DOCSLIB.ORG

MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA Supreme Leader: Do Not Let the Enemy Dominate Cyberspace

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA Supreme Leader: Do Not Let the Enemy Dominate Cyberspace MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA Supreme Leader: Do Not Let the Enemy Dominate Cyberspace OE Watch Commentary: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei considers the 1979 Islamic Revolution not only a political revolution but also a cultural one. In the accompanying excerpt, the Iranian cyber issue news portal Gerdab.ir provides coverage of Khamenei’s remarks delivered before the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body whose main job is to select a new supreme leader upon the incapacitation or death of the sitting leader. Khamenei began his remarks expressing condolences on the deaths of the late Expediency Council Chairman Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Guardian Council member Ayatollah Mohammad Danesh Zadeh Qomi Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with Iran’s Assembly of Experts on 14 March 2019. (Momen) within the previous three months, a move Source: Gerdab.ir, https://gerdab.ir/files/fa/news/1397/12/25/41546_312.jpg which highlights the aging of the clerical generation who “The enemy’s maximum attack requires maximum led Iran’s Islamic Revolution. His public meeting with the Assembly of Experts likewise focuses attention--probably mobilization on our part.” purposely--on the 79-year-old Khamenei’s own mortality and his hopes for a smooth transition following his death. In his remarks, Khamenei uses rhetoric that parallels past Sunni extremists like Abdullah ‘Azzam (Al Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden’s mentor), and argues that Western culture is an element of ‘soft warfare’ which must be defended against with the same ferocity as more traditional military strategies. Here, he singles out cyberspace as a main field of battle. While he does not address Iran’s own cyber warfare capabilities, he does argue that the Islamic Republic must strictly control the cyber domain to prevent its use by Western powers to reach Iranian youth. Indeed, he argues that not only does Iran face a challenge from the United States and “the Zionists,” but also by Europeans and the West more broadly. Such hostility toward Europe suggests that Iranian diplomatic efforts to divide the United States and Europe are tactical and that Iranian diplomatic outreach to European states is limited to business but insincere regarding political reform. Nationalist sentiment remains high in Iran, even among those who are not particularly sympathetic to clerical rule. Khamenei’s suggestion that Western powers have laid cultural siege to Iran likely seeks to tap into this sentiment. However, 40 years of frustration with clerical authorities and widespread sentiment among ordinary Iranians that Iranian and Western liberalism are not mutually exclusive, will limit the resonance of his message. Still, the notion of besiegement and the need to wage a cultural battle provides a useful insight into Khamenei’s mentality. Khamenei intersperses his speech with quotations from the Quran. Of those included with the excerpt, the first—Sura [chapter] 60—is nicknamed “Mumtahanah” [“Examining Her”] and warns Muslims not to make enemies with God and discusses the story of Abraham. The second, Sura 20, is nicknamed “Ta Ha” after its first two letters in Arabic and discusses the story of Moses.End OE Watch Commentary (Rubin) Source: “Nagazarid Doshman bar Fazai’ye Mojazi va Farhangi Kahvar Mosalet Shavad (Do not let the enemy dominate the cyberspace and culture of the country),” Gerdab.ir, 16 March 2019. https://gerdab.ir/fa/news/28369 Do Not Let the Enemy Dominate Cyberspace …Well, let’s speak again of another issue: Delineating the enemy to protect against a soft invasion. It is one of the most important things necessary to do… When the border is not clear, the enemy can penetrate, cripple, manipulate, can dominate cyberspace. If the border is clear to the enemy, his domination of cyberspace will not be easy in such a cultural environment. This is also an issue which the verse [Qur. 60:1] points out: “O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the truth.” God Almighty forbids that we deal with the enemy in this way. This is also a point…. I’ll end with two points: First, the enemy’s maximum attack requires maximum mobilization on our part. Today, the invasion of the enemy is maximized, that is, they use all their facilities and capabilities. First of all, the Americans and on the margins below, the Zionists, that is, the Zionist regime and, alongside them, are the Westerners and all of the Europeans…. Americans have repeatedly said that the sanctions we imposed against Iran are the most severe sanctions in history. They are right. At one point, I have also said that the failure the United States will face in this case will be the hardest failure for the United States, God-willing. If we are, God-willing, correct and we move correctly, we will move forward. So, one point is that before a maximum offensive, it is necessary to have a maximum mobilization. The second point is that the basis of work is the divine citation: “Do not slacken in My remembrance.” [Qur. 20:42]. OE Watch | May 2019 37.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Iranian Support for Terrorism
