The killing of three American soldiers and the injuring of 25 at a military base in Jordan by Shi'ite militias operated by Iran in Syria should be the decisive turning point in the Middle East. This attack against Americans is an attempt by the Islamic Republic to test whether the West, in general, and the United States in particular, are capable of responding.
For years, Iran has waged a "proxy war" against the United States and its allies in the region, almost undisturbed. This must stop. There can be no more pretending. This is a direct Iranian attack on the United States, and it should be treated as such—otherwise, the Iranians will continue to attack, with more courage, more force, and much more bloodshed.
The recent attack is not a sign of the strength of the Islamic Republic but a sign of the weakness of the United States and the West against Iranian terror. In recent months, the Houthis, receiving support from Iran, have been attacking shipping routes in the Red Sea with drones and naval missiles, claiming to target ships associated with Israel in response to the fighting in Gaza.
This is a lie. Israel's legitimate war in Gaza is an excuse for Iran to demonstrate power and control a significant portion of international shipping routes. There is no doubt that the decision to launch missiles against civilian vessels was made by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran. This can be easily inferred because, according to weapon experts, all the missiles are produced by the Revolutionary Guards' military industries.
What are Iran's goals?
Iran's goal is clear: a threat to international maritime shipping affects trade and the economy worldwide, energy supply, food, infrastructure, humanitarian aid, political stability, environmental protection, international relations. International maritime shipping is vital to the functioning of the global economy, cooperation between countries, the standard of living of countries, and the prevention of conflicts.
Therefore, Iran's attacks on maritime shipping must be examined in a broader context. The efforts of the revolutionary guards are part of their broader strategy to weaken the entire West. This complements their activities for many years to control the global drug trade, human trafficking, and migration. All of this is intended to weaken democratic countries and their way of life and influence the economies and demographic structure of the West. The ultimate goal is the radicalization of Muslim populations living in Western countries.
Although the IRGC does not openly declare war, they are actively working to dismantle the infrastructures of democratic societies by exploiting their weaknesses. The Houthis' attack on maritime shipping is part of this war. It leads to price hikes and inflation, increasing dissatisfaction and instability in Western countries. This is particularly critical in the Middle East, which is advancing towards a split between pragmatic and moderate countries, mainly Sunni, seeking a better future for their children and aspiring to peace with Israel and the Iranian terror regime that sends arms to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
This axis of evil seeks regional dominance for the sake of larger imperialist ambitions. Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Islamic Republic, and al-Qaeda suspicions are just arms of the octopus. Any attempt to cut off an arm will lead to the rapid recovery of the body. Therefore, if you want to neutralize the arms, you must attack the head.
To convey this message, about a year ago, my colleagues and I launched a campaign in Britain aimed at including the Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist organizations in Britain. With this message, I arrived in Israel a month ago, at the invitation of the Israel Middle East Forum, and spoke in the Knesset, within the framework of Israel's victory struggle.
Iran's goal is to destroy Western culture at any cost. But the Tehran regime is weaker than ever. The Iranian people are hungry for freedom. As long as the Iranian regime continues its war without a response from the West, it will survive. It is important to remember that the regime aims to develop nuclear weapons, which can harm countries beyond the Middle East.
Iran today is confident and secure in itself because it sees the West as weak and unresponsive. This only strengthens its global aspirations. It is time to stop playing into the hands of Iran, to stop fighting only the arms of the octopus. It's time to confront Iran directly.
The writer is a leader in the Iranian opposition, operating in London. The original article was first published in the L.A. Times.