The Islamic Republic of Iran was built on a fatal contradiction, and that contradiction is now tearing it apart from within.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was never interested in Iran as a nation-state. His loyalty was to radical Islam alone.
In one of his lesser-known but revealing statements, he openly rejected Iranian patriotism, arguing that the country itself was expendable if Islamic rule could spread beyond its borders. From the very beginning, the revolution placed ideology above people, faith above nation, and expansion above welfare.
"We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah. For patriotism is another name for paganism. I say let this land [Iran] burn. I say let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world."