    OUTLAW REGIME: A CHRONICLE OF IRAN’S DESTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES Iran Action Group U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE “America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail.” PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, MAY 2018 In recognition of the increasing menace posed by the Iranian regime, President Trump announced a new strategy to address the full range of the regime’s destructive actions. OUTLAW REGIME: A CHRONICLE OF IRAN’S DESTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES A Letter From Executive Chapter One: 4 Secretary of State 6 Summary 8 Iran’s Support Michael R. Pompeo for Terrorism 18 Chapter Two: 22 Chapter Three: 26 Chapter Four: Iran’s Missile Illicit Financial Iran’s Threat to Program Activities in Iran Maritime Security Chapter Five: Chapter Six: Chapter Seven: 30 Iran’s Threat to 34 Human Rights 40 Environmental Cybersecurity Abuses in Iran Exploitation AP PHOTO OUTLAW REGIME: A CHRONICLE OF IRAN’S DESTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES | 3 A LETTER FROM U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MICHAEL R. POMPEO I am pleased to release the State Department’s new report detailing the scope of the Iranian regime’s destructive behavior at home and abroad on the eve of the Islamic Revolution’s 40th anniversary. On May 8, 2018, President Donald J. Trump announced his decision to cease U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran deal. The Iran deal was proving to be a failed strategic bet that fell short of protecting the American people or our allies from the potential of an Iranian nuclear weapon. The futility of entrusting our long term security to an agreement that will quickly expire was underscored by the recent bombshell that Iran had secretly preserved its past nuclear weapons research after the implementation of the JCPOA.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran's Anti-Western
    MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 3028 Iran’s Anti-Western ‘Blueprint’ for the Next Fifty Years by Mehdi Khalaji Oct 24, 2018 Also available in Arabic / Farsi ABOUT THE AUTHORS Mehdi Khalaji Mehdi Khalaji, a Qom-trained Shiite theologian, is the Libitzky Family Fellow at The Washington Institute. Brief Analysis Khamenei’s latest guidelines for Iranian culture and governance focus on resisting any efforts to reform the regime’s decisionmaking tendencies. n October 14, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei released a draft of the “Islamic-Iranian Blueprint for Progress,” O a document that outlines his vision for the next half century. The final version of this blueprint is not expected to be released for months, so publicizing a draft now may be an attempt to address some of Tehran’s current difficulties, including increased U.S. pressure, consecutive economic shocks, and mounting public suspicion about the regime’s durability and legitimacy. At their core, the document’s prescriptions reveal Khamenei’s two-pronged vision for achieving regional, even global, supremacy: first, total Islamization of all facets of life, which means continuing to resist Western notions of international order, politics, and culture; second, the use of advanced scientific achievements to become technologically self-reliant. In short, the regime seems to be placing its bets on an even deeper marriage of fundamentalist ideology and modern technology. A WARNING TO THE WEST I n addition to asking Iran’s academic and clerical establishment for feedback on the blueprint, Khamenei has ordered government branches and regime decisionmaking bodies to turn the document’s goals into workable operational plans.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
    Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 31:169–181, 2008 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1057-610X print / 1521-0731 online DOI: 10.1080/10576100701878424 Iran, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction DANIEL BYMAN Center for Peace and Security Studies Georgetown University Washington, DC, USA and Saban Center for Middle East Policy Brookings Institution Washington, DC, USA This article reviews Iran’s past and current use of terrorism and assesses why U.S. attempts to halt Iran’s efforts have met with little success. With this assessment in mind, it argues that Iran is not likely transfer chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons to terrorist groups for several reasons. First, providing terrorists with such unconventional Downloaded By: [Georgetown University] At: 15:20 19 March 2008 weapons offers Iran few tactical advantages as these groups are able to operate effectively with existing methods and weapons. Second, Iran has become more cautious in its backing of terrorists in recent years. And third, Tehran is highly aware that any major escalation in its support for terrorism would incur U.S. wrath and international condemnation. The article concludes by offering recommendations for decreasing Iran’s support for terrorism. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has been one of the world’s most active sponsors of terrorism. Tehran has armed, trained, financed, inspired, organized, and otherwise supported dozens of violent groups over the years.1 Iran has backed not only groups in its Persian Gulf neighborhood, but also terrorists and radicals in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Bosnia, the Philippines, and elsewhere.2 This support remains strong even today: the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Leader's Response to a Letter by Hamas Chief, Ismail Haniyeh - 5 /Apr/ 2018
