The Shi’ite Islamic Republic of Iran is not merely a regional troublemaker – it is a radical, ideologically driven regime that poses one of the gravest threats to global stability in the 21st century.
Despite mounting evidence of its malign behavior, from state-sponsored terrorism to nuclear ambitions, key sectors of the American security establishment still underestimate the regime’s strategic goals and the theological fervor that drives them.
As recent hearings in the US Senate’s Security Committee reveal, a dangerous misreading persists: that Tehran’s rulers operate like rational state actors. This flawed assumption ignores over four decades of history, during which the regime has relentlessly pursued destabilization, terror, and the destruction of its declared enemies – chief among them, the United States and Israel.
On Tuesday, March 25, during a session of the US Senate’s Security Committee, senior American intelligence and the nation’s top two spy chiefs convened to address a range of questions. The US Intelligence Community’s annual threat assessment for 2025 was also released Tuesday.
Regrettably, one persistent oversight was the apparent failure to fully grasp the doctrine of Khomeinism and the mindset governing Tehran’s rulers. The United States continues to mistakenly view this regime as a rational entity, akin to other conventional players in the arena of international relations.
Throughout the discussions, it became clear that the Tehran regime persists as a formidable threat to America’s allies in the Middle East – a regime relentlessly committed to a doctrine of destruction, devastation, terrorism, aggression, and bloodshed.
The Islamic Republic continues to expand its missile capabilities and nuclear program, seeking to extend its regional influence and exacerbate challenges for Israel and the United States. In the ongoing conflict with Israel, the Iranian regime has suffered a series of consecutive defeats, leaving it significantly weakened and vulnerable.
Nonetheless, gratitude is due to Israel for delivering a staggering blow to the Revolutionary Guards’ defense and anti-aircraft systems – a blow so severe that it cannot be reversed. However, their ballistic and cruise missiles remain active, stored in underground warehouses, ready to be launched at any moment. Over the past year, the Islamic Republic has been exposed and humiliated on the global stage, revealing that its threats are mere bluffs without substantive military capability.
Naivety on Tehran's goals
Regrettably, some American security officials harbor the unrealistic belief that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is neither pursuing a nuclear weapon nor seeking to initiate conflict. This reflects a profound misunderstanding of the Islamic Republic’s history and its penchant for aggression and terrorism.
Khamenei’s longstanding desire has been the annihilation of Israel, a goal that would undoubtedly be pursued more aggressively should he acquire nuclear capabilities. If one doubts this intent, they severely underestimate the nature of dictatorships.
Khamenei’s uranium enrichment is not for civilian purposes, like powering lights or manufacturing toothpaste; it is aimed squarely at arming global Islamic terrorists. The persistent naivete toward the regime’s true ambitions, a mindset that first emerged in 1979, unwittingly unleashed a formidable threat and pushed Iran closer into Russia’s sphere of influence. This misperception must end now.
THE ISLAMIC caliphate, underpinned by religious tyranny, continues to thrive in Tehran, actively fostering and disseminating radical anti-Western sentiments and Khomeinist ideology. Alarmingly, this doctrine also finds its way into American media, further spreading its influence beyond Iran’s borders.
Another serious threat, which security matters prefer not to discuss openly, involves sleeper terrorist cells within American soil. Under the guise of charitable foundations, Shi’ite educational centers, Islamic centers in mosques, university professors, media experts, notorious lobbies, and more, these cells are constantly engaged in covert operations, the full extent of which remains unclear.
The transnational terror networks of the Islamic Republic are not something that can be overlooked or conservatively swept under the rug. Instead, it must be openly stated how crucial it is that such matters be exposed at this time.
The Islamic Republic continues to maneuver around America’s efforts to broaden sanctions. Russophiles within the regime have effectively transformed the nation into a satellite of Russia and China. Together with Russia, China, and North Korea, the Islamic Republic forms a principal axis of evil, holding the security of America and the broader world at ransom. Moreover, the Islamic Republic continues to inflict harm on both Israelis and Americans.
Yet, under the watchful eyes of these very American intelligence and security institutions, the Islamic Republic maintains complex and multilayered dealings with terrorist organizations and criminal cartels in Africa and Latin America. Given this context, reducing tensions, engaging seriously, and negotiating meaningfully with such a rogue regime is implausible, let alone achieving peaceful coexistence in the arena of international relations.
It is painfully apparent from this censored and restricted security report that there is likely no genuine desire or will to robustly confront the Islamic Republic – a regime that deliberately widens the gap in global security through its intrinsic ties with jihadist terrorist groups. This regime’s lethal missile and drone capabilities, perilous nuclear arms development, and extensive terrorism network only escalate crises further.
In today’s Senate session, it appeared that no one was willing to fully reveal and discuss the true extent of the challenges posed by this rogue Iranian regime.
However, it is likely that escalating economic dissatisfaction and impending social collapse will soon spark a national uprising against the central government. This will lead to the downfall of the occupying, destructive, plundering, and hypocritical regime of terrorist and aggressive mullahs, relegating them to the annals of history as a dark chapter.
Once the Islamic Republic is dismantled, the displays of power through terrorism, aggressive cyber operations, and threats of war – elements that have perpetuated global insecurity, energy disruptions, and regional instability – will cease.
However, without a significant shift in perspective and determination within American intelligence and security institutions, optimism for a swift regime change in Tehran remains guarded. The catalyst for such change may ultimately rest with the Iranian people, who could decisively alter the trajectory with their 19th uprising.
The time for illusions must end. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not a regime to be managed – it is a regime that must be confronted, exposed, and ultimately dismantled. Its survival endangers not only the Middle East but the entire global order.
Diplomatic engagement without recognition of its ideological core is a futile exercise. Until American policymakers abandon the fantasy of moderation in Tehran and support the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people, the regime will continue to exploit weakness, manipulate global institutions, and export chaos.
The responsibility to act lies not only with Iranian citizens preparing for their next uprising, but with the free world that can no longer afford to turn a blind eye.