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Extending Shadows: The Peril of Khomeinism and Iran’s Quest for Regional Hegemony

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, next to a poster of the Aytaollah Khomeini. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

In an era where the Middle East grapples with the complexities of power dynamics, ideological strife, and the quest for stability, the recent declarations by Yahya Safavi, a key figure within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, cast a long shadow over the prospects for peace in the region.

Safavi’s pronouncement of Iran’s intention to extend its strategic depth by 5,000 kilometers to encompass the Mediterranean Sea is not just an ambitious strategic objective; it’s a testament to a broader, more insidious ideology that has been the cornerstone of the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy since its inception — Khomeinism.

This ideology, named after its progenitor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, marries religious fervor with political power, advocating for the export of its revolutionary principles beyond Iran’s borders. Under this paradigm, the IRGC, a formidable military and political entity, has been the spearhead of Tehran’s efforts to assert its influence across the Middle East, often at the expense of regional security and stability.

Iran’s support for more than 11 major terrorist proxy groups across the Middle East is a clear manifestation of this ideology in action. By leveraging these groups, the Iranian regime aims not merely to spread a particular interpretation of Islam, but to reconfigure the geopolitical landscape in favor of a Shiite hegemony under Tehran’s aegis. This grand vision of establishing a Shiite empire, ostensibly to revitalize an Islamic Caliphate, is inherently expansionist, and aggressively challenges the status quo, pitting Iran against both regional powers and the broader international community.

Safavi’s remarks reveal a nuanced understanding and strategic approach to warfare, blending traditional military tactics with asymmetric warfare. The focus on strategic maritime and aerial points such as the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea suggests a deliberate plan to control vital international shipping lanes and airspace, posing a direct threat to global commerce and security. This ambition for maritime and aerial dominance underscores a readiness to engage in future conflicts that could have far-reaching consequences for international peace and stability.

The problematic nature of Khomeinism lies in its fusion of religious doctrine with statecraft, imbuing Iran’s regional ambitions with a sense of divine mandate. This not only justifies the regime’s actions in its eyes, but also complicates diplomatic engagements and conflict resolution efforts. The ideological indoctrination emphasized in institutions like the Imam Hossein University, where faith and loyalty to the revolutionary ideals of Khomeini and Khamenei are paramount, perpetuates a cycle of militancy and radicalism that is difficult to break.

This destructive ideology, with its roots in Khomeinism, represents a significant challenge to the international order. It not only fuels sectarian divides and proxy wars, but also emboldens Iran’s quest for regional dominance, often at the expense of human rights, democracy, and regional peace. The international community must recognize the profound implications of this ideology, which seeks to reshape the Middle East through a combination of religious zealotry and military might.

Addressing the challenges posed by Khomeinism requires a concerted international effort to contain Iran’s expansionist ambitions while fostering dialogue and reconciliation among the region’s diverse religious and ethnic groups. It is crucial to support avenues for peaceful resolution of conflicts, promote governance models that respect human rights and diversity, and counteract the spread of radical ideologies. Only through a collective and nuanced approach can the international community hope to mitigate the destabilizing effects of Khomeinism, and pave the way for a more stable and peaceful Middle East.

Erfan Fard is a counter-terrorism analyst and Middle East Studies researcher based in Washington, D.C. He focuses on Middle Eastern regional security affairs, with a particular emphasis on Iran, counter-terrorism, IRGC, MOIS, and ethnic conflicts in MENA. Erfan is a Jewish Kurd of Iran, and he is fluent in Persian, Kurdish, Arabic, and English. Follow him from this twitter account @EQFARD.

The post Extending Shadows: The Peril of Khomeinism and Iran’s Quest for Regional Hegemony first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd

Magdeburg Christmas market, December 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang

i24 NewsA suspected terrorist plowed a vehicle into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, west of the capital Berlin, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.

Local police confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national born in 1974 and acting alone.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the incident, saying that “reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

Police declined to give casualty numbers, confirming only a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.

The post Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister

A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo

Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.

Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria’s revolution, the source said.

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed “the form of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.

Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.

Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.

Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.

Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”

Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the rebels’ Idlib government, the General Command said.

Sharaa’s group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.

Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.

Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.

Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.

The post Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Sweden Ends Funding for UNRWA, Pledges to Seek Other Aid Channels

View of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash90.

i24 NewsSweden will no longer fund the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) and will instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels, the Scandinavian country said on Friday.

The decision comes on the heels of multiple revelations regarding the agency’s employees’ involvement in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.

Sweden’s decision was in response to the Israeli ban, as it will make channeling aid via the agency more difficult, the country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, said.

“Large parts of UNRWA’s operations in Gaza are either going to be severely weakened or completely impossible,” Dousa said. “For the government, the most important thing is that support gets through.”

The Palestinian embassy in Stockholm said in a statement: “We reject the idea of finding alternatives to UNRWA, which has a special mandate to provide services to Palestinian refugees.”

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel thanked Dousa for a meeting they had this week and for Sweden’s decision to drop its support for UNRWA.

“There are worthy and viable alternatives for humanitarian aid, and I appreciate the willingness to listen and adopt a different approach,” she said.

The post Sweden Ends Funding for UNRWA, Pledges to Seek Other Aid Channels first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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