The "complicated" response on the Iran–Israel war
The Iran-Israel war is part of a regional war that started in 1979 when Iran, Israel, and the United States became enemies. There are concerns about a regional conflict in the Middle East.
Source: Photograph by Associated Press/Middle East Images that is from an article by Human Rights Watch
The Iran–Israel war escalated on June 13th, 2025, when Israel fired missiles towards Iran that targeted the military bases and nuclear facilities. In response, Iran fired missiles towards Israel which is intended to target the cities and military sites. Israel labelled their attack as “Operation Rising Lion,” which is in reference to Israel’s support for regime change and the Pahlavi dynasty, while Iran labelled their counter-attack as “Operation True Promise III”. Israel’s missile attacks on Iran is motivated by concerns about the plans by the United States and Iran to continue the nuclear talks despite the fact that the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. The Houthis in Yemen, an ally of Iran, also sent missiles to Israel in support of Iran. On June 22nd, the United States Air Force and the United States Navy launched airstrikes at three nuclear facilities in Iran. In response, Iran launched missiles into the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on June 23. The conflict continued until June 25, when Israel and Iran agreed to a US-backed ceasefire that led to the end of the war. The missile attacks caused damages to the infrastructure, which include the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting in Tehran, Iran, the Evin Prison in Iran, and the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel.
While the ceasefire led to the end of the war, the conflict between Israel and Iran has been ongoing since 1979. Following the ceasefire, the government of Iran initiated a crackdown on human rights activists and dissidents who are suspected of being Israeli spies. Hundreds of people were detained without a fair trial, while a few people were executed on charges of espionage by the authorities.1 In addition, thousands of Afghan migrants in Iran are forcibly deported to Afghanistan which raises concerns about human rights violations in Afghanistan that is ruled by the Taliban.2
Another reason for Israel’s attack on Iran is due to ongoing suspicions that Iran could use its nuclear program to develop nuclear weapons through uranium even though Iran maintained that it does not intend to build nuclear weapons and the country is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).3 The claims that Iran are developing nuclear weapons is part of a strategy by the United States and Israel to manufacture consent for regime change. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, are using the concerns about nuclear weapons as part of his foreign policy where he is increasing international concerns that Israel will be affected by the threat of “nuclear annihilation” if Iran is able to build a nuclear weapon.4 This is a similar strategy that is used by the United States and Israel to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by promoting claims about the weapons of mass destructions in Iraq even though the United States and its allies did not find weapons of mass destructions after the invasion of Iraq. In addition, Iraq have destroyed its stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in the 1990s after developing chemical weapons from 1962 to 1991.5 There are concerns that Netanyahu will be using a similar strategy by pressuring the United States and the United Nations to take action against Iran by promoting claims that Iran is developing nuclear weapons which can lead to regime change by the United States and other Western countries. It is important to remember that the nuclear program in Iran began in 1957 and it was supported by the United States. The United States ended its support for a nuclear program after the Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979.6
I view my response to the Iran-Israel war as “complicated” since Iran and Israel are ruled by governments that are committing human rights violations even though Iran is ruled by a theocratic, authoritarian, and Islamist government since 1979 and they continue to commit human rights violations against their critics, women, LGBTQ+ people, and ethnic minority groups while Israel is a settler colonial state that is ruled by a government that is dominated by right-wing and far-right political parties and they continue to commit human rights violations against Palestinians since 1948. There are concerns that people will be forcing me to take a side with either Iran, and Israel. My position is that I refuse to take a side with Iran, Israel, and other countries due to reasons that are influenced by history and politics.
Iran’s modern history continues to be shaped by imperialism and foreign intervention from countries. From the 19th century to the 20th century, Iran (formerly Persia) was affected by invasions and influence by Western countries. In addition, the northern region of Iran was invaded by Russia in the 1880s and 1941 while the southern region of Iran was invaded by Great Britain in 1907 and 1941.7 The Pahlavi dynasty from 1925 to 1979 was created as a result of imperialism by Western countries and economic resources which includes oil. Iran, which was known as Persia, was ruled by the Qajar dynasty from 1789 to 1925, when the National Consultative Assembly declared Reza Shah, who was the former soldier of the Persian Cossack Brigade, as the new shah of Iran.8 Reza Shah and the Persian Cossack Brigade were supported by Great Britain who wanted to use the shah for the oil that is located in Iran and this is part of imperialism. Russia also supported the Persian Cossack Brigade until 1920.9
Source: Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. L'Association, 2003.
