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Iran, Coronavirus, and the Mullahs’ Blindness

Al-Arab, London, March 28

Last week, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hussein Salami, offered to help the United States in its fight against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. His offer was a display of sheer irony and absurdity. There is no doubt that the pandemic threatens America, where the number of people infected exceeds the number of those infected in China. The US is now the epicenter and appears to be heading into difficult days. However, it is certain beyond any doubt that the Islamic Republic cannot help Washington with anything, not least because of the former’s state of utter underdevelopment, which has made it a source for the export of coronavirus to other countries in the Middle East, especially Syria. It is no secret that Lebanon was a victim of the Iranian desire to export corona, be it intentional or not. It is clear by now that the only thing guiding the mullahs in Tehran is pure ignorance. Take a look at the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who recently accused the Americans of engineering coronavirus to intentionally target “Iranian genes.” It is time for Iran to practice humility and admit that there is no shame in obtaining American assistance instead of pursuing a policy based on a fleeing reality. The corona epidemic, which has struck virtually every nation on earth, will give birth to a new world order and new values unrelated to those currently prevailing. Will Iran be able to adapt to this new world or will it continue to practice a policy based on rejecting reality in pursuit of its expansionist agenda? Will Iran be satisfied with the amount of misery it has caused in the region since 1979, or is it looking to wreak more havoc with the coronavirus as a sprinkle of decoration? What Iran has done so far is frightening, especially if we look at the role it played in exporting coronavirus to Lebanon, to Syria, and even to Iraq. Dozens of Iranian planes infected with coronavirus have flown to Lebanon in what could best be described as suspicious behavior. Instead of denying reality, Iranian leaders must understand that the post-pandemic world will be very different from the one they knew. The Islamic Republic is still held captive by religious clerics who fail to realize that the world is changing rapidly and that the coronavirus epidemic is far from a passing event. Only those who follow science and reason will survive. Iran, in contrast, insists on following the rulings of religious fanatics. – Khairallah Khairallah (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)