Background
As it has for more than quarter of a century, Iran of today remains the number one state sponsor of terrorism (U.S. Department of State Report on Iran). At first, mullah’s long-standing support of the various global terrorist organizations may seem a bit puzzling. Reasonable minds would wonder why the theocratic government of this sovereign nation would embark on such well-documented worldwide exportation and sponsorship of international fundamentalism/terrorism?
The answer is embodied in the inherent illegitimacy of its existence and rooted in its bankrupt ideology. The fundamentalists ruling Iran are fully aware that with peace and freedom and in the absence of conflict, the people always choose the path consistent with the societal, political, religious, and cultural norms and standards. Accordingly and because of its illegitimacy, the government of Iran cannot exist and thus will not tolerate such a paradigm.
By breaking international laws, be it through terrorism or by brutal oppression of the Iranian people, the mullahs in Iran have managed to win concessions from the international community and instill fear in the majority of those who challenge them. One can go as far back as the Iran-gate scandal to see vivid examples of this doctrine.
The bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires (seven high ranking Iranian officials, including its former president Refsanjani were charged in October 2006); the unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok; the assassinations of publishers and translators of Salman Rushdie’s books; the terror plot against Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Germany, the terror plot against Yasser Arafat; the explosion in Riyadh; the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; at least 128 terrorist operations against Mojahedin in Iraq, including the bombing of a city bus near a hospital in Baghdad are but a few of the terrorist activities perpetuated by the rulers in Tehran, their agents, or their fundamentalist. Iran’s interference in Iraqi affairs, including its indiscriminate support of sectarian violence is also well spoken of and requires no further explanation. Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force has also been implicated for the attempted assassination of Saudi Ambassador to the United States and plans to bomb various foreign embassies in the U.S.
Sadly however, in academic discussions, some view the Iran led expansionist phenomena as an entity capable of moderation, while others simply aim to change the definition of fundamentalism (to extremism) without assertively addressing its ideological wellspring, and the states which legitimize its continuation. In either case, they naively prefer appeasement and dialogue, including submission, and concessions to the ruthless perpetrators of terrorism. Arguably, 27 years of engagement with the mullahs have yielded nothing but continued misery for the Iranian people and a progression of Iran’s nuclear projects.
Accordingly, Iran’s intentions as well as actions present the greatest challenge to international community and are not confined to a U.S, Iran confrontation. It would therefore, not be an overstatement to consider this clash a challenge to humanity’s peaceful existence. Beyond all the analysis, the past 30 years have taught us that in today’s world, terrorism is a tool in the hands of religious extremists, and essential to its existence.
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[tab title=”Iran’s Goals”]
Exportation of Revolution as a Specific Goal: Iran’s Constitution “paves the way”
Khomeini institutionalized the “export of revolution” and creation of a global Islamic rule, not only as an ideal but as a specific goal and program within various parts of his constitution. The foreword of the regime’s constitution reads, in part, “Given the context of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, which was a movement for the victory of all the oppressed over the oppressors, it provides the ground for continuation of the revolution inside and outside the country, specifically in spreading international links to other Islamic and people’s movements, tries to pave the way for the creation of unique global ummah so the continuation of the struggle for the salvation of deprived and suffering nations can be settled.” Another part of the foreword, under the headline “Ideological Army,” reads, “The Army of the Islamic Republic and the Revolutionary Guards Corps (Revolutionary Guards, WSJ, 10/06, Original Article…). carry not only the duty of protecting the borders but also ideological duty, i.e, Jihad for God and struggle to spread the rule of God’s law in the world.”
The Eleventh Act of the constitution reads, “The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is obligated to base its general policy on the coalition and unity of the Islamic nations and to try to fulfill the political, economic, and cultural unity of the Islamic world.”
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[tab title=”The Wellspring”]
Wellspring of Islamic Fundamentalism-Led Terrorism
Terrorism is a tactic, a function, and a method whose driving force is an ideological and political goal. Without such a driving force, terrorism would dry up and fail. In the 1960s and 1970s, terrorism was based on nationalist, secular views and in many cases was chauvinistic. For reasons that we will not discuss here, it started to decline in the second half of the 1970s. Despite the fact that reactionary religious movements existed throughout the twentieth century, they were never in a position to engage in terrorist activities until recently
The roots of Islamic fundamentalism go back to the first centuries of Islam. But Islamic fundamentalism in its current context, theory, and power emerged after Ruhollah Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979. The Khomeini regime has transformed the idea of creating a global Islamic rule from an unachievable ideal to an attainable goal. Many of the modern fundamentalist groups have since emulated his framework either with or without Iran’s direct backing.
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[tab title=”9/11 Tragedy”]
The September 11 Tragedy: A Strategic Blitz
The tragic events of September 11, 2001-the hijacking of passenger planes in the United States and attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, in which thousands were killed-shocked the world, especially the United States, as the most destructive terrorist incident in contemporary history. From a political, economic, and security point of view, the impact of the deadly attacks of September 11 are clearly far greater than that of the all the more recent conflicts combined.