The rule of the Pahlavi dynasty is viewed to be increasingly Western, authoritarian, and nationalist, where the Pahlavi dynasty enforced reforms that were intended to transition Iran into a secular, modern, and Western nation. This includes the idea of an Iranian identity that is based on nationalism and Persianization where non-Persian languages were forbidden and ethnic groups, including the Kurdish people, were suppressed.10 Schools and printing presses that focuses on non-Persian languages were forced to be closed and people are required to wear Western clothing while Islamic clothing, including the hijab and the chador, were prohibited.11 For example, Reza Shah ordered the men in Iran to wear European-style hats as part of the dress code while the police were removing the chadors from women in public spaces.12
The reforms were inspired by the reforms in Türkiye (Turkey) by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk which aim to create Turkey into a Western, modern, and secular state.13 Atatürk also enforced Turkification or Turkish nationalism that is based on making the Turkish language the national language of Turkey and suppressing ethnic minority groups which include the Kurdish people.14
The policies by the Pahlavi dynasty weakened and strained their relations with the Muslim clergy since the shahs aim to end the power of the religious hierarchy by creating the view of Iranian nationalism that is separate from Islam.15 For example, Reza Shah replaced sharia, which is the religious law of Islam, with the civil codes that are inspired the French law from 1925 to 1928 while state courts were created which reduced the power of the religious courts.16 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi continued his father’s reforms by “seizing control of virtually all religious education, cutting subsidies to the clergy, and replacing the Islamic calendar with a royal calendar”.17
When Mohammad Mosaddegh was democratically elected as the Prime Minister of Iran in 1951, he introduced social and economic policies that include social security, land reforms and higher taxes and he pledge to nationalize the oil industry in Iran which was dominated by Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the company “later became known as British Petroleum (BP)”.18 The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was owned by the British which dominated the oil reserves in Iran. Great Britain and the United States were critical of the nationalization of the oil industry in Iran and they plotted to overthrow Mohammad Mosaddegh and install Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the shah in order to protect their interests and control over the oil industry in Iran. When Dwight Eisenhower became the President of the United States in 1953, he ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct a covert operation against the government in Iran through a coup d’état.19 The CIA and the British attempted “to undermine Mossadegh’s government through bribery, libel, and orchestrated riots”.20 This is evident when Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt and an agent of the CIA, were involved in creating “an opposition movement by hiring people to protest, bribing newspaper editors to print misinformation (real fake news), and creating a sham communist party”.21 The agents of the CIA also threatened religious leaders while the United States “ambassador lied to the prime minister about alleged attacks on American nationals”.22 The actions by the CIA and the British led to a coup d’état where Mossadegh was overthrown and he was sentenced to three years in prison which was followed by house arrest.23
After the coup d’état in 1953 which led Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to become an absolute monarch, he enforced reforms as part of the “White Revolution” in 1963 that aim to modernize Iran. The policies of the White Revolution includes taxation, building hospitals, schools, power lines, roads, and irrigation.24 The Shah also took the land from the clergy and redistributed the land to the people while the Shah compensated the clergy by allowing the clergy to have control of the state-owned companies.25 In addition, the Shah enforced an education system that is based on Western values and Western education even though the education system is opposed by the clergy.26 Women were granted the right to vote and hold public office in 1963 while there are reforms that grant women’s rights towards the marriage and divorce law in 1967.27 While the reforms during the White Revolution benefits a small group of people, including the elite and the middle-class, the reforms were opposed by the clergy, the Islamists, and the majority of the population. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi also cooperated with the United States by purchasing weapons from the United States and allowing the CIA to train the members of the SAVAK which is a “secret police force [of the Pahlavi dynasty that is] infamous for its human rights violations”.28 The Shah also negotiated the Consortium Agreement of 1954 which allowed Western oil companies to receive 50% ownership of the oil production in Iran.29 The Pahlavi dynasty committed human rights violations against their critics while the army and the SAVAK enforce surveillance, repression, and torture against the critics of the Pahlavi dynasty. Ruhollah Khomeini, a cleric and an opponent of the White Revolution, were forced into exile from 1964 to 1979 in Turkey, Iraq and France after being arrested by the Pahlavi dynasty.30
While the economic policies and the creation of new industries led to economic growth that benefit the shah and his allies, it led to the exploitation of the workers where workers were allowed to join the labour unions that were created by the government while the SAVAK were involved in the suppression of worker’s rights by creating branches at factories that aim to harass workers and suppress strikes.31 While Reza Shah’s agricultural policy allowed large landlords to own their lands and wealth, Mohammad Reza Shah enforced his agricultural policy as part of the White Revolution that focuses on ending the traditional landholding system and create a land reform program that aim to redistribute land to the farmers, reduce the influence of the landlords, and gain support from the peasants and the working class.32
The coup d’état in 1953 led to an increase in anti-American sentiment and militancy by Islamic groups in Iran and the Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979 because the United States supported the Shah that continues to enforce policies that are negatively affecting the majority of the population who are Muslims. The Shah also failed to manage inflation which is due to corruption, inequality, and government spending that benefit the Shah and his allies while the majority of the people suffered from poverty, corruption, and inequality.33 For example, the Shah spent the majority of the money on an event that was intended to commemorate the 2,500-year anniversary of the Persian Empire. The event is increasingly expensive and it almost bankrupt the country which is one of the reasons for the Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution of 1979.
