Why Israel AND Iranian Citizens Are Fighting the Ayatollah Regimes For 47 Years

 Nadene Goldfoot                                           

Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political revolutionary and Shia cleric who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the leader of the Iranian Revolution, which overthrew Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ended the Pahlavi era, and transformed the country into an Islamic republic.

The Ayatollah's fight against Israel began in 1979 with the Islamic Revolution, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which severed all ties with Israel. The ideology framed hostility towards Israel as a religious obligation, with the conflict escalating into a regional proxy battle in the mid-1980s that persisted for decades.

• 1979 Revolution: Ayatollah Khomeini seized power, replaced the Israeli embassy in Tehran with a Palestine Liberation Organization mission, and established a policy of opposition to Israel.
• Proxy Warfare: Iran built a "ring of fire" against Israel by funding and arming proxy militias like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza throughout the 1980s and onward.
• Ideological Goal: The regime's, specifically Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's, goal was the eventual destruction of Israel, which led to high tensions and conflicts over decades.
  
  Ali Hosseini Khamenei (19 April 1939 – 28 February 2026) was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his assassination in the 2026 Iran war. He previously served as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He held the title Ayatollah, and his tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years and six months, made him the longest-serving head of state in West Asia at the time of his death.
• Escalation to War: The longstanding conflict escalated to direct, open warfare in 2024 and 2025, largely driven by Iran-backed proxy activity in Gaza and Lebanon. 
As of February 28, 2026, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's long fight against Israel ended following his death during a period of open conflict with Israel.
This makes 47 years of unexpected warring against Israel from at least 7 sites due to the aid and abetting of Iran who directed and wanted the fighting.  
Israel wasn't alone.  The Ayatollah's hatred also reached into those Iranians who wanted them overthrown.
Key Impacts on the Iranian People (1979–2026)
• Systematic Repression and Human Rights Violations: The regime has maintained power through the "iron fist" of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), brutally suppressing dissent. This has included mass executions (notably in 1988), torture in prisons, and the violent crackdown on nationwide protests (2009, 2019, 2022).
• Social and Cultural Control: The government enforced strict Islamic codes, including mandatory veiling for women and restricting freedoms of speech, assembly, and press. This created a "dual culture" where many citizens are forced to live double lives, behaving differently at home than in public to avoid government punishment.
• Economic Misery and Inequality: Decades of US sanctions, coupled with internal corruption and mismanagement, have resulted in high inflation and high unemployment, particularly among educated youth. The economy has been heavily tilted toward the IRGC, creating a wealthy elite while the middle class has struggled.
• Marginalization of Women: Women have been systematically treated as second-class citizens, with rights stripped away and intense focus placed on controlling their behavior, sparking major movements like "Woman, Life, Freedom".
• International Isolation: Confrontational foreign policy led to sustained conflict with the West and Israel, causing economic isolation and contributing to a "lost half-century" of development compared to other regional neighbors. 
Why the Rule Sustained for 47 Years
• Ideology of Resistance: The regime utilized the concept of velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) to establish a theocracy where the Supreme Leader holds absolute authority, placing religious law above democratic processes.
• Ruthless Security Apparatus: The IRGC and Basij militias have been instrumental in quickly and violently eliminating opposition figures and suppressing uprising movements.
• 
  
• No Exit Strategy: As the regime became more isolated, the political elite felt they had no escape (unlike the Shah's era) and were forced to defend their survival, making them more resilient against internal pressure. 
As of early 2026, many reports indicated that the regime faced its deepest crisis, with protesters directly calling for its overthrow.
They have rebelled, and most are following the Crown Prince who is trying to help them.  The Ayatollah power has killed over 30,000 of them.  Opposition & Independent Estimates: Reports from opposition media, such as Iran International, and various medical professionals have estimated the death toll to be significantly higher, with figures ranging from 30,000 to over 36,500, others even higher yet.  
• Consolidation of Power: The regime successfully eliminated moderate and leftist allies following the 1979 revolution, monopolizing power within the clerical class.
• Yet Trump has been talking of putting in the son of Ali K. as the next leader he can deal with.  Reports are that this person is even meaner than his father was.  

Today's Fight With Iran Bringing Back Thoughts of Fighting Hamas Tactics Leading to Iranian Tousi

 Nadene Goldfoot                                     

One of the threats coming out of the Ayatollah regime is to have children surround the places the USA is bound and determined to bomb today such as the bridges and power plants.  This has caused panic in USA commentators.  How terrible! They realize.  Such a horrid thing to do, and against rules of war.

