Latest news with #mullahs
Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Iranian distrust of the British runs deep
B ritain has not bombed Iran, nor called for regime change in Tehran, nor mobilised against the mullahs. Britain's stance on preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons has not changed. And yet there is deep anxiety in Whitehall and the intelligence services that the conflict between Iran and Israel will become our fight, and Iranian anger and hostility will now turn on Britain. It already has. That is because suspicion of the UK, as the 'hidden hand' behind every plot and confrontation, is deeply embedded in Iran's politics, language, rhetoric and self-image. Distrust and dislike of Britain is part of Iran's cultural DNA. From the Iranian point of view, Britain has been meddling in Iran ever since the Great Game of the early 19th century, when the rival empires of Britain and Russia tussled for control of Central Asia using bribery, proxy forces, political manipulation, competing spheres of influence and, from time to time, direct military intervention.
Wall Street Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
The Islamic Republic Has Taken Iran Hostage
Bartle Bull's piece 'Iran's Mediocre Supreme Leader' (Houses of Worship, June 20) captures the slick phoniness of Ali Khamenei. He is an avatar of the entire Islamic Republic, which is a farce from top to bottom. The regime presents itself as the guardian of Iran while plundering its oil for an insular few and neglecting to provide basic water infrastructure to the rest. Rather than invest the nation's wealth in its citizens, the mullahs have wasted billions on a nuclear-weapons program. It despises the civilization it claims to lead. For nearly half a century the ruling class has tried to erase the cultural, intellectual and moral foundations of Iran and replace them with imperial ideas about jihadist conquests from Najaf to Karbala. In its fanaticism, the regime even cracks down on the annual celebration of one of Persia's greatest figures, Cyrus II, calling the event a 'Zionist plot.'
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
MAGA Isolationists Are in a Tailspin on Iran
Public debates about secret information are almost unenlightening: Those who know don't tell, and those who don't know pound the table. But last week, like America, was exceptional. Before launching its air campaign, Israel clearly developed exquisite intelligence about the Iranian regime, including the names and locations of its most important nuclear scientists and the communications and procedures of the ballistic-missile force. When the Israelis leak that the mullahs triggered the latest phase of the Oct. 7 war by, among other things, scheduling a meeting between Iran's nuclear-weapons scientists and its ballistic-missile commanders, the evidence should be taken seriously.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ANDREW NEIL: A daring raid that means Iran's brutal regime has now run out of options... the end of days beckons
The clerical-military dictatorship which has ruled Iran for almost 50 years has run out of options. President Trump's daring raid on Iran's nuclear facilities further undermines a regime which is already reeling from multiple humiliations at home and abroad. For the medieval mullahs and their brutal generals, there is no good way forward, no credible response that doesn't involve more humiliation amounting to capitulation.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Israel's tech jewel can help it emerge from the fog of war
The glistening towers of the Tel Aviv skyline, an inviting target for Iran's incoming ballistic missiles, symbolise Israel's status as one of the world's most popular destinations for investment in pioneering technology. But the prolonged campaign in Gaza, boycotts and a nervy Silicon Valley have squeezed funding and come at a heavy price. Advanced warfare is costly and the conflict with Iran is a blow to Israel's science and digital sectors. Despite this, the country's currency, the shekel, has risen and shares on the Tel Aviv stock exchange have gone up in value in recent days. Global investors are betting that when the bombardment of Iran is complete Israel will be a safer place and demand for the advanced technology behind the cyber weapons deployed against Iran will roar back. The current conflict is also not, so far, proving to be a repetition of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Israel was attacked by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. An oil embargo enforced by the Gulf states during the conflict sent energy prices rocketing and sparked both inflation and recession among the world's richest democracies. Israel's enfeebled economy took decades to recover, but this century growth has rocketed. Economic output is now 50 times higher, and public finances have stabilised, creating more budget headroom for long military engagements. There has been much discussion as to whether the mullahs in Tehran might now seek to block the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway through which Gulf oil and liquefied natural gas supplies must pass for export. Since Israel launched its assault on Iran last week oil prices have climbed, and investors have sought safe havens such as gold. But the energy picture is now different from what it was during previous Middle East conflicts. Oil shipments from the Gulf still represent 20 per cent of global supply, but the US, the world's second-biggest consumer of energy after China, is now self-sufficient in oil and gas. As a result, its energy supply is less at risk if rulers in the Middle East turn off the taps. That is not to underestimate the threat, especially to Israel's economy. Fighting wars, particularly those using high-tech weaponry, is hugely costly. Re'em Aminach, a former financial adviser to the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), puts the bill for offensive and defensive operations against Iran at £550,000 a day. That is not where the fiscal and economic damage stops. The costs of mobilising troops, calling up reservists, a disrupted labour market and reconstruction from rocket damage, are mounting. The ongoing cost of the Gaza campaign is £40 billion. With lost investment and growth, it could reach £300 billion over a decade. Israel's debt now stands at 67.9 per cent of the country's economic output, up from 61.5 per cent at the end of 2023. In comparison with most Western democracies, this is modest. In Britain it is close to 100 per cent. Israel's 2025 budget set a limit for borrowing at 4.9 per cent of national output. But the costs of the Iran war will blow this out of the water so Israeli citizens and firms can now expect tax increases and further budget cuts. Israel already spends a huge 8.8 per cent of its output on defence. The country's soaring borrowing and debt is less of a problem than in much of the West because of its growth prospects. Despite the long period of mobilisation, Israel's finance ministry predicted growth this year of 3.6 per cent – before the assault on Iran was unleashed. But Israel's war has hurt cashflow into its vibrant tech sector on many fronts. Earlier this decade, new investment reached a peak of £4.5 billion and Israel was seen by venture capitalists as the second-best place to back new tech after Silicon Valley. But last year this figure had plunged to £900 million as investors were put off by the situation in Gaza. What is clear is that a revival will take time, especially when so many young engineers, cyber experts and scientists are in IDF uniform. The country's longest war is proving tough for Israel's economy and citizens. But there is confidence among key investors that the darkest hour is just before dawn.
