War against Iran part of broader Western war on interconnected resistance fronts

Dr. Firoz Osman

War today is not confined to a single battlefield. It is being waged across multiple fronts of the wider Muslim world – Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, and now Iran.

These are not isolated confrontations, but interconnected theatres within a broader geopolitical struggle over power, resources, and ideological dominance.

To understand the present escalation against the Islamic Republic of Iran, one must situate it within a longer historical arc – a one defined by intervention, resistance, and the contest over sovereignty in the Muslim world.

1979: The turning point

The modern phase of confrontation with Iran began with the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The popular revolution overthrew the Shah, a monarch whose rule had been secured through foreign intervention. In 1953, a CIA-engineered coup removed the democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, after he nationalized the country’s oil industry, previously dominated by British interests.

The Shah, restored to power, ruled through repression, enforced by the SAVAK – a dreaded and secret police apparatus known for widespread torture and brutality.

Resistance to this West-backed regime grew steadily until it culminated in the people’s uprising and the revolution. On 11 February 1979, the Islamic Republic was formally established, fundamentally altering the regional balance of power.

Iran and Palestine: Ideology and alignment

The 1979 Islamic Revolution immediately signaled a shift in Iran’s foreign policy priorities.

Within days, Iran handed over the former Israeli embassy in Tehran to the Palestine Liberation Organization. Yasser Arafat became the first foreign leader to visit post-revolution Iran, symbolizing a new strategic alignment.

Later that year, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared Al-Quds Day – an annual global mobilization on the last Friday of Ramadan dedicated to the liberation of al-Quds.

Al-Quds Day functions as more than a symbolic event. It is an avenue of political mobilization, reaffirmation of ideological commitment and a global expression of solidarity. It connects local struggles to a broader vision of unity within the Muslim Ummah.

Iran’s unwavering and unflinching support for Palestine was not framed as optional diplomacy, but as a religious and ideological obligation rooted in the defense of the oppressed worldwide.

Why 1979 Revolution threatened the West

The Islamic Revolution of Iran, led by Imam Khomeini, represented more than regime change. It disrupted the architecture of Western influence in the region.

The Shah had been a critical ally, ensuring Western access to oil resources, regional dynamics favorable to Western interests and strategic alignment with Israel.

With his removal, the US, Britain, and Israel lost a central pillar of their regional order.

Two strategic imperatives – control over energy resources and the protection of Israel – have long shaped Western policy in West Asia. The emergence of a defiant, independent Islamic Republic of Iran challenged both.

Containment: Sanctions and isolation

In response, Iran was subjected to sustained economic and political pressure by Western countries led by the US and its allies.

For decades, sanctions have been used as a tool to undermine the Islamic Republic, limit its influence, and undermine internal support for its revolutionary model.

This pattern extends beyond Iran: any state that challenges dominant global structures risks economic strangulation or military confrontation.

Palestine: Siege and resistance

While Iran faced sanctions, Palestine endured apartheid and siege.

For nearly two decades, Gaza has been blockaded – its population confined, monitored, and economically suffocated. Despite these conditions, Palestinian resistance movements developed extensive underground networks, enabling them to organize, train, and sustain their struggle for the liberation of occupied territories.

Support from Iran, alongside coordination with resistance groups such as Hezbollah, contributed to the evolution of this resistance infrastructure.

Arab normalization and strategic betrayal

Parallel to Palestinian suffering, several Arab states gradually moved toward normalization with the Israeli regime, betraying the just Palestinian cause.

Countries including Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan established or strengthened ties with Israel, prioritizing regime stability, economic cooperation, and security guarantees.

This shift reflected a broader calculation: survival of ruling elites over solidarity with Palestine. Reliance on Western military protection, particularly through US bases in the Gulf, reinforced this alignment.

October 7: Strategic shock

On October 7, 2023, Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas launched a large-scale operation in the occupied territories, an operation it called Al-Aqsa Flood.

The operation disrupted long-standing assumptions about Israeli military invulnerability and triggered a regional escalation. It also reactivated a network of allied groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ansarullah (Houthis) in Yemen and armed factions in Iraq.

This constellation, often described as an “Axis of Resistance,” demonstrated coordinated, multi-front pressure against Israel and its regional and extra-regional allies.

Why Iran supports Palestine

Although Palestine is not explicitly named in Iran’s constitution, Iranian leadership grounds its support for the Palestinian cause in broader principles, which include defense of the oppressed, opposition to injustice and commitment to Muslim unity.

Article 152 of Iran’s constitution frames foreign policy around these ideals, providing the basis for its consistent pro-Palestinian stance.

The resistance narrative is reinforced through martyrs, including Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Ali Larijani, Ali Larijani and Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

These figures are seen not merely as revolutionary leaders, but as symbols of resistance.

Narratives of sacrifice – such as accounts of Sinwar fighting until his final moments or Ayatollah Khamenei refusing to go underground amid threats to his life – serve to strengthen morale and legitimize the ongoing struggle against the Israeli-American coalition of evil.

Leadership and moral authority

Accounts attributed to figures like Ayatollah Khamenei emphasize a model of leadership rooted in shared risk and moral consistency.

The idea is simple but powerful: A leader cannot call for sacrifice while avoiding it.

This framing draws deeply from Islamic historical memory, particularly the legacy of Imam Hussain ibn Ali (AS), where steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds is regarded as the highest form of integrity.

War, power, and the future

The current war against the Islamic Republic of Iran – widely deemed an illegal and unjustified war – cannot be reduced to a single issue.

It reflects deeper structural tensions: between independence and external control, between resistance and normalization, between ideological commitment and political expediency.

What remains clear is that the wars across Palestine, Iran, and the wider region are not isolated. They are interconnected expressions of a larger struggle – one that will continue to shape the political and moral landscape of the Muslim world.

Dr. Firoz Osman is a South Africa-based author and analyst. He is the author of "Shattering Zionist Myths" and co-author of "Why Israel?"

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

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