    The Leader's response to a letter by Hamas chief, Ismail Haniyeh - 5 /Apr/ 2018 In response to a recent letter by Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underscored the perennial stances of the Islamic Republic in full support of Palestine and its holy warriors. He said the remedy for the issue of Palestine lies in the reinforcement of the resisting and unyielding front in the world of Islam and the intensification of the campaign against the usurping regime and its supporters, stressing, “Moving toward negotiations with the deceptive, mendacious and usurping regime is an unforgivable mistake that will delay the victory of the Palestinian nation and will bring nothing but harm to the oppressed nation.” The full text of the letter by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution is as follows: In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate (Arabic Prayers) Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our master, the great and faithful Messenger (the Prophet Muhammad) and his immaculate Household and his ennobled companions and those who followed them with good deeds until the Day of Judgement. Dear striving brother, Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, may your successes continue I begin the letter with these luminous words of God, which may seem to have been descended upon us and you this very day: “Relent not in pursuit of the enemy. If ye are suffering, lo! they suffer even as ye suffer and ye hope from Allah that for which they cannot hope.
    [Show full text]
  • Tightening the Reins How Khamenei Makes Decisions
    MEHDI KHALAJI TIGHTENING THE REINS HOW KHAMENEI MAKES DECISIONS MEHDI KHALAJI TIGHTENING THE REINS HOW KHAMENEI MAKES DECISIONS POLICY FOCUS 126 THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY www.washingtoninstitute.org Policy Focus 126 | March 2014 The opinions expressed in this Policy Focus are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, its Board of Trustees, or its Board of Advisors. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including pho- tocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. © 2014 by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy 1828 L Street NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20036 Cover: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds a weapon as he speaks at the University of Tehran. (Reuters/Raheb Homavandi). Design: 1000 Colors CONTENTS Executive Summary | V 1. Introduction | 1 2. Life and Thought of the Leader | 7 3. Khamenei’s Values | 15 4. Khamenei’s Advisors | 20 5. Khamenei vs the Clergy | 27 6. Khamenei vs the President | 34 7. Khamenei vs Political Institutions | 44 8. Khamenei’s Relationship with the IRGC | 52 9. Conclusion | 61 Appendix: Profile of Hassan Rouhani | 65 About the Author | 72 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EVEN UNDER ITS MOST DESPOTIC REGIMES , modern Iran has long been governed with some degree of consensus among elite factions. Leaders have conceded to or co-opted rivals when necessary to maintain their grip on power, and the current regime is no excep- tion.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran Is Poised to Exploit the Uncertainties of the Afghan Collapse by Farzin Nadimi
    MENU Policy Analysis / PolicyWatch 3522 Iran Is Poised to Exploit the Uncertainties of the Afghan Collapse by Farzin Nadimi Aug 18, 2021 Also available in Arabic / Farsi ABOUT THE AUTHORS Farzin Nadimi Farzin Nadimi, an associate fellow with The Washington Institute, is a Washington-based analyst specializing in the security and defense affairs of Iran and the Persian Gulf region. Brief Analysis Since the fall of Kabul—and well beforehand—Iranian officials have signaled how they might use a Taliban victory to further their goals in the Middle East, though they remain concerned about the fate of Afghan Shia. ased on official statements and media coverage so far, the Iranian regime seems pleasantly surprised by the B sudden collapse of nascent liberal democracy in Afghanistan, with commentators expressing cautious satisfaction at the Taliban takeover and the chaotic final days of the Western-supported government. In 1998, Iran almost went to war with the Taliban after years of arming and financing the group’s local opponent, the Northern Alliance. And as late as 2015, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was still referring to the Taliban as a “bunch of cruel, fanatical mercenaries who know nothing about Islam or international norms.” Today, however, senior Iranian figures such as Foreign Ministry official Rasoul Mousavi are readily calling the group the “Islamic Emirate,” the Taliban’s preferred name, and state media are portraying it as a revamped movement. Meanwhile, new president Ebrahim Raisi shed no tears for the ousted government, instead calling the U.S. “military defeat and withdrawal” an opportunity for all Afghans to achieve lasting peace.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran: Sponsoring Or Combating Terrorism?