Even if there are doubts about the identities of the perpetrators of this tragedy, there is no doubt that they all belong to one camp: Islamic fundamentalism. They dare to use the name of God and Islam to step on all values and to cross any lines in order to advance their evil intentions. In his address to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush described the perpetrators as radical Muslims and extremists who stand shoulder to shoulder with fascism, Nazism, and totalitarianism. If we want to bundle all these descriptions into one name, none can be more expressive than Islamic fundamentalism (Iran and its Symbolic, Financial and Ideological Leadership: an example – – Iran’s Training of Suicide Bombers…and Iran’s hand in Afghanistan.
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[tab title=”Tehr-orism”]
Tehran: The World Capital of Fundamentalism and Terrorism
Iran enjoys a unique position in the world of Islam due to, among other factors, its strategic location, natural resources, and historical and cultural role in the development of the Islamic civilization. Thus, the mullahs’ victory quickly turned Tehran into the world capital of fundamentalists-similar to the relationship between Moscow and Marxism. More significant than money or arms,Tehran provided the fundamentalist currents with inspirational, political, regional, and international support.
Fundamentalist movements, which till then were mostly isolated and weak, became the clerical regime’s arms for the export of terrorism and fundamentalism, and as such, the menacing phenomenon of terrorism became global. One of the assignments of the regime’s diverse institutions formed for exporting fundamentalism, including the Organization of Islamic Culture and Communications, Ahl- Al-Beyt foundation, and cultural attachés is to attract and select forces which would, following an initial training and subsequent security checks, be handed over to the Qods Force of the Ministry of Intelligence.
The Qods Force, along with the Ministry of Intelligence, operate dozens of training centers all over Iran and now openly operate in Iraq.
New recruits enter Iran in secret, mostly via third countries, through coordination between the mullahs’ Foreign Ministry and the Intelligence Ministry and the Qods Force..read more(WSJ, 10/14/06). The mullahs’ regime provides facilities such as passports which are also used for the return trip to the third go-between country to make sure that true identities are kept secret.
During the 1980s and 1990s, at least 90 percent of the major terrorist attacks were linked either to Tehran as the epicenter of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism or to its surrogates and agents and movements that managed to thrive only under the light of Tehran’s mullahs. Some of the terrorist attacks carried out either by Tehran or fundamentalists under its hegemony and influence are:
- The occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the taking of American hostages in 1979. This was, in fact, a clear declaration of war by this new phenomenon that effectively demonstrated its anti-western potential and hysteria.
- Taking westerners, especially Americans, hostage in Lebanon in the 1980s. The explosion of the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.(/li>
- The bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. The explosion of an Air France 747 passenger jet in Tehran’s airport in 1983.
- Several bombings in the streets of Paris in 1986, which caused many deaths and injuries among civilians
- The hanging of U.S. Colonel William Higgins, who worked for the United Nations, in Lebanon.
- The shipment of 51 packages of explosives to Saudi Arabia (which were discovered before detonation) in 1986 in order to kill many pilgrims. The massacre of more than 400 pilgrims to Mecca in 1987
- The bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires. Seven high ranking members of the Iranian government, including its former president Hashemi Rafsanjani were formally charged for their role in the planning and execution of the bombing.
- The killing of antifundamentalist intellectuals and authors in Turkey.. The decree to kill Salman Rushdie.
- The assassination of many Iranian dissidents, particularly the Mojahedin, in Germany, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Pakistan, and United Arab Emirates. Italian prosecuters have charged a high ranking Iranian diplomat for their systematic murder of opposition voices abroad.
- The 2011 assassination plot to kill Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. in Washington, DC.
Nuclear
Starting at the end of Iran-Iraq war and aided by a well orchestrated veil of moderation cast by two presidents (Rafsanjani and Khatami), the fundamentalist clerics in Iran built an elaborate yet clandestine nuclear weapons program. A nuclear armed Iran will not only be a more dominant and destructive player in the regional, ( U.S. State Department Report, 2006. Read more.., but such capability will almost certainly serve to secure the clerical regime’s brutal grip on power.
Ahamdinejad and the mullahs who pull his string continue to instigate regional instability so as to distract the international community, taking away attention from Iran’s ongoing nuclear weapons program. Iran is now using its widespread regional terrorist network, in whom billions of dollars of Iranian people’s wealth was illegally invested. The above are no longer assertions, nor are they politically expedient discussions, but are the realities of the present.
Beyond all the analysis, the past twenty-five years have taught us that in today’s world, terrorism is the other side of Islamic fundamentalism and is in fact essential to its existence. We must therefore confront such a dreadful enemy without hesitation, questions and or doubts. Especially when such enemy is on the verge of crossing the nuclear red line.
Resorting to terrorism, brutal internal oppression, clandestine quest for nuclear weapons, and futile diplomatic maneuvers are inevitable consequences of the clerical regime’s strategically intelligent yet ideologically putrid world-view. The unyielding quest for nuclear capability must, for example, be viewed as a central component of their need for self-preservation, ideological expansionism, and reckless disregard for human dignity. Interestingly, in early 80’s, the supposedly “moderate” Rafsanjani was central in jump starting Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons.
