

In addition, the Iraqi people are well aware that many who have taken the fate of Iraq are the pawns of the ruling Iranian mullahs’ regime. Iraq is under covert occupation by the Iranian regime. Hence, along with the slogan of the overthrow of the regime, the slogan of “expel the Iranian regime!” is one of the common slogans in all the uprising cities and shows that the slogan of overthrowing the Iraqi regime is synonymous with the regime’s expulsion from Iraq. That is why the regime is in deep concern. Concerned that the revolt of the Iraqi people would also spark a gunpowder barrage of Iranian people’s anger and hatred. And for this reason the Friday’s imam in Damavand and the Supreme Leader representative said more frankly, “If the enemy conspiracy is not repelled, the regime will be in danger.”

Reports from the demonstrations all indicate that the Iranian regime is trying to contain the unrest by its military intervention. Al-Arabiya Farsi service wrote: “Iraqi parliamentarian Ahmed al-Jabouri said Saturday, October 5, 2019, that according to information he had, Soleimani had set up an operation room to assassinate activists and leaders in Baghdad with the help of one of his mercenaries, Haj Hamed, in Baghdad, and with the help of snipers led by this mercenary, he plans and directs the operation to kill peaceful demonstrators and protesters.” What has emboldened the Iranian regime in regional interventions and its blind terrorism has been the inaction of the international community.

Before the suppression of the uprising in Iraq, the Iranian regime once again tried to take the people of the world hostage by attacking the Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, by pressing on the oil market and price, in order to bow down against its terrorism in the world and internal suppression.

Maximum pressure and standing with the Iranian people and their resistance for democratic change is the only way to end this medieval barbarism.

The writer is Iranian human rights activist and analyst based in Europe