UI – Part 518 – The Shi’a Crescent

Soon after the Iranian revolution in 1979 the Ayatollah saw an opportunity to create a connection from Iran to Lebanon; picture in your mind the connection as a crescent.  The crescent would consist of Shia operatives, militants, government officials, all Islamists, all Shiites. This umbrella would shade the Sunni Saudi Arabia and provide the greatest opportunity for the religious, hateful, zealots of Judaism, to eventually destroy Israel.

Soon After the Revolution

Shia clerics, more founded in the Koran than in military tactics or the operation of government agencies, suddenly assumed control of a country when the Shiite Islamists moved into the offices of power in Iran. What they knew about the functioning of a Country and caring for its people was only what they gathered from their intensive focus on the Scripture of Islam, with a Shia orientation.  Providing electricity, clean water, picking up trash, keeping streets clean, overseeing health care providers, feeding the people, even insuring grocery store shelves were filled, and directing a military organization was just a guess.  They could rely on government workers previously employed by the shah, but that was a problem;  they had a concern for their self-preservation.  Any suspicion of loyalty to the Peacock Throne over the Ayatollah was justification for heads to be severed, and thus ties to an understanding of the mechanics of providing for the needs of a population were also smote.  Loyalty to Allah, the Messenger and the Ayatollah is what they knew, and punishment for lack of it was also what they knew.  Killing dissidents, even if they were Muslim, they were not Muslim enough, or not of the ‘true Islam’ as defined by the Khomeini cabal, was justified by Allah and Ayatollah.

Military commanders were all suspects, as prior to the ideological Quran loyalists, none of which were military, militant yes, military no, the army’s generals in Iran reported up channel to the Shah. They were considered evil first and not-to-be-trusted second, but needed nevertheless. The clerics kept their beheading swords behind their backs on the ready at any indication, even suspicion, of lack of trust.  The people themselves were all expendable, life not as important as Allah’s domain.

Iraq-Iran War

Soon after the Revolution Iran’s neighbor seized on a perceived opportunity to attack.  Saddam Hussein, another Muslim megalomaniac, a well trained enforcer, felt he could unite the Arab world and skirmishes along the border between Iran and Iraq were on-going by the end of 1979. A plan was in place to invade Iran. The Iraqi’s however were not that adept at fully executing their battles, not always establishing proper objectives, lumbering about Northern Iran without a defined end game. Often the Iraq army halted its progress to await further instructions that did not arrive.

Although disorganized, Iraq’s delays, some referring to Saddam’s tactics as ‘timid,’ gave the new Iranian revolutionaries time to prepare.  The United States was either credited or blamed for events taking place, having nothing to do with events taking place. The Muslims always need someone to blame. America was as surprised as anyone at the attacks.  It is interesting to note that while all this was transpiring American hostages were still being held at the US Embassy in Tehran.  The Khomeini saw this invasion as a way to gain support from the people of Iran, an opportunity so to speak, while at the same time extirpating his domestic opposition. The Prussian 19th century general, Carl Philipp Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz, a warrior and skilled military man, could have been a guide through his writings to the Iranian clerics, but his books were not the Quran.  He is, though, quoted as saying, “War is the continuation of politics by other means.” This certainly remains true.  After a 300 armored tank division counterattack got bogged down in mud with limited success and a loss of two-thirds of their equipment, the amateurs turned to their new creation, the Revolutionary Guard.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

The Guard was initially formed to provide security for the new Islamic Republic’s insecure overseers. They feared the people and the possibility of an American invasion, a coup, to reinstate the Shah.  Enemies, foreign and domestic, had to be kept away.  The Iran clerics decided the use of people, masses of people, wave after wave, despite the potential for massive loses, to counter Iraq’s offensive.  The value of life, the millions of citizens of Iran, was unimportant; these were just useful attack animals. Recruits came from the significant population of poor Shiites, appealing to their religion, but also offering pay and benefits. Minefields were cleared as human remains piled up.  Untrained, unknowing, conscripts were sacrificed and the counteroffensive continued, until halted by inadequate logistics resulting in shortages of supplies and mechanized forces. David Crist writes, his book, The Twilight War: The Secret History of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran, “Faith in God (Allah) and a commitment to spread the revolution would overcome Western weapons, tactics, and training.  The human cost was immaterial, even encouraged in a society that prized martyrdom” (pg 93/642 ebook).  Iraq fired scuds into Iran; Iran responded with hoards of humans charging the Iraqi’s.

