The situation into which Iran, one of the oldest countries in the Middle East, has fallen is deeply troubling. That Iran has brought itself to this point is unacceptable for the entire Middle East. The peoples and countries of the region, with their deep historical culture and political experience, should not allow themselves to fall into such a state. Yet just as the Middle East has produced great historical values, dogmatism has also become the fate of these lands. Iran, which possesses the oldest continuous state tradition in world history, has fallen into a tragic situation as a result of dogmatism.
Throughout history, Iran has failed to see that the policies through which it sustained itself as a state would reach a dead end under today’s global conditions. No one can say that one must become a collaborator of hegemonic and capitalist modernist powers or submit to their control. A stance based on will and independence is important; such positions are values for humanity. However, due to its authoritarian and repressive political mentality, Iran weakened itself from the outset. No country that does not rely on its people and draws strength from them can protect itself for long against external pressures.
Iran aimed to become powerful vis-à-vis the outside world by developing nuclear weapons. Yet the greatest atomic bomb was the transformation of society into a democratic one. Nevertheless, Iran insisted on pursuing nuclear weapons. If a country wants to be free and honorable, it should oppose nuclear arms. Relying on nuclear weapons for defense is a grave mistake for countries like Iran. By insisting on nuclear weapons and seeing them as a display of power, Iran both weakened itself and made itself a target. Viewing nuclear arms as the source of strength means failing to recognize the true foundations of power. This is one of the key factors that led Iran to its current state.
On the other hand, it created a political system even more repressive than that of the Shah whom the people had overthrown. It established an authoritarian system over a people who had made a revolution against oppression. This in itself undermined the very basis of the system’s legitimacy. Since 1979, the people who toppled the Shah have risen up repeatedly against the Islamic Republic. Repression, persecution, and executions have not prevented people from standing up.
After the 2022 “Jin Jiyan Azadî” uprising and the popular revolts of 2025, the execution machine has operated relentlessly. In 2025 alone, more than ten thousand people were killed to suppress the popular uprising, and gallows were erected continuously. The Khamenei leadership, which believed it could save itself through massacres and executions, has grown even weaker. It has lost both its legitimacy and its social support. Although a segment of society still supports the regime, this backing is not sufficient to keep the current political power standing.
Having suffered significant losses in the 12-day war, the current leadership further weakened itself through massacres and executions and became unable to survive following the February 28 attack. Although it has shown a certain level of resistance, the tendency toward capitulation is growing stronger by the day. Once again, we are witnessing the tragic end of those who failed to transform and reform themselves in time. The lust for power and the refusal to democratize inevitably lead to such an outcome.
It has become clear that non-democratic countries cannot resist imperialism. Merely claiming to be leftist, like Nicolás Maduro, or rhetorically opposing foreign powers, like Khamenei, is not enough. They weaken the people and deprive them of agency, then expect the people to defend them. Those who lack willpower will not demonstrate it under pressure either.
If you respond to women’s desire for freedom and agency with oppression, this will be your end. If you kill more than ten thousand people who demand a more democratic country and send thousands to the gallows, this will be your fate. Who can stand by such a government? In Turkey there is a saying: “I brought this upon myself.”
Iran has historically been a geography where many different ideas, philosophies, and sects have emerged. There is a revolutionary people who carried out the Islamic Revolution and who have repeatedly risen up against the authoritarian Islamic Republic that followed. The Iranian people deserve to be called revolutionary. They will accept neither the son of Reza Pahlavi nor anyone similar. The Iranian people deserve a government worthy of their revolutionary character. The Kurds, as the most revolutionary and democratic people of the Middle East, will undoubtedly play their role in Iran’s democratization.
In the coming period, there will be a struggle over who will take power in Iran. The revolutionary Iranian people will surely create a government worthy of themselves. In essence, they will take their destiny into their own hands.
Source: Yeni Yaşam Newspaper
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