Speaking of power plants, we have learned that the Iranian people who have been demonstrating against the Ayatollah regime have been doing so at night without electricity.  The Ayatollah turned off all internet power, as well, so they have been hurt doubly.  (Luckily, an Iranian man named Mahyad Tousi (b: 1973) in England has arranged filming to come out of Iran and let us know some of what's been happening.   I was delighted to read that he was born in Portland, Oregon, where I was born, raised and am now.  I found that on Wikipedia.  

Yes, Portland, Oregon, received a number of Iranian immigrants and students during the 1972-73 period. While the largest wave of Iranian immigration occurred following the 1979 Revolution, a steady flow of students and professionals had been settling in Oregon, particularly in the Portland metropolitan area, since the 1950s and 1960s, with numbers increasing in the early 1970s. 

This all started with the government not providing water to run or food to be in store, and most all are now jobless as well !  They have nothing to live for, except the hope and provision that that Crown Prince Pavlavi, the son of the Shah of Iran, has been giving them from the USA.  Also, Israel has been helping in many ways as well.  

"Trump says he's "not at all" concerned about committing war crimes as he continues to threaten the destruction of Iran's bridges and power plants if they don't meet a Tuesday evening deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.     

The president described the consequences that Iran would face if it didn't reach a deal with the U.S. by Trump's 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline."We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night," Trump said during his Monday news conference.  "                   

The first thought that came to my mind is that this is exactly what Hamas terrorists have been doing in the fighting with Israel.  They have staked out their positions in mosques, hospitals, Arab schools, places their own people congregate including their own homes, to expect their deaths will cause the fervor against the Jews of Israel.  They do this hoping for Jews to get a bad rep with the world for killing their children and "innocent civilians."  

No one really raised and eyebrow at the thought of Israel doing this on purpose !!! No one really knew the minds of Jews in or out of Israel;  our belief system including the President, to think such ugly thoughts that Jews would do such a thing.  It was okay with the world to hate Israel for it, as didn't the Arabs?  Such anti-Semitism has been going on  all along.  Commentators had that tone in their voice that of course everyone felt this way about Israel; fighting in such devious ways of hitting Arab civilians on purpose.  But now, how could the president plan such a thing???

When Israel realized what Hamas was doing, they did all they humanly could to keep these innocents alive;  broadcasting their presence, phoning, bulletins dropped by plane, every which way.  The war was a declared war.  Hamas had been killing Israelis.  They were not going to continue and kill Jews, felt Israel;. so they had to be stopped.  

I'm one of those rare people still living who was a child of World War II.  I remember the news in the newspapers and how they fought.  We had family in Germany that had been trying to get out.  Jews had been attacked in many ways; in their work, socially, economically, from 1930 on till the USA got into it in 1941.  Nazis even followed them into the USA at the time.  So I can't remember a time when such hatred and conniving wasn't going on against people like me. 

Resource:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-holds-news-conference-after-unleashing-latest-threat-against-iran

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahyad_Tousi

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/iranians-in-oregon/#:~:text=Between%2010%2C000%20and%2015%2C000%20people,created%20an%20Islamic%2Dbased%20government.

Missing Jet Pilot in Iranian Hands

 Nadene Goldfoot                                       

United States Air Force member who was missing behind enemy lines for more than 24 hours after his F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iran on Friday has been rescued, President Donald Trump announced early Sunday morning. 

“WE GOT HIM!” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after midnight. "The U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine," Trump wrote.

What about the first pilot ejected who fell into Iranian hands?  Has anyone heard from this person?  Would it be the Ayatollah's people who found our American or could he had been lucky enough to be found by the rebelling citizens?  

From what I've heard about Syrian prisons, and Syria has been an arm of Iran benefitting from supplies of ammunition, it's pretty gruesome to be held in such a place.  The person may be considered a hostage by now.  

Were both pilots males or was one a female?  

