Iran, a nation rooted in thousands of years of Persian civilization, continues to play an outsized role in shaping the security and political dynamics of the Middle East. Guided by a sophisticated understanding of history and strategy, the Islamic Republic has evolved, over the past four decades, into the primary sponsor of terror networks and destabilizing activities throughout the region.
A Heritage of Survival and Influence
Iran’s profound sense of civilizational pride is anchored in its legacy as the successor to the Persian Empire. Spanning over 1.5 million square kilometers, ancient Persia contributed fundamentally to world culture, language, poetry, religion (notably Zoroastrianism), and philosophy. Despite cycles of conquest by Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, and Turks, the core of Iranian identity—centered on language and culture—remained intact. Unlike other peoples conquered by the early Islamic Caliphates, Persians preserved Farsi as their mother tongue, maintaining cultural distinctiveness even after the country’s Islamization in the seventh century CE.
Iran’s position as a bridge between East and West fostered military and economic might throughout history, enabling it to influence and, at times, reshape the invaders themselves. Its ability to deftly maneuver through adverse circumstances, adapt to new realities, and exert soft power became its hallmark, resulting in strategic continuity and political evolution across empires, dynasties, and republican transitions.
Diplomacy and Indirect Power
The art of sophisticated diplomacy has long characterized Iran’s approach to securing its interests. From the Sassanian Empire’s power politics with Rome, to the Islamic Republic’s modern balancing acts vis-à-vis the West, Iran’s leadership has consistently demonstrated an aptitude for complex geopolitical games. With inadequate direct military superiority, Iran has frequently relied on proxies and indirect methods, maximizing its influence while minimizing direct confrontation or risk.
This approach is most evident in Iran’s contemporary reliance on forces such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and affiliated militias in Syria and Iraq—all orchestrated and supplied by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Through these networks, Tehran executes a broad strategy of confrontation against Israel and Western-aligned interests, reaping the benefits of disruptive capability and plausible deniability.
Internal Contradictions and Social Change
The 1979 Islamic Revolution marked Iran’s dramatic shift from a relatively secular monarchy, under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, to a theocracy structured around the principle of Supreme Clerical Rule (Velayat-e Faqih). While the revolution was driven by a mix of resentment toward autocracy, Westernization, and lack of political freedoms, it replaced those with clerical control over all state mechanisms.
Yet, four decades on, Iranian society is marked by a deep generational and cultural divide. More than 60% of the population was born after 1979. With higher levels of education and access to global information—thanks to the internet and social media—many young Iranians aspire to freedoms denied by the regime: restrictions on women, endemic censorship, and repression. This tension fuels persistent unrest, highlighted by recent movements such as the 2022 protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini under the regime’s morality police, with demonstrators calling for “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
The Duality of Public and Private Iran
Despite—and sometimes because of—strict moral codes, clandestine cultural scenes emerge throughout Iran, including underground music and parties. These parallel worlds highlight a split between public conformity and private dissent, creating what many Iranians describe as “double lives.” This deepening division between an aging clerical establishment and a youthful, increasingly globalized society continues to challenge the regime’s legitimacy and projections of control.
Changing Relationship with Israel
Perhaps the sharpest sign of Iran’s transformation since 1979 is its reversal on Israel. Prior to the Islamic Revolution, Israel and Iran had diplomatic relations and civil cooperation, with Israeli companies even helping to build Iranian infrastructure. Post-revolution, the Islamic Republic became the leading sponsor of anti-Israel activities, funnelling resources to terror groups sworn to Israel’s destruction and openly calling for an end to the Jewish state. This enmity is not merely rhetorical but operational, manifesting in persistent threats and acts of war by Iranian proxies—including the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre, the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust.
Proxy Warfare and the ‘Axis of Resistance’
Iran’s method of waging indirect warfare constitutes one of its greatest strategic innovations. The IRGC, particularly through its Quds Force, orchestrates logistics, training, and supply lines for a network of proxy organizations. These include Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and an array of militias across Syria and Iraq. Each serves as a forward arm of Iranian interests, attacking Israel and destabilizing rivals while preserving a façade of distance from Tehran.
This asymmetric warfare, designed to create perpetual instability, is a direct threat to Israeli security and regional order. Israel’s military actions—including targeted strikes on weapons caches, militant leaders, and strategic infrastructure in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza—are best understood as acts of self-defense in response to ongoing Iranian-backed aggression. International calls for “restraint” or “balance” often ignore the engineered nature of this proxy conflict and the fundamental distinction between a democracy defending itself and a regime guiding terror campaigns from afar.
Domestic Instability and Enduring Tactics
The Iranian regime retains power through a combination of repression, economic patronage, and ideological indoctrination, while adapting to ongoing challenges posed by its youthful population. The state, controlling the military, judiciary, and media, has so far stifled dissent, but the costs of this repression—including economic stagnation and international isolation—are growing.
Repercussions for the Regional and Global Order
Israel, together with Western allies, must confront the realities of a persistent threat that straddles ancient cunning and modern subterfuge. The iron swords of Israeli defense—including innovations like the Iron Dome, advanced intelligence, and military doctrine—are calibrated for survival against the long shadow cast by Iran’s regional ambitions. The proxy war, renewed hostilities, and hostage crises reveal the stakes not only for Israel’s future but for the stability and security of the entire Middle East.
Conclusion: From Legacy to Present Threat
Iran’s profound history of resilience, adaptation, and strategic thinking has produced a nation capable of both enriching human civilization and destabilizing its region. Today, as Iran leads terror organizations and foments regional chaos through its IRGC and proxy networks, Israel’s self-defense remains a bulwark against an evolving threat. As history has shown, distinguishing between aggressors and defenders amid asymmetric war is crucial; facing a regime that masters both subtlety and violence, the world must view today’s Iranian threat with moral and factual clarity.
