We can hardly catch our breath. Every time there is a dip of calmness, it seems it’s just the prelude to the next dramatic chapter of history we are living through, or at least witnessing.
The Gaza ceasefire is like the most delicate of fragile flowers. Yet, there is a sense of finally being able to breathe a bit about the Gaza war.
But turn your head in other directions, and the chaos seems to be overflowing. This seems to be the era of evil dictators being taken down. Before the current era, what stands out in my mind is the fall of Ceausescu, known for his evil ways as the “Romanian Fuhrer.” I still remember the days leading to his downfall, and this week that memory came rushing back from my youth.
The takedown of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro is an absolute shock. The potential takedown of Iran’s Khamenei feels like the days preceding Ceausescu’s. Who knows what will be by the time you read this?
We’ve lived through the downfall of evil leaders of Hamas, of Hezbollah, of Syria. Now the fate of Venezuela and possibly Iran hang in the balance.
But the people!
I’ve been watching footage of the very brave Iranians taking to the streets.
How humbling.
They have suffered so much. They’re lives have sadly been misery (like Venezuelans’), yet their bravery in fighting for their freedom is nothing short of astonishing.
At this point, it seems, nothing stands between their bodies and their voices and the risks they are willing to take in hopes of a future freedom for their people. Their families. Their children. Their tomorrow.
Together with millions around the globe — I stand in solidarity with these Iranians.
A I marvel at their fight for freedom, I reflect on how blessed I have been and how much we cannot take our freedoms for granted.
I also take note the deafening silence of normally vocal “human rights” groups and activists whose raucous, aggressive and provocative confrontations over Israel have gone mute over Venezuela and Iran. This I strikingly incongruous with their supposed dedication to human rights. Where are all the encampments on behalf of the innocent Iranian people fighting for their freedom?
This silence is complicity. This sudden silence is the height of hypocrisy. It’s apologetics for ruthless dictatorships.
It speaks volumes. Their activism is not a humanitarian one that serves justice or civil liberties, but one that props up evil dictatorships, the terrorist machine, and abandons regular people they supposedly rally for — people in deep suffering at the hands of their government.
It’s sobering to be hit with the lie that much of this activism really is as it betraying fundamental. The selective outrage of the “human rights” groups should be beyond the pale.
When I contemplate potential scenarios that can ensue within these dramatic changes — say, if Israel gets involved in helping the Iranian public — I can imagine the mental gymnastics these people will have to endure to rationalize aligning with the likes of a villain like Khamenei.
It’s inevitable that evil regimes will ultimately fall. I like to believe in the good of the world and the good ultimately prevailing over the bad. The question is, how long until the turning point comes, which triggers the downfall of evil dictators and regimes? And much heartache and destruction before and often after?
As I watch the Iranian protests unfold with the rest of the world, I am just hoping that this time will be the final time the Iranians need to take to the streets against their evil regime. I am rooting for the Iranians and the revival and of their long suppressed culture and freedom.
Freedom is hardly free. Look at what Israel went through, with all the heroic and brave soldiers severely wounded or, wrenchingly, sacrificed.
The cost to freedom is a steep one, and a corrosion of freedom can lead to the worst.
Thankfully, so many of us watch the drama in Iran from the position of living in a free society.
But I also watch as anti-Semitism seems to close in on the Jewish community, threatening the loss of our freedoms. Iran is a warning shot of what the West could become (G-d forbid) if our own current freedoms aren’t guarded carefully. A vague shakiness exists right now that can threaten our American way of life. Thankfully, as of now, America and Iran remain apples and oranges. But if we don’t guard our own freedoms, they can slip away, and the America we know and love could become something very different.
Life and politics are replete with the unexpeccted. Fortunes rise and fall. Those of us raised in the Golden Age of America never imagined things changing for the worse, as we are beginning to confront.
The tentacles of Iran have been trying to choke Israel, and Iran has played an overtly dominant role vis-a-vis Israel since Oct. 7. Aside from its proxy terror, it sent direct hits against Israel with the goal of erasing Israel from the map.
It was tense here. We braced for the worst, even as a spiritual sense of security seemed to permeate the air, too. The bomb shelter shook, but then we emerged — to mostly good news.
Israel’s military sabotaged Iran’s efforts. The damage and loss turned out to be minimal, though of course there was heartache as the loss of even one life is one too many. Israeli and Iranian fates intertwined
I pray for freedom for the people of Iran. I pray that Khamenei’s fate will match that of Assad’s. I pray for responsible replacements. Perhaps we can be hopeful.
Perhaps we are witnessing the birthpains of a prosperous Persia that will reach out in friendship to Israel, redefining the Middle East toward a more peaceful era. And redefining global dynamics.
One can dream.
How do you say the words “inspiring,” “brave,” “hope,” “freedom” and “peace” in Farsi?
© IJN 2026
