by David Virtue on substack
Iran’s apocalypticism shapes Its foreign policy and military actions
The war against Iran is not merely a regional effort to eliminate a powerful regime. It is deeply rooted in an apocalyptic ideological framework—particularly the belief in Mahdism (Islamic Messianism)—which significantly shapes Iran’s foreign policy and military actions.
No U.S. president has fully grasped this reality. Not Bush, Obama, Biden, or Trump—though the conflict Trump recently initiated is being interpreted by some Christians as bearing apocalyptic overtones that parallel Iran’s own eschatological expectations.
The Core Belief: The Return of the Mahdi
At the heart of the Islamic Republic’s worldview lies the Twelver (Ithna Ashari) Shia doctrine of Mahdaviat: the belief that the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, entered occultation in the ninth century and will return at the end of time to establish global justice. This is not a vague spiritual hope; it is a political program embedded in the structure of the regime.
Under the principle of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist), established by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, the Supreme Leader serves as the Mahdi’s deputy until his return. The state—and particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—functions not merely as a governing body but as an instrument to actively prepare the ground for this event: exporting revolution, resisting perceived enemies, and building an “Islamic civilization.”
Iranian leaders frequently express a commitment to creating conditions for the Mahdi’s return, which includes the destruction of perceived enemies—particularly Israel (”the Zionist entity” or “Little Satan”) and the United States (”the Great Satan”). The mantra “Death to Israel, Death to America” is not rhetorical flourish; it is theological imperative.
And Iranian Shi’ites mean it. No matter their economy or politics or their own lives. That’s why any negotiation that assumes we can tempt them with money, power, or survival will fail. They don’t care about any of these things.
In fact, they are happy to die to bring on the Mahdi. They will be martyrs.