During the years the Revolutionary Guard was in its formative stages the human onslaught, horrific as to losses as it was, proved effective. Overtime the clerics, and many trained officers of the military and the Guard, began to understand better proper military tactics, the proper use of their weaponry, and succeed with decreased loss of life. However it must be noted that from aircraft, to tanks, to other military equipment, Iran’s military force was often handicapped by a lack of replacement parts and properly trained personnel to repair needed equipment.

But the Khomeini was intent on a victory. He was also focused on Jerusalem.  He envisioned conquest of the land arch, or bridge, from Iran thru Iraq, Syria and into Lebanon as a worthy objective and a proper plan to satisfy Allah. It would be a divine victory.

Patience

Although dedicated to overthrowing the Ba’ath party and Saddam, Khomeini was not successful during his lifetime. The Khomeini died in June, 1989.  The Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988)(The Gulf War) lasted from the end of the Jimmy Carter Presidency through the Reagan Presidency.  The American hostages were released at the time of Reagan’s inauguration.  Khomeini never gave up trying to have the Iraqi Shiites revolt against Saddam. Saddam was not successful in taking advantage of a naive leadership and Iran after the Revolution.  A mess with Iran receiving little outside support, while Iraq had a few countries on their side. But, the use of chemical weapons by Iraq caused any supporters on their side to question intensions. The UN eventually brokered a ceasefire.  Over a million people lost lives during this war.  Saddam actively reduced the number of Shia’s in Iraq.

Borders were settled and prisoners of war were exchanged, some though not released for 15 years.  Iran declared at the end a victory.

Subsequent supreme leaders of Iran were to stay loyal to the ideology of Khomeini.  Iran descended into a weaker country as many of the most educated and skilled emigrated elsewhere.  Sharia Law was put into effect and enforced; women were required to wear head coverings and men were not allowed to wear shorts.  Iran moved backward more than forward, but remained a military might with a plan to unite the Muslim world.  Shia would be the preferred interpretation of ‘true’ Islam.

American Administrations

Moving the clock forward to the Obama Presidential era, relations with Iran (and America) did not improve even though Obama made many attempts at appeasement. He was a dove and the Islamists regard doves as weak.  He tried diligently never realizing, as Churchill did when dealing with Hitler, “When will the lesson be learned! You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth!”

The nuclear deal, Obama’s want for his Legacy, to stop Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon, lifted sanctions and provided billions of dollars to Iran and the Ayatollah.  The money was used to further Iran’s military ambitions, leaving the residents of Iran none better.  The nuclear deal only curtailed development for 15 years, at which time Iran could continue its efforts.  It did not stop Iran from furthering its missile delivery program.  Iran is also today a major source of needed funds to North Korea, which many believe provides Iran with military parts as well as continues to have a nuclear weapons program of its own.  Is that program indirectly a cooperative effort with Iran, outside the boundaries of the nuke agreement? Iran has also used money received to purchase large Boeing aircraft that now transports Revolutionary Guards and training staff to Damascus, Syria. Iran continues to aide Hezbollah (Lebanon), supports Shiite Islamists in Iraq as well as Hamas (Palestine). The objective of the Ayatollah Khomeini to create a Shia Crescent thus continues, more progress made now than at the end of the Iraq-Iran Gulf War.  With the help of Obama, his Democratic cronies, some deceptive actions to ignore Hezbollah’s drug dealing in the USA for needed financing (so as not to upset the Iranian mullahs), Iran’s ‘patience’ was paying off.

