OP-ED: IRAN AT WAR WITH THE WORLD

YANKEE TEA NEWS

Monday, July 20, 2026

The multiple attacks by Iran on Syria, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE should make the point very clear:  Iran is at war with the world.

That some are allies shows how loosely Iran interprets the word ally.   Currently, Iran is focused on attacking Kuwait.  What comes next is anybody’s guess.  The bluster by the IRGC  is no guide.

Meantime, the attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz, sends the same message to most of the rest of the word:  Screw you.  Newsflash for the ayatollahs:  The world will not be taking a knee for you.  In fact, this conduct may be  speeding your demise.

The IRGC is counting on fear; fear of a long ground war; fear of a deep and endless resistance in a vast and mountainous country.  Victory would be at least as problematic as mountainous Afghanistan.  Yes, the political dynamics of Iran are notably different in a country largely Persian with a huge multi-ethnic population.

Would a ground invasion encounter a cultural buzzsaw?  To what degree would Iranians not buy into what the Americans are selling?  Iranian strategists may be betting that America would ultimate fail amidst such a culturally complex and politically weak environment.  First, is Iran’s culture more religious or secular?  The oppressive policies of the IRGC regime continue to hurt the population in numerous ways.  Still, even if only 15% of the population still supports the theocratic regime, that is enough to stay in power.  Also, roughly 1 in 15 Iranians live outside the country.  America has around 1 million Iranian ex-pats.  Canada has over 300,000 as does Germany.  Kuwait and the UAE are each over 300,000 as well.

The irrational nature of Iran’s attacks is reflected in the fact that many of the countries have Iranian populations.  Perhaps this is just an extension of their attacks on their own people.  Still, these ex-pats raise the other tough question:  Will any of these ex-pats provide future leadership for Iran?  The name Pavlavi comes to mind.  Moreover, the increasingly irrational IRGC will only foster the conditions for needed regime change.  The more irrational the IRGC becomes, the greater the pressure from other countries to eliminate the IRGC.  There is a growing sense that replacing the IRGC will lead to a new government which will be both a good partner regionally and in the international economy.