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[tab title=”Chemical”]
[spoiler title=”Chemical: Background”]
The activities of the clerical regime with respect to acquiring biological weapons began in 1985 during the war with Iraq. In 1985 and 1986, the regime established a secret research complex in Tehran’s Pasteur Institute to work on toxic fungus and microbial substances. The center succeeded in producing toxic fungus, including aflotoxin. At the same time, similar research was being undertaken at Vira laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Gholamhossein Riazi. In subsequent years, as the regime succeeded in mass production of microbial material, it moved the production centers to military facilities. Centers, such as the Pasteur Institute, are now being used for research purposes.
In the 90’s, and under then-president Hashemi Rafsanjani, these activities took on new dimensions. The regime originally imported fermenters from European countries. Owing to international restrictions and major needs on the part of the regime, domestic production of fermenters was put on the agenda.
In June 2001, a plan, called “Comprehensive National Microbial Defense Plan” was adopted by the Supreme National Security Council chaired by Mohammad Khatami. A senior cleric, Hassan Rohani, the SNSC secretary, personally pursued the implementation of this plan and reported directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In addition to the principal members, the relevant ministers and competent officials from the Armed Forces Command Headquarters also took part in that SNSC meeting. The Comprehensive National Plan for Microbial Defense is prepared in four pages and kept in the secretariat of the SNSC. It contains an introduction and the specific tasks of each ministry. On the basis of this plan, the biological weapons capacity of the regime was to be increased three fold in the next few years.
The biological weapons activities are centered around the following elements: Anthrax, produced at the Revolutionary Guards Corps Imam Hussein University. Aflatoxin, also produced at the Imam Hussein University. Production of microbial bombs using anthrax. Production of microbial bombs using smallpox virus. Production of microbial bombs using typhoid fever. Production of microbial bombs using high dosage of Aflatoxin. Production of microbial bombs using plague microbes. Production of microbial bombs using cholera microbes. Genetic cloning or alteration is being carried out at Malek Ashtar University (Special Defense Industry) led by Dr. Maqsudi, the head of Center for Scientific and Growth Technology.
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[spoiler title=”Agencies Involved”]
The Armed Forces Command Headquarters, the Ministry of Defense, the Revolutionary Guards (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Infrastructure and Activities, WSJ, Oct 2006. Read more….) Joint Command Headquarters, the Revolutionary Guards’ Imam Hussein University and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security are involved in acquiring and stockpiling of mullahs’ bio-weapons.
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[spoiler title=”New Warfare Directorate”]
Revolutionary Guards are in charge of the directorate pursuing weapons of mass destruction (Armed Forces high Command), coordinating the biological activities of all relevant agencies.
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[tab title=”Special Ministry of Defense Industries”]
Special Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Industries in Ministry of Defense
A special organization, dubbed Special Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Industries, has been set up in the Ministry of Defense, This entity is also involved in chemical and biological activity.This organization is in charge of arming the regime with microbial and chemical bombs. A number of foreign microbial weapons experts from China, North Korea, India and Russia have cooperated with or have been hired by the Ministry of Defense.
The biological research center of the Special Industries Organization is located at Martyr Meisami complex on Special Karaj highway, km 27, near the steel mills. During Khatami’s presidency, the Ministry of Defense formed a new biological weapons center to expand biological bombs, called Malek-Ashtar University based in Lavizan-Shian Technological Research Center. Dr. Maqsudi heads this center which is the most important research center for biological WMD.
Imam Hussein University has a biotechnology section which works on microbial bombs with aflatoxin. Students are given foreign scholarships to study abroad and use Western technology. The Revolutionary Guards Baqiyatollah Research Center, affiliated with the Guards Baqiyatollah Hospital is another Revolutionary Guards Genetic Engineering center which works on microbial bombs.
The Revolutionary Guards Joint Command Headquarters has started new activities dealing with Microbial weaponry. The Directorate to Assess Weapons of Mass Destruction is established in the Ministry of Intelligence. Its task is to steal foreign technology on WMD, especially biological weapons. The Directorate has planted intelligence agents in foreign countries. The Research Center for Genetic biotechnology is another center which does not directly work on microbial bombs, but it is used as research supplement for biological weapons.
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[tab title=”Excerpts”]
A Few of The Experts:
On the basis of the decisions reached by the Supreme National Security Council, the regime has taken steps to increase the number of experts in biological field from 3,000 to 11,000.
- Dr. Maqsudi: Head of Center for Science and Technological Growth of the Biological Research Center of Malek Ashtar, affiliated with the Defense Industries are in charge of mass production of biological weapons.
- Dr. Mirza’i: He supervises all Defense Ministry plans on biological weapons. He has been active in this field since the 1980s.
- Dr. Hossein San’ati: He is the head of the National Center for Genetic Technology and Growth Technology.
- Dr. GholamhosseinRizai: He is among the founders of the regime’s weapons of mass destruction program.
- Dr. Mirza Khalil Bahmani: He has been working on defensive and offensive plans at Imam Hussein University.
- Dr. Toula’i: He is an expert on biotechnology and works at the Ministry of Defense and Biological Research Center at Imam Hussein University.
