The Velayat-e Faqih regime, by wasting billions of dollars of the country’s public budget to acquire nuclear weapons and expand its influence and foment tension through proxies in the region, has trapped Iran—a wealthy land rich in natural resources such as oil, gas, sunlight, and wind—in poverty, blackouts, and daily insecurity.
But this is not the end of our bitter story. The hard core of the Velayat-e Faqih mafia continues to beat the drum of its survival, and negotiations between Europe and Iran have yielded no meaningful results. With the activation of the “snapback” mechanism, Iran will face even more terrifying mega-challenges.
Sahar Naseri, Nazila Golestan, and Babak Darbiki, in this episode, examine the obsession of the hardline circle around the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic with acquiring deadly weapons to assert nuclear order and security. What has this project cost the people, especially women, children, and vulnerable groups? Why does the Supreme Leader cling to it? Is there still an opportunity to prevent further damage? And ultimately, what should be done?
The Hamāva podcast series aims to expand the national discourse around universal values, democracy, the separation of religion and state, human rights, and gender equality.
Within such a framework, through collective wisdom, we can work toward a free and proud Iran for all Iranians, regardless of their beliefs, ideas, gender, or ethnicity.