Resource:

Time magazine

https://www.google.com/search?q=F+15+E+fighter+plane%2C+pictures&sca_esv=6f1ebea82295cfe6&sxsrf=ANbL-n6BAe-NvywuIyXwtfTTIXxtNAfgwg%3A1775431091443&source=hp&ei=s-3SaZi-F4-50PEPsJjtkQQ&iflsig=AFdpzrgA

Criticizing Israel Without knowledge,

 Nadene Goldfoot                                      

This morning's Michael Smerconish's program spotlighted what Thomas Friedman had in his writing about the Iran- Israel -USA war that started.  If there's any Jew against Israel, it's Thomas Friedman, so his opinion of Israel made me scream.  He wrote "From Beirut to Jerusalem" that was published in 1989.  It's the first inkling I've had of his continued misguided opinions about Israel. 

Thomas Loren Friedman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 20, 1953, and grew up in the middle-class Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. He is the son of Harold and Margaret Friedman.He's  the author of seven bestselling books, among them From Beirut to Jerusalem and The World Is Flat. During his undergraduate years, he spent semesters abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the American University in Cairo, colleges probably as different as ying and yang. 

Thomas Friedman has argued on Smerconish and in his columns that the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran represents one of the most dangerous moments in modern Middle East history. He warns that Iran’s regime is driven by ideology, requiring a strategic, non-superficial response from Israel and the U.S. that avoids a "forever war".

 "From Beirut to Jerusalem" (1989) by Thomas Friedman is widely regarded as a classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning, and insightful, yet pessimistic, account of the Middle East conflict, based on his 10 years as a New York Times reporter. The book is praised for its accessible blend of personal anecdote, history, and analysis, though some critics consider it deeply cynical and, in some cases, Orientalist."  In essence, describing Friedman as an orientalist implies his analysis is not an objective assessment of the region, but rather a "style of thought" that imposes a Western perspective that diminishes the agency and humanity of the people being described. 

 Following his graduation from Brandeis, (Brandeis University is located at 415 South Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, 02453. Situated on a 235-acre campus in the suburbs of Boston, it is a private research university founded in 1948).  In 1948, the year it opened, Brandeis University focused on establishing a foundation for top-tier research, primarily in the humanities and social sciences, while establishing a "pioneering research enterprise" to combat discrimination in higher education. The research environment was shaped by European scholars fleeing war, leading to a cosmopolitan, intellectual, and social justice-oriented academic culture.

Friedman attended St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, on a Marshall Scholarship. In 1978, he received an M.Phil. degree in modern Middle East studies from Oxford. That summer he joined the London Bureau of United Press International (UPI) on Fleet Street, where he worked as a general assignment reporter.

All this education came about in England where anti-Semitism is high.  Since then, he's been against Israel as far as I can see reading and hearing about his opinion from Smerconish's TV program.  

To universities today recommended for Israeli studies are:  

• University of Haifa: Offers specialized International Israel Studies and Master's programs in Jewish thought and history, located in a diverse, immersive setting.
• Yale University: Provides comprehensive undergraduate majors and doctoral studies in Jewish history, culture, and literature.
• Columbia University: The Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies covers modern Judaism, ancient studies, and modern Israel.
• What has been going on in these universities is plain anti-Semitism.  
  
  
            Before iran's first revolution 46 years ago when people were more like Americans.  

 I lived in Israel from June 1980 to the end of November1985 and lived in Haifa and then moved to Safed to teach. Our history had captured my interest when 15 and I've spent lots of time educating myself, starting with UR with Abraham doing deep studies.  For once, Israel was not hit while I was there because Iran and Iraq were busy shooting at each other.  My classmates and I were not affected.  

        Trying to rebel and bring down the Ayatollah's regime

Friedman also hasn't kept up with what has been going on in Iran at this time.  There has been a revolution against the Ayatollah regime.  There is reason for the citizens who are not part of the Revolutionary Guard to have been rebelling in the streets without arms, mind you.  The Revolutionary Guard was turned onto them with guns, mowing down at least 35,,000 for starters, now with the number unbelievable.  

Iran has been supplying their henchmen terrorists, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, others, with weapons to use against Israel.  Iran has come out in the open declaring their goal in life is to wipe out Israel. 

Before this regime caused to Shah to run for his life, the Shah and Israel were friends.  The Ayatollahs brought in an Islam foreign to the majority of Iranians that was bent on killing Jews. Iran then fought a war with Iraq. 

 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, fled Iran on January 16, 1979. He departed from Tehran with his family, officially for a "vacation," amid escalating political unrest, massive protests, and the growing momentum of the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980, driven by Saddam Hussein’s desire to exploit Iran's post-revolutionary instability, seize control of the oil-rich Khuzestan province, and secure the vital Shatt al-Arab waterway. Hussein aimed to prevent the spread of Iran's Islamic Revolution to Iraq and establish Iraq as the dominant power in the Persian Gulf.