The policies by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the human rights violations by the SAVAK led to the Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979 where people are protesting against the Shah and his policies. The Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979 ended when the army declared its neutrality which led to the departure of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from Iran and the return of Ruhollah Khomeini to Iran after his exile in Turkey.34
The Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979 led to the creation of a government that is Islamic, anti-Western, authoritarian, and theocratic even though the people advocated for the creation of a democratic government as part of the demands during the Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979. Ruhollah Khomeini became the Supreme Leader of Iran from 1979 to 1989 where the Supreme Leader is defined as the head of state that have more influence on the government and society in Iran than the President of Iran. The government also created a political system that is considered to be a dictatorship and a democracy where people can vote for members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Assembly of Experts, and the President of Iran.35 The Supreme Leader are appointed by the Assembly of Experts which is a group of political and clerical leaders in Iran while the Supreme Leader have influence in the judiciary, the armed forces, the police, the Guardian Council, and other councils.36 There is a divide between political parties that are moderate or reformist and political parties that are conservative.37
Source: Harris, Johnny, and Max Fisher. “How Iran's election could make history,” Vox, February 11, 2016, YouTube video, 2:59, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVrtd7Ltk-4.
Source: Vox. “How Iran's repression machine works,” Vox, December 22, 2022, YouTube video, 6:55, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caUMtmxa5E8.
The Islamic government enforced laws that aim to reverse the policies by the Pahlavi dynasty and end the modernization and secularization of Iran that is based on transitioning the society from a Western, secular, and modern society to a society that is anti-Western, Islamist, and conservative. For example, women are required to wear a chador or a hijab, nightclubs are banned, alcohol is prohibited, and singing and dancing on the streets is a crime. The armed forces and the police, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the morality police, are involved in human rights violations against its people which include activists from the democracy movement, women, LGBTQ+ people, and ethnic minority groups while political prisoners, LGBTQ+ people, and people who are convicted of crimes are being executed. This is evident when the orders of Ruhollah Khomeini led to the forced disappearances and executions of thousands of political prisoners across the country in 1988 which is considered to be a crime against humanity.3839404142 Since the suspension of the Family Protection Law in 1979, men gained the right to divorce while polygamy was legally sanctioned by the government.43 The laws and policies that affect women in Iran is considered to be a form of gender apartheid which is defined as the systemic oppression, discrimination, and segregation of a group of people that is based on gender.4445
Source: Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. L'Association, 2003.