    This is a repository copy of Iran: Sponsoring or Combating Terrorism?. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/150747/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Malakoutikhah, Z orcid.org/0000-0001-7804-9881 (2020) Iran: Sponsoring or Combating Terrorism? Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 43 (10). pp. 913-939. ISSN 1057-610X https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2018.1506560 © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an author produced version of an article published in Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Iran: Sponsoring or Combating Terrorism? Zeynab Malakoutikhah PhD, University of Leeds [email protected] Abstract Iran has a longstanding connection with terrorism, in particular after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It has been recognised as both a victim and state sponsor of terrorism, but has predominantly been accused of supporting terrorism worldwide.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran's Balancing Act in Afghanistan
    CHILDREN AND FAMILIES The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and EDUCATION AND THE ARTS decisionmaking through research and analysis. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE This electronic document was made available from www.rand.org as a public service INFRASTRUCTURE AND of the RAND Corporation. TRANSPORTATION INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 16 NATIONAL SECURITY POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY Support RAND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Browse Reports & Bookstore TERRORISM AND Make a charitable contribution HOMELAND SECURITY For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore the RAND National Defense Research Institute View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non- commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This product is part of the RAND Corporation occasional paper series. RAND occa- sional papers may include an informed perspective on a timely policy issue, a discussion of new research methodologies, essays, a paper presented at a conference, a conference summary, or a summary of work in progress. All RAND occasional papers undergo rigorous peer review to ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity.
    [Show full text]
  • We Write with Regard to the Ongoing Rocket Attacks Against Israel by the Palestinian Terrorist Organization Hamas
    May 12, 2021 President Joe Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: We write with regard to the ongoing rocket attacks against Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Over the past couple days, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, who are funded by Iran, have launched a series of rocket attacks into Israel. They are targeting Israeli civilians and cities, including Israel’s capital Jerusalem. This is troubling as members of your administration are currently in Vienna negotiating with Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. In light of these recent attacks by Hamas against Israel, the United States should take all steps necessary to hold Tehran accountable and under no circumstances, provide sanctions relief to Iran. This is especially important as Iran is supporting terrorist activity against the United States’ closest ally in the region, Israel. As you know, Palestinian terrorist groups launched more than 1,000 rockets targeting Israel over the last few days alone. This includes the first rockets aimed at Jerusalem since 2014. While the United States and countries around the world condemned these rocket attacks, Iran resoundingly supports this aggression. Shortly after the attacks began, and as they continued, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted that Palestinians should unite to “use the tools of their disposal” to attack Israel, which he recently called not a nation, but a “terrorist garrison.” Even the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, who currently is supervising Iran’s negotiating team in Vienna, called Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh to express Iran’s support for the group’s actions.