"The Iran-Iraq War lasted almost eight years, starting with the Iraqi invasion of Iran on September 22, 1980, and ending with a UN-brokered ceasefire that became effective on August 20, 1988. The long, deadly conflict was a stalemate, resulting in an estimated 500,000 to over one million deaths."  So, since 1980, Iranians have been under war-conditions, and both sides fought till only teens were left as soldiers.  They about wiped out their male population!  They haven't had any freedom for the past 46 years since the 1980 war. 

An Iranian, Toussi, has been on the web on youtube from England who has his father stuck in Iran.  Toussi has been showing what it's like there with the Rebellion. Tousi was born in 1973, in Portland, Oregon and raised in Tehran, Iran. He emigrated to the United States as a teenager in 1986.  Mahyad Tousi (born 1973) is an Iranian–American filmmaker, scriptwriter, producer and director. He has created/co-created, directed and produced several films and documentaries including Looking For Palladin (2008), Of Kings and Prophets (2016) and United States of Al (2021–22).  He's my hero for not giving up on the Iranians and continue to filming and presenting their case.  

In 2007, along with Reza Aslan, he co-founded BoomGen Studios, an entertainment based company helping contents related to the Middle East.^[2] In 2020, he founded Starfish, an accelerator program industry

 Ayatollah turned off internet.  The country hasn't had water or food because of the lack of water.  Water trucks have been going around like vegetable wagons in Portland did in the 40s in Portland doling out some water.  People already lost jobs.  They have nothing to live for; this the rebellion.  Finally, CNN had a program telling about the Prince helping the Iranian people---for regime change!!!Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last Shah, has advocated for regime change and a democratic transition from exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Based in the U.S., he has served as a prominent opposition figure, actively encouraging popular uprisings, urging international support, and aiming to lead a democratic transition to a secular Iran.  No one was picking this information up and most were not trusting what they saw briefly without it coming from a well-known website.  Thank you CNN.  I cried when I saw this finally happened. 

2025: In an unprecedented turn of events, the Iranian regime has been rocked by internal rebellion and external military strikes, leading to an unexpected and dramatic collapse. The once unshakable power structure that has ruled Iran for over 47 years is now crumbling, with the people rising against their oppressors and the regime's foreign allies retreating. 

Has Friedman shown this bit of knowledge?  If I can know about it, what hasn't Friedman?  He and Trump just think they can pick another living Ayatollah and all is fine !!! 

For some time now Israel has been helping the people.  I've been writing about it. 

" Israel has engaged in activities to weaken the Iranian regime, often described as supporting opposition or destabilizing efforts, for decades, with significant proxy conflict dynamics dating back to at least 1985. Support intensified in the 2020s, with reports" detailing Mossad and CIA support for Iranian Kurdish militia groups and direct attacks on military targets to aid potential rebellions. I don't even think Toussi knew about this. 

 Resource:

Edit: 4/4/26 at 5;50pm

Tousi

Smerconish TV Program

Thomas Friedman

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2025/06/thomas-friedman-newspaper-reporter.html

Who Started The War in Iran ?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                       

It was some time ago when Israel felt the need to tell Trump that they were an independent country  and could not take orders.  They certainly enjoy cooperating when the goals are the same but will not follow directions that they disagree with.  In fact, it was  based on reports from early 2026, amid intense military operations against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that Israel makes its own decisions while acting in cooperation with the U.S. when goals align. 

 This talk came about when the country felt that Trump was getting a little too pushy with Netanyahu.  

The question continued to be asked by all the reporters, why now?  Why did the USA join Israel in attacking Iran?  I had the answer with my March 11th article about the "WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY.". 

Today, April 3rd, I watched the morning show of "The View" discuss this question and everyone agreed that it was Israel's fault.  Little Israel, according to them, has the power to force the USA into the war.  I cringed, then screamed.  Oh, I do believe one person didn't agree with the others since she trusted the USA generals, but I couldn't hear what she was saying with all their yelling and screaming to be heard. I take this as being very anti-Semitic/anti/Israel-a country they are blaming.  Israel has taken steps to show their independence from the USA!!!Israel has major reasons for their actions.  They do not take war lightly.   

