Why the Iranian Regime Is Still Uniquely Dangerous

The Islamic Republic of Iran is motivated by a desire to bring about the end times and usher in an everlasting Islamic imperium.

My latest piece over at National Review breaks down the unique danger of the Iranian regime: its millenarian eschatology. Below is a snippet, but you can read the whole thing here.

The IRGC, in particular, makes Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons different. Allowing this millenarian anti-American organization to have such weapons would almost guarantee their use. The IRGC is not worried about the consequences of nuclear war. In fact, given the martyrdom cult, they may welcome those consequences. This entirely upends the theory of nuclear deterrence that has maintained Great Power peace for nearly 80 years — with ominous potential for humanity.

Even after the U.S.-Israeli strikes on the Iranian nuclear program, the regime has refused to renounce its final aim. The IRGC, now dominated by younger cadres more heavily indoctrinated into Mahdism, has not laid down its arms. Rather, it has only become more rhetorically belligerent.

Apocalyptic ideologies are always dangerous. But they rarely consume a modern nation’s entire military apparatus. This has been the case for Iran since 1979. It will remain the case as long as the regime survives. America and its allies must remain vigilant.