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International News
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Written by Samuel Sokol
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Thursday, 04 March 2010 14:44 |
 Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdir, a hard-line cleric and the spiritual mentor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to acquire what he terms “a Special Kind of Weapon.†The call for nuclear armament was issued in the Ayatollah’s book The Islamic Revolution: Surges in Political Changes in History, which was published during the 2005 presidential election. Only 3,000 copies were distributed.
According to comments published this week by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an Israeli think tank, the book “provides a rare glimpse into the internal discourse of the Iranian regime and its theological elite regarding the nuclear issue.â€
This has not been the only time that a member of Yazdir’s circle has endorsed the acquisition of nuclear weapons by the Iranian regime. In 2006, Mohsen Gharavian, a student of the Ayatollah, was quoted as saying that “at a time when the entire world has nuclear weapons, it is appropriate that during a confrontation with an equal factor [i.e., equal in military might], a nuclear weapon be used.â€
Yazdir’s statements are significant due to the spiritual and ideological influence that the senior cleric holds over President Ahmadinejad as his marja-e Taqlid, or spiritual authority. He currently heads the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, a position which he owes to Ayatollah Khomeini, whose ascension to power was supported by the hard-line religious leader.
Iranian spokesmen have denied that their country is developing nuclear energy for anything other than civilian applications. In support of this contention, Iranian representatives, such as Hassan Rohani, secretary of Iran’s High Council for National Security and former head nuclear negotiator, have quoted a 1997 fatwa by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei which states that the use of nuclear arms is contrary to and forbidden by Islamic religious law. The fatwa has never appeared in print, however, and the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center believes that it “will not constrain the Iranian regime if and when it declares its intention to develop or stockpile nuclear weapons.â€
In concluding its analysis of Yazdir’s views on nuclear armament, the center stated that “the book should at least be regarded as reflecting the general opinions of Iran’s theological elite, which influences the country’s decision makers.â€
Speaking at a recent Revolutionary Guards event, Yazdir accused Jews of “seek[ing] to corrupt the rest of the people in the world so that eventually they can rule the world.†He has also legitimized suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, stating that such operations are “an obligation (wajib),†in a post on his official website.
Yazdir’s Orwellian description of suicide bombings against civilians as “self-defense†has led to speculation in some circles that his calls to produce the “most advanced weapon inside the country†and “a certain special type of weapon†for purposes of “defensive policy†could refer to an aggressive use of nuclear arms.
Patrick Devenny, a Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington DC, wrote in Middle East Quarterly in 2006 that after Iran creates a nuclear weapon, Hezbollah may “consider itself shielded and be emboldened to augment its involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict.†This could escalate the current tense situation into a full-blown regional war.
The Iranian theologian maintains ties with the terrorist organization, which is widely regarded as an Iranian proxy in its war against Israel, and Yazdir has visited Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
Yazdir’s protégé, Ahmadinejad, recently declared that Israel is the “origin of all the wars, genocide, terrors, and crimes against humanity†and that the Jewish state is “an insult to all of humanity.â€
The Iranian president and his hard-line spiritual guide both believe in “messianic concepts which call for actions to be carried out leading to the advent of the 12th Imam or Hidden Mahdi, the redeemer of Islam,†according to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.
The fundamentalist and messianic religious beliefs of the Iranian leadership, together with anti-Semitic pronouncements and threats to “finish†Israel, if Israel enters into a war with an Arab or Muslim power, has Israelis worried over a possible Iranian nuclear strike against Jewish population centers.
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