    [Show full text]
  • Continuity Despite Revolution: Iran's Support for Non-State Actors
    Crown Family Director Professor of the Practice in Politics Gary Samore Continuity Despite Revolution: Iran’s Director for Research Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor Support for Non-State Actors of Middle East History Naghmeh Sohrabi Associate Director Mohammad Ataie Kristina Cherniahivsky Associate Director for Research he Islamic Republic of Iran supports a number of David Siddhartha Patel Tnon-state actors throughout the Middle East, such as Myra and Robert Kraft Professor Hizbollah in Lebanon and elements of the Iraqi Popular of Arab Politics Eva Bellin Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Sha‘bi). Iranian leaders Founding Director describe their support for such groups in religious and Professor of Politics Shai Feldman revolutionary terms and as resistance against “global arrogance” (Istikbar-i Jahani), meaning imperialism. This aspect Henry J. Leir Professor of the Economics of the Middle East of Iran’s foreign policy, therefore, is widely understood to be a Nader Habibi product of the 1978–79 Iranian Revolution and as motivated, Renée and Lester Crown Professor in large part, by ideology. of Modern Middle East Studies Pascal Menoret In contrast, this Brief argues that Iran’s pattern of support for non-state Founding Senior Fellows entities after 1979, shaped around the so-called Axis of Resistance, is a Abdel Monem Said Aly Khalil Shikaki continuation of a regional policy that dates to the late 1950s and continued through the 1960s and 1970s. Both Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Goldman Faculty Leave Fellow Andrew March leaders of the Islamic Republic pursued a strategy of backing extraterritorial groups and invoking historical and religious ties to Shi‘i communities Harold Grinspoon Junior Research Fellow in the region to counter perceived threats and contain adversaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Borders the Expansionist Ideology of Iran's Islamic
    Beyond Borders The Expansionist Ideology of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps KASRA AARABI FEBRUARY 2020 Contents Executive Summary 5 The Approach: Understanding the IRGC Training Materials 7 Key Findings 7 Policy Recommendations 8 Introduction 11 A Common Ideology 14 Our Approach 15 Background – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps 17 Indoctrination: An Increasing Focal Point for the IRGC 19 Inside the IRGC’s Ideological Training Programme 25 Objectives: The Grand Vision 27 Group Identity: Defining the ‘Ingroup' 31 Conduct: Actions Permissible and Necessary 36 The Enemy: Defining the ‘Outgroup’ 44 Conclusion 53 Endnotes 55 Appendix 67 3 4 Executive Summary Unlike the Iranian army that protects Iran’s borders, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is mandated by Iran’s constitution to pursue “an ideological mission of jihad in God’s way; that is extending sovereignty of God’s law throughout the world.”1 Since the inception of this paramilitary force in 1979, the Guard has emerged as the principal organisation driving the Iranian regime’s revolutionary Shia Islamist ideology, within and beyond the regime’s borders. Over these 40 years, it has been linked to terrorist attacks, hostage-takings, maritime piracy, political assassinations, human rights violations and the crushing of domestic dissent across Iran, most recently with bloodshed on the Iranian streets in November 2019, leaving 1,500 people dead in less than two weeks.2 Today, the IRGC remains Lebanese Hizbullah’s prime benefactor, with the Guard known to be providing arms, training and funding to sustain the group’s hostile presence against Israel and its grip on Lebanese society, and key operational assistance that has resulted in attacks on civilians stretching from Argentina, Bulgaria to Thailand.
    [Show full text]
  • Persian Truths and American Self-Deception Hassan Rouhani, Muhammad-Javad Zarif, and Ali Khamenei in Their Own Words
    Persian Truths and American Self-Deception Hassan Rouhani, Muhammad-Javad Zarif, and Ali Khamenei in Their Own Words Ali Alfoneh Reuel Marc Gerecht April 2015 FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES FOUNDATION Persian Truths and American Self-Deception Hassan Rouhani, Muhammad-Javad Zarif, and Ali Khamenei in Their Own Words Ali Alfoneh Reuel Marc Gerecht April 2015 FDD PRESS A division of the FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES Washington, DC Persian Truths and American Self-Deception Table of Contents Introduction: A Decent Respect for the Written Word [in Persian] ......................................................................... 2 I: The Man and The Myth: The Many Faces of Hassan Rouhani ............................................................................. 4 II: An Iranian Moderate Exposed: Everyone Thought Iran’s Foreign Minister Was a Pragmatist. They Were Wrong. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 19 III: Iran’s Supreme Censor: The Evolution of Ali Khamenei from Sensitive Lover of Western Literature to Enforcer of Islamic Revolutionary Orthodoxy .......................................................................................................... 25 Persian Truths and American Self-Deception Introduction: A Decent Respect ever-so-short reform movement under president Mohammad Khatami) — they may have read little for the Written Word [in Persian] of the writings of the mullahs
    [Show full text]