No doubt that no one on ABC'S "the VIEW" neither thought of my answer or read my article where I explained my view  I can tell that none of the ladies were Jewish as they didn't think of Purim.  Of course, they do not know of my blog and I didn't send my article to them, but I did think that someone could come up with my reasons that I had found.  

1. Israel happened to pick the 3rd of March which was Purim, a Jewish holiday celebrating the destruction of the Persian HAMAN, the precursor of Hitler, who wanted to kill all the Jews in the world.  Purim was a good day to attack Iran and put an end-hopefully-to the killing of Israelis for the past 47 years.  In other words:  

Israel selected the holiday of Purim for military action against Iran to draw symbolic parallels to the biblical Book of Esther, where the Jewish people defeated an ancient Persian plot to destroy them. The choice is meant to cast Iran as the modern-day Haman and emphasize a "reversal of fortune" in preventing a new genocide.

2. Ali Hosseini Khamenei, leader of today's Persia (Iran), hated by over half his population.People, especially the younger ones, rebelled when water and food ran out, never mind their lost jobs in the process, so had nothing to live for.  They were demonstrating in the streets, and Khamenei directed his Revolutionary Guards to shoot over 35,000 of them at this time. 

3.  The Shah of Iran's son directed them to overthrow their government from the USA at this time.  Purim was turning into a WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY-TIME FOR THESE PEOPOLE TO BE SAVED.   Thus was this window of opportunity;  a time with Trump and Khamenei and the people.  Such a time was seen as prophetic to Israel.  It was meant to be.  Who would not react?  All this could be seen on youtube's program coming from Iran. 

AFP via Getty Images

Police in Munich estimated that 250,000 turned out to hear Reza 

Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's former leader, give an address

"Hundreds of thousands of people took part in demonstrations around the world against the Iranian government on Saturday, following calls from the exiled son of the late shah for a "global day of action".

Addressing an estimated 250,000 people in Munich, Reza Pahlavi - who has called for the overthrow of Iran's Islamic regime - denounced a crackdown on recent protests there.

Munich, Los Angeles and Toronto saw the largest crowds, with smaller protests in cities including Tel Aviv, Lisbon, Sydney and London.

Activists say more than 6,000 people were killed after joining nationwide protests in Iran against the rising cost of living and the government. Thousands more deaths are being investigated.

Pahlavi told the crowd: "My first message is to our brave and fighting compatriots inside the country: know that you are not alone, and today the world stands with you in this struggle.""

Criticising Iran's leadership, he said: "In contrast to this corrupt, repressive, child-killing regime, you represent a great culture and civilisation, and in a free Iran of tomorrow you will prove to the world what a great nation we are." 

Trump went as far as moving ships in the water, but did not help--then.  The killing spree went on in Iran.  In fact, this happened on  January 2026, President Trump ordered a "big flotilla" of U.S. warships to move from the South China Sea to the Middle East, a deployment aimed at countering Iran's crackdown on protesters and supporting opposition forces. These forces, which included the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group, were reported to be arriving in the region around January 26, 2026, marking a major escalation in regional tensions.

Many would say this was just a coincidence. Is it a  coincidence that the USA's Trump heard the Iranian people who had no arms, nor water or food and were being picked on by machine guns and told them before----before, mind you, that if the government started to kill them , he would come?  Is it a coincidence that Israel planned on doing this on Purim of the same time period?  Is it a coincidence that Khamenei, such a terrible religious leader of a nation would ignore his duties of seeing to his people's water supply, food supply and economic situation  and just spend his nation's money on supplying weapons for  their henchmen to use in attacking Israel and the USA?  These 3 events were bad alone;  but happening at the same time.   It was a time for Israel to react-a window of opportunity.  I'm happy that the USA reacted then as well.  

Resoource:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr0lykl4g4o

https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-window-of-opportunity-was-ajar-and.html

Israel'a War Goals

 Nadene Goldfoot                                     

                                                 Qiam Missile

On Tuesday, March 31, 2026 Israel continues to strike Iranian military production and defense industry targets. Israel has set crippling Iran’s defense industry, not only its missile launch capability but also the factories, infrastructure and command networks that sustain it, as one of its central war aims. 

The IDF said that all critical and essential pre-war Iran targets will have been destroyed by Wednesday, April 1st, first night of Passover. 

Iran continues to fire around 10 missiles a day at Israel. They are the Qiam missiles.  The Qiam 1 