While the political system did benefit a small group of people, the political system did not benefit the majority of the population and the policies by the government led to protests which include the protests in 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022. The protests in 2009 is due to concerns about electoral fraud and a lack of transparency in the Iranian presidential election when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a conservative candidate, won the presidential election which led to protests that demanded transparency and a recall of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. The protests in 2017 and 2018 is due to the opposition to the theocratic government in Iran and negative social and economic conditions. The protests in 2019 and 2020 is due to the opposition to the theocratic government in Iran, negative social and economic conditions, and the response towards the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 which was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The protests in 2022 occurred after Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman, was arrested by the morality police and she died in a hospital after being beaten by the morality police and the protests focused on women’s rights and opposition to the laws that require women to wear a hijab in Iran. The demand for women’s rights is part of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement which have origins in the Kurdish, feminist, anti-colonial, and anti-imperialist struggle. Most of the protests since 1979 focuses on the opposition to the political system, the laws that require women to wear a hijab, negative social and economic conditions, and opposition to the regime in Iran. While the sanctions on Iran by the United States did negatively affect the economy in Iran, I can argue that corruption, economic mismanagement, and inequality by the government of Iran have contribute to the negative social and economic conditions. The pro-democracy activists, including Narges Mohammadi, argues that sanctions in Iran negatively affect the economy and the people in Iran while the sanctions strengthen the regime in Iran, its allies, and its groups, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.46 The Iran nuclear deal with China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, United Kingdom, and the European Union could be considered to be positive because it granted sanction relief and promote transparency in regard to the Iran nuclear program.
While the Pahlavi dynasty established diplomatic and economic ties with Israel from 1948 to 1979 while being vocally supportive of Palestine, the Islamic Republic of Iran cut ties with Israel and adopted an anti-Western foreign policy that is based on refusing to recognize Israel’s right to exist and supporting Palestine which led to the beginning of a conflict between Iran and Israel. The Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979 led the majority of Iranians to flee Iran and move to other countries where is a divide between Iranians who are supportive of Israel and Iranians who are supportive of Palestinians. Samira Mohyeddin, an Iranian-Canadian journalist, argues in an episode of “Yalla! Let's Talk” that Ruhollah Khomeini supported and visited Yasser Arafat, who was the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and this causes most of the Iranians, including Iranian Zionists, to blame Palestinians for the Iranian Revolution/Islamic Revolution in 1979 and its aftermath.47
The problem is that most people in Western countries and most left-wing groups think that all people who are critical of the current regime in Iran are supportive of Israel and the Pahlavi dynasty and most left-wing groups in Western countries are supportive of the current regime in Iran due to their opposition to imperialism by the United States and Western countries. I can argue that the opposition to the current government of Iran is divided between people who support Israel and people who support Palestine. There are Iranian monarchists who are supportive of Israel and they are supportive of regime change by Western countries that aim to overthrow the regime in Iran and install the Pahlavi dynasty as the rulers of Iran. I view the government in Iran to be theocratic and authoritarian where there are human rights violations against people which include LGBTQ+ people and women and there are concerns about corruption, economic mismanagement, and inequality. The current regime in Iran is involved in imperialism since the 1980s by supporting militant groups and governments which includes Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime in Syria and the goal is to advance Iran’s interests in the region.4849 This led to the Cold War in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia where Iran and Saudi Arabia are funding militant groups and supporting government that is based on maintaining its influence and interests in the Middle East.5051
Source: Wikipedia. “Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict.” Last modified July 12, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Saudi_Arabia_proxy_conflict.
Source: Wikipedia. “Iran–Israel proxy war.” Last modified July 14, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Israel_proxy_war.
I am opposed to the double standards by Western governments where Western governments are criticizing the missile attacks on Israel by Iran while they are refusing to condemn the missile attacks on Iran by Israel. My position is to condemn the missile attacks by Iran and Israel and I am opposed to wars and proxy conflicts which will have devastating consequences. The conflicts and war is the result of foreign interference and imperialism by Western countries and some non-Western countries since 1948. The concern is mostly about the assumption on who I am siding. I am opposed to the Pahlavi dynasty and the Islamic Republic of Iran since they are authoritarian and they are committing human rights violations against critics, ethnic minority groups, and religious groups. I am supportive of an inclusive and democratic government that is based on human rights, equality, and democracy where all ethnic groups should be represented. I am opposed to the restoration of the monarchy due to its history of authoritarianism and corruption by the Pahlavi dynasty. As an "outsider", I can understand that