Iran’s Regime Has Changed—for the Worse

“How much of this is empty narrative, how much is true belief? If you look at their behavior, you can tell that they are guided by the principles of their ideology,” said Kasra Aarabi, an expert on the Revolutionary Guard at United Against Nuclear Iran, a policy organization that opposes the Iranian regime. “The apocalyptic doctrine of Mahdism has guided the regime’s wartime behavior, and has provided justification for actions that could otherwise be viewed as irrational,” such as the expansion of the conflict to the Gulf states.

Half of the minimum six-month orientation for new recruits is spent on ideological training through sermons, lectures and the compulsory reading of booklets, according to research by Aarabi and [UANI Senior Advisor, Saeid] Golkar. There are annual and compulsory refresher courses, they said.