Obama’s Administration (2009-2016) enabled Iran to vie more capably for hegemony in the middle East, in direct conflict with Sunni Saudi Arabia. The Shi’a Crescent was coming together.  Efforts to increase militancy in Yemen by Shiite affiliates, the Houti’s, is apparently part of Iran’s plan as well, thus surrounding their Sunni adversary.

It was not just Obama, however.  During the Reagan Administration (1981-1988) America allowed Iran’s navy to grow attacking ships in the Persian Sea using armed aircraft as well as mines.  While fighting Iraq, America supporting Iraq, Reagan surreptitiously sold military equipment to Iran, via Israel, at high prices, using the excess over cost to fund arms to the Nicaraguan Contras.  Oliver North was the intermediary.  The Iran-Contra affair was a distinct error and black mark on the Presidency of Reagan.  Reagan also was duped by an arms agent claiming to be close to the Iranian mullahs attempting to sell arms to Iran in exchange for American captives.  The habit of Islamists to take hostages for ransom continues.  America, since the time of Thomas Jefferson, declared we would not pay ransom for hostages, even by terrorists, but the soft heart of Reagan blinded him to the lies of the agent as well as the lies (takiyya) of the Iranian Ayatollah in an effort to bring our citizens home.  Not once, twice, but more than three times Iran wanted more and more, to turn over but one, maybe two hostages.  The agent was not completely honest, and we knew it.  William Buckley (CIA station chief in Lebanon – 1985), a captive in Lebanon by Iranian surrogates, was thought to be alive, as negotiations and sales continued.  But he died months prior, tortured in captivity and lacking proper medical care.

Iran remains intent on establishing Shiite influence across the region.  Hegemony in the Middle East by Iran is the obvious objective. Since the 1979 Revolution when the Carter Administration  (1977-1980) dropped the ball, never understanding Islam, or properly considering the outcome that resulted, Iran has used the military might that we provided the Shah, to make inroads and establish forces.  American Administrations have enabled, facilitated, and made possible continued strengthening of Iran as an aggressor as well as a harbor for terrorists, all Islamic, and all intent on the murder of Jews, Christians, as well as the downfall of Israel and the Great Satan America. How ignorant could we have been, or can we be?  There were occasions when we even provided additional military power and replacement parts to keep Iran strong.  We have experienced American supplied weaponry attacking our own forces.  There were staff members, advisers in Presidential Adminstrations, such as  Brzezinski, Alexander Haig, and others that wanted a strong response or overthrow of the wrongly placed Khomeini and a theocracy for Iran.  They were met with resistance by doves, like Cyrus Vance, and Iran was never attacked, in fact became stronger as the years went by.

Efforts to improve relations between Iran and America after the Revolution were met with derision, lies, and my guess, laughter, on the part of the inept Mullahs.  We made them smarter than they really were.  Iran was an easy target to be destroyed and restore a civil society for the residents of Iran, but as time passed they became a stronger theocracy, a militant army for the shiite Allah, and we all too often were facilitators.

The Shi’a Crescent 

Understand Islam

As I have often repeated, Understand Islam, whether it is Sunni, Shiite, and in many cases off-shoots of either, mostly Sunni generally; the world, the free world, must beware of the intention of the Islamics and a world All for Allah.  They are patient and will continue to press their wants as long as it takes.  Human life is not as important as achieving a unified world for Allah.  They proselytize by murder.  Inherent in such a world is Sharia Law and the restrictions imposed that limit freedoms, regard women as chattel, serve up protections and advantages for Muslim men, have habits that use the young in ways referred to as pedophilia, live by their example Muhammad, and rely upon Allah more than human achievement.  The All for Allah world would be a return to the 7th century, people living in tents, in clans and tribes, battling neighbors frequently to better their lives, until they in turn are overcome by another Muslim, a Saladin of the Day.

If the Shi’a Crescent succeeds, it will not stop in Jerusalem. It will spread, as it has already begun, moving each day deeper into the free world.  Japan and China today resist, and may be the only survivors to carry on, but not without a world battle at their borders.

Grace and Peace