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The Mullahs’ Psychological Gamble: A Mind Game Against Israel and Iranians
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with a group of students in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 2, 2022. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
In this era of pronounced geopolitical volatility, the Middle Eastern theatre is poised at a juncture full of apprehension and indeterminacy. Now, a discernible escalation in psychological warfare is underway, spearheaded by Iran’s theocratic elite, who appear resolute in their quest to amplify regional discord.
The populations of Iran and Israel find themselves ensnared in this maelstrom. Within Iran, a palpable tension pervades, as citizens — encumbered by the specter of imminent conflict — grapple with an overarching fear of their collective destiny. Central to this crisis are the clerical overseers of Iran, whose machinations have not only imperiled regional equilibrium, but have also flirted with catastrophe.
The Iranian leadership’s tripartite strategy of missile deployments, the instigation of surrogate militant entities, and the orchestration of a vehement informational offensive, betrays a regime more preoccupied with the preservation of its facade than the attainment of authentic triumphs. Such maneuvers, indicative of a regime ostracized and denounced on the global stage, betray a desperate adherence to power.
The tumult is exacerbated by the intricate ballet of international relations. Notwithstanding the erstwhile Soviet dominion over Iran’s military stratagem, Tehran’s prevailing motive remains the perpetuation of the clerical hegemony, an intent that the United States appears to reciprocate ambiguously. Across successive administrations, the US has exhibited hesitance towards advocating for a regime transition, preferring instead to navigate a precarious liaison with a government that has sustained a legacy of terror and subjugation for more than four decades. Such US inertia has only served to embolden the clerical regime, thereby aggravating regional volatility.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s ideological crusade, anchored in the doctrines of Khomeinism, represents an existential menace to Israel — but also to the very fabric of global peace and equilibrium. Iran appears poised to strike Israel directly, putting not only the Jewish State, but the entire world in danger of a growing conflict.
The exodus of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi signified the dawn of a period in Iran characterized by tumult and conflict. Through its unyielding quest for conflict and disorder, the clerical regime not only alienates itself internationally but also imperils Iran’s future.
However, in the event of an Israeli reprisal, it remains unknown if the Iranian citizenry would rally behind their government, particularly given the regime’s notorious history of domestic oppression — which is starkly divergent from the democratic and peaceful aspirations of the majority.
Yet, as the shadow of conflict between Israel, Iran, and the West becomes increasingly palpable, the global collective remains fragmented on the issue of Islamic militancy, unlike the unity that dismantled apartheid and communism.
Iran, seemingly heedless of the dire consequences, appears intent on intensifying tensions. In this somber narrative, the clerical regime emerges as the architect of its own undoing, clinging to authority through a campaign of intimidation and subjugation, even as its actions seed the eventual collapse.
As we bear witness to this unfolding calamity, one truth persists: the indomitable spirit of the Iranian people, undeterred by decades of despotism. Their quest for liberation stands as a beacon of hope in a region overshadowed by conflict. It is this undying spirit that ultimately heralds a future not delineated by the whims of tyrants, but by the collective aspiration of a populace yearning for tranquility, stability, and prosperity.
Erfan Fard is a counterterrorism analyst and Middle East Studies researcher based in Washington, DC. Twitter@EQFARD.
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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