it is up to the people of Iran and we must stand in solidarity with people instead of siding with governments and states. There is also a debate on whether Israel and Iran have the “right to exist”. I believe that states should not have the “right to exist” and I believe that people should have a “right to exist”. There are concerns that Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, Iranian monarchists, and supporters of Israel and the United States, including Masih Alinejad who is an Iranian-American journalist and a women's rights activist, are trying to gain support for regime change by gaining support from Western countries, including the United States and Great Britain, and interfering in the Iranian democracy movement by excluding the voices from a group of Iranians who are supportive of Palestine and the democracy movement and they are opposed to the Pahlavi dynasty and the Islamic Republic of Iran. For example, Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, Verisheh Moradi, Sakineh Parvaneh and Reyhaneh Ansarinejad, who are women rights activists and pro-Kurdish activists and they are currently imprisoned in Evin Prison, released a statement that are critical of Israel’s attack on Iran and the attempts towards regime change by foreign powers, including Israel and the United States.5253 In addition, the statement argues that the liberation of the Iranian people from the dictatorship in Iran can be achieved “through the struggle of the masses and by resorting to social forces” and autonomous social movements instead of relying on foreign powers.5455 The opposition towards the Islamic Republic of Iran are currently divided between ethnicity-based groups, monarchists, protest movements, and the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).5657 There is the political and ideological division between monarchists, republicans, and the pro-democracy activists.58 The Iranian monarchists support Reza Pahlavi as their crown prince and opposition leader and they want the opposition movement to unite under the leadership of Reza Pahlavi while the Iranian monarchists support the United States approach towards Iran which includes increased intervention and sanctions.59 There are pro-democracy activists who are critical of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Pahlavi dynasty that is based on democracy, and human rights and they support a democratic government in Iran. The pro-democracy activists include Narges Mohammadi who is a pro-democracy activist, women’s rights activist, political prisoner in Iran, and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. A statement by Iranians that are supportive of the pro-democracy movement which includes Narges Mohammadi, Shirin Ebadi, and Jafar Panahi argues “that the continuation of the nuclear program and the war between the Islamic Republic [of Iran] and Israel” does not serve the interests of the Iranian people and the statement advocate for the suspension of uranium enrichment, the end of the missile attacks and the military hostilities, the end of the massacres of civilians in Iran and Israel, the resignation of the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the facilitation of a peaceful transition to democracy.60 The statement also calls for the United Nations and the international community to take action by pressuring the Islamic Republic of Iran to cease the nuclear program or the uranium enrichment activities, demand that Israel and Iran halt military strikes, and end the massacres of civilians in Iran and Israel.61
There are also concerns that “campists” and “tankies” will continue to deny the human rights violations in Iran and label the critics of the current regime in Iran as supporters of Western imperialism. People in Iran are not protesting in support for regime change by Western countries, foreign interference, and the restoration of the Pahlavi dynasty. They are protesting because they are critical of the Islamic Republic of Iran which includes the criticism towards the political system, the negative social and economic conditions, the laws that require women to wear a hijab, and the restrictions on human rights that affect women and ethnic minority groups. The people in Iran want the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the creation of a democratic government and a new constitution that is based on human rights, secularism, and free and fair elections. According to a report in 2022 by The Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in IRAN (GAMAAN), which is “a Netherlands-based independent research foundation that conducts surveys in Iran”, 88% of the respondents preferred a democratic country while 67% felt that a system that is governed by religion is negative.6263
This is what Samira Mohyeddin wrote in her news article that was published in The Globe and Mail on June 16th, 2025:
“The brutality of the Islamic Republic of Iran is well documented – its repression of women, its jailing of dissidents, its executions of protesters. I oppose the Iranian government. I also don’t want my country bombed and Iranians killed. That position is one shared by millions of Iranians in the diaspora, but it is also a political inconvenience for Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet, who want to bomb Iranians into freedom”.64
As an “outsider”, here is my response on Iran:
No to the Pahlavi dynasty and Iranian monarchists, No to the Islamic Republic of Iran, No to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and No to regime change and war by the United States, Israel, and other countries, No to colonialism and imperialism. STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN AND THEIR RESISTANCE AGAINST AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES WHICH INCLUDE THE PAHLAVI DYNASTY AND THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY, AND EQUALITY IN IRAN AND OTHER COUNTRIES AND SUPPORT THE SELF-DETERMINATION OF ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS IN IRAN WHICH INCLUDE THE KURDISH PEOPLE AND THE AZERBAIJINI PEOPLE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT TO A DEMOCRACY THAT IS BASED ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUALITY.
WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM / JIN, JIYAN, AZADI (Kurdish) / ZAN, ZENDEGI, AZADI (Persian).
FREE IRAN and FREE PALESTINE
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