{"id":297021,"date":"2025-06-23T12:01:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T11:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=297021"},"modified":"2025-06-20T07:21:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T06:21:56","slug":"persia-iran-and-the-great-arab-mix-up-a-sarcastic-stroll-through-history-to-todays-messy-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/06\/persia-iran-and-the-great-arab-mix-up-a-sarcastic-stroll-through-history-to-todays-messy-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Persia, Iran, and the Great Arab Mix-up: A Sarcastic Stroll through History to Today\u2019s Messy War"},"content":{"rendered":"

18 Jun 2025 –<\/em> Oh, dear reader, let\u2019s clear up a colossal misconception that floats around like a bad rumor at a high school reunion: Iranians are\u00a0not <\/em>Arabs. Yes, I know, it\u2019s shocking to some that not everyone in the Middle East is interchangeable. Iranians are Persians, predominantly, with a rich history that stretches back to when most of the world was still figuring out how to make fire. So, buckle up for a snarky ride through Persia\u2019s past, its transformation into modern Iran, and how it ended up in a fiery spat with Israel, all while the world argues over who\u2019s the real villain\u2014spoiler: it\u2019s probably Benjamin Netanyahu, the warmonger with a knack for dodging prison.<\/p>\n

Persians, Not Arabs: A History Lesson for the Geographically Challenged<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics, because apparently, geography class is optional for many. Persia, the ancient name for what we now call Iran, is home to Persians, an Indo-European people with a language (Farsi) and culture as distinct from Arabic as baguettes are from pita bread. The Persian Empire, under luminaries like Cyrus the Great and Darius I, was the original superpower, stretching from Egypt to India by the 6th century BCE. They built roads, invented bureaucracy, and let\u2019s not forget the Book of Esther, where a Persian king (probably Xerxes I) played matchmaker to a Jewish queen. Persia was the cosmopolitan hub of the ancient world, while others were still arguing over who got to hold the shiny rock.<\/p>\n

Fast forward through invasions, dynasties, and the occasional Mongol BBQ, and Persia remained a cultural juggernaut. By the 20th century, under the Pahlavi dynasty, Iran (officially renamed in 1935 to reflect its ancient roots) was cozying up to the West, especially Israel and the U.S., because nothing says \u201cstrategic alliance\u201d like oil pipelines and a shared dislike of Arab nationalism. The Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was Israel\u2019s BFF, supplying oil and hosting secret missile projects like Project Flower (1977\u201379). But then, in 1979, the Islamic Revolution crashed the party, and everything went sideways.<\/p>\n

1979: When Persia Became Iran, and the World Got Confused<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 1979 Islamic Revolution, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, was less a gentle rebrand and more a geopolitical earthquake. The Shah was out, a theocratic regime was in, and Iran went from Western darling to the West\u2019s favorite boogeyman. Khomeini called Israel \u201cthe Little Satan\u201d (America got \u201cGreat Satan,\u201d naturally), and Iran became the loudest cheerleader for Palestine, cutting all ties with Israel. Why? Because nothing screams \u201cIslamic unity\u201d like rallying against a common enemy to bridge the Persian-Arab, Shia-Sunni divide.<\/p>\n

Since 1979, Iran\u2019s development has been a rollercoaster with more downs than ups. The Iran-Iraq War (1980\u201388) bled the country dry, killing hundreds of thousands and wrecking the economy. Sanctions, especially after the U.S. ditched the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, turned Iran into an economic punching bag. Oil exports, once a cash cow, dropped to a trickle, with China as the main buyer. Yet, Iran\u2019s regime doubled down on its \u201cResistance Axis,\u201d arming Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen, because apparently, proxy wars are cheaper than fixing roads.<\/p>\n

Internally, Iran\u2019s been a mixed bag. The regime\u2019s grip is ironclad, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) acting as both praetorian guard and ideological enforcer. Protests, like the 2009 Green Movement or the 2022\u201323 Women, Life, Freedom movement, get crushed faster than you can say \u201chuman rights.\u201d Meanwhile, 80% of Iranians reportedly despise the regime, but don\u2019t hold your breath for a revolution\u2014most are too busy dodging missiles or queuing for petrol.<\/p>\n

The Iran-Israel Conflict: A Tale of Two Narratives<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s dive into the Iran-Israel conflict, where the \u201coccidental official version\u201d clashes with what much of the Global South (and others) think. According to the West\u2019s polished narrative, Iran is the ultimate villain, a nuclear-obsessed theocracy hell-bent on wiping Israel off the map. The story goes that Iran\u2019s been racing toward a nuclear bomb since the 1980s, funding terrorists like Hezbollah and Hamas to destabilize the Middle East. Israel, the plucky underdog, has no choice but to launch \u201cpreemptive\u201d strikes, like the June 2025 Operation Rising Lion, which obliterated Iran\u2019s nuclear sites, missile factories, and a chunk of its military brass. The U.S. nods approvingly, saying, \u201cWell, Iran brought this on itself,\u201d while conveniently ignoring that Israel\u2019s been assassinating Iranian scientists and bombing its allies for years. Oh, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) tut-tuts about Israel\u2019s attacks on nuclear facilities, but who listens to them anyway?<\/p>\n

