The European powers' current approach to Iran is uncomfortably reminiscent of how, in the 1930s, they dealt with Nazi Germany.
European democracies, choosing appeasement over confrontation, turned a blind eye to Hitler's rising aggression. This indulgence, not surprisingly, simply emboldened the Nazis, and led to the horrors of World War II.
Today, in a similar fashion, the Europe's passivity toward Iran's escalating threats is just bolstering its regime. Iran, called by the 2023 US annual Terrorism Report, "the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism," is on the cusp of acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran's Islamist regime has never made a secret of its ambitions. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who seized power following the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and established the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, said:
"We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry 'There is no god but Allah' resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle."[1]
Iran's regime is promising either Western capitulation or a major conflict. Ignoring the warning signs will only make the price Europe pays even higher.
Iran is arming Russia with missiles and attack drones, which are being used to strike Ukraine. That war is no longer just a regional conflict between Russia and Ukraine. When Iranian missiles target Ukraine, they are striking Europe itself. If this isn't the prelude to a direct act of war by Iran against all of Europe and the individual freedoms it stands for, then what is? Iran, as has been no secret, has clearly aligned itself with a "new Axis of Evil" consisting of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.
Iran's partnership with Russia will not likely end with Ukraine. The mullahs seem to have their sights set on helping Russia continuing to expand its influence. Perhaps, after Ukraine, Russia will try to pick off Moldova, then the Baltic States, then wherever it looks as if it will not be much resistance. The question is, how much more aggression will Europe tolerate before it recognizes the full extent of the threat?
Iranian-supplied missiles and attack drones are destroying Ukrainian infrastructure and targeting key cities such as Kyiv. These attacks are causing significant damage as well as killing countless innocent Ukrainians. How come Europeans do not seem as distressed about the deaths of civilians in Ukraine as in Gaza and Lebanon?
All the EU seems to do is issue statements of condemnation against Israel, which is sacrificing the lives of its people to save these sanctimonious ingrates. What does that achieve?
It is time for Europe to go beyond demonizing the one country that is saving them -- and to stop firing nothing but words at the countries causing the mayhem.
The first step should be to formally designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite Quds Force as terrorist organizations. This would send a powerful signal that Europe is no longer willing to tolerate Iran's military and ideological expansion, and it would empower law enforcement across the continent to act decisively against Iranian operatives.
Europe should also take a bold step of shutting down all Iranian embassies and consulates, and expelling their personnel, before another terror plot comes to fruition.
The case of Assadollah Assadi, the Iranian diplomat who was convicted for plotting a terror attack in France, should have been a wake-up call. These so-called Iranian diplomats do not seem to have been appointed to foster international cooperation. They appear rather as agents of espionage and terror. The longer European leaders allow these seditious diplomatic outposts to operate, the greater the threat to European security.
Europe should sever all trade relations with Iran. Every euro that flows into Iran is likely being funneled into Tehran's military machine and its support for Russia's war in Ukraine. The cost of continuing these commercial ties is the further destabilization of Europe's eastern borders and the empowerment of a regime that is openly hostile to the West. By trading with Iran, it is actually funding and empowering its enemies.
The EU also needs to be prepared to form a coalition to back up its words with military action. Continuing to sit passively while Iranian missiles and drones rain down on a European nation is not a strategy; it is a surrender. The EU should put Iran's oil infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and military assets on the table as potential targets. This would deliver a clear message to the Iranian regime: Europe will not just look the other way when its cities are threatened. Such a show of strength could deter further aggression and force Iran to rein in.
If Europe finds itself too hesitant to confront the Iranian regime directly, it should at the very least stand by those who are fighting the Iranian regime and its proxies. Israel has taken the lead in confronting Iranian aggression in the Middle East. Rather than undermining Israel for defending itself and the West against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, the EU should do everything it can support these heroes. Abandoning Israel while it fights Iranian-backed terror only weakens Europe and plays into the hands of everyone working to bring it down.
By responding with empty words as Iranian missiles hit European soil, the EU is essentially green-lighting Tehran to escalate its aggression. The lessons of Nazi Germany are there for everyone to see.
The time has come for Europe to support those risking their lives to take down this terror regime before they get a nuclear bomb.
Most grateful of all would be the people of Iran.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a scholar, strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated analyst, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy and Islam. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
[1] February 11, 1979 (according to Dilip Hiro in The Longest War p.32) p.108 from Excerpts from Speeches and Messages of Imam Khomeini on the Unity of the Muslims.
David Llewelyn Davies