Now, flip the script. Many countries\u2014think China, Russia, much of the Arab world, and the Global South\u2014see a different story. Here, Israel is the aggressor, a U.S.-backed bully that\u2019s been poking Iran since the 1979 revolution. Iran\u2019s nuclear program? A defensive move against a hostile West that\u2019s sanctioned it into oblivion and a nuclear-armed Israel that\u2019s never admitted its own arsenal. Iran\u2019s support for Hezbollah and Hamas? Not terrorism, but solidarity with oppressed Palestinians, especially after Israel\u2019s relentless Gaza campaign, which killed tens of thousands since 2023. The 2025 Israeli strikes, which killed 224 Iranians (90% civilians, per Iran\u2019s health ministry), aren\u2019t \u201cprecision\u201d but war crimes, especially since they hit civilian infrastructure like Tehran\u2019s state broadcaster. And let\u2019s not forget Netanyahu\u2019s sanctimonious call for Iranians to \u201cstand up\u201d for freedom\u2014because nothing says liberation like bombing their homes.<\/p>\n

Both sides have their biases. The West ignores Israel\u2019s provocations and its own role in strangling Iran\u2019s economy. The alternative narrative downplays Iran\u2019s reckless missile barrages and its oppressive regime. But one thing\u2019s clear: this isn\u2019t a simple good-vs-evil tale. It\u2019s a power struggle where both sides play dirty, and civilians pay the price.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu: The Warmonger Who Needs War to Survive<\/strong><\/p>\n

Enter Benjamin Netanyahu, the maestro of mayhem. Bibi, as he\u2019s affectionately called, has made Iran his personal bogeyman for decades, warning of its \u201cexistential threat\u201d to keep Israelis rallied around him. His 2025 strikes, which killed Iran\u2019s top generals and scientists, were less about stopping a nuclear bomb (no evidence Iran was close, per U.S. intelligence) and more about flexing muscle to distract from his domestic troubles. Netanyahu faces an International Criminal Court warrant for Gaza war crimes and corruption charges at home that could land him in prison. War is his get-out-of-jail-free card: it unites Israelis, delays trials, and keeps his coalition of far-right zealots happy.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu\u2019s playbook is simple: weaken Iran\u2019s proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis), then hit Iran directly, claiming it\u2019s all for Israel\u2019s survival. Never mind the 80 Iranians and 10 Israelis killed in the initial 2025 strikes, or the 30,000-plus Palestinians dead in Gaza since 2023. Bibi\u2019s betting that a regional war will keep him in power, even if it means dragging the U.S. into the mess\u2014Trump\u2019s already cheering him on, redirecting resources from Ukraine. The irony? Netanyahu\u2019s \u201cregime change\u201d talk in Iran mirrors his own refusal to change Gaza\u2019s status quo, arming criminal factions to keep Hamas down while reducing the Strip to rubble.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: Bibi\u2019s Bloody Gamble<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you buy the West\u2019s \u201cIran is evil\u201d line or the Global South\u2019s \u201cIsrael is the aggressor\u201d narrative, one truth shines through: Netanyahu thrives on chaos. His wars\u2014against Hamas, Hezbollah, and now Iran\u2014are less about security and more about survival. He\u2019s a warmonger who doesn\u2019t care that tens of thousands have died or that his actions risk a regional conflagration. Prison, whether from the ICC or an Israeli court, looms large, and Bibi\u2019s willing to burn the Middle East to avoid it. Persia, Iran, whatever you call it, deserves better than being a pawn in his game. So do the Palestinians, the Israelis, and the rest of us stuck watching this tragic circus.<\/p>\n

_____________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Diran Noubar, an Italian-Armenian born in France, has lived in 11 countries until he moved to Armenia. He is a world-renowned, critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker and war reporter. Starting in the early 2000\u2019s in New York City, Diran produced and directed over 20 full-length documentary films. He is also a singer\/songwriter and guitarist in his own band and runs a nonprofit charity organization, <\/em>wearemenia.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iranians are\u00a0not Arabs. They are Persians, predominantly, with a rich history that stretches back to when most of the world was still figuring out how to make fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":291345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1669,742,88,2552,767,335,475,2007,70,1594,481],"class_list":["post-297021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-north-africa","tag-arabs","tag-iran","tag-israel","tag-jews","tag-middle-east","tag-muslims","tag-netanyahu","tag-persia","tag-usa","tag-war-economy","tag-warfare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":297023,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297021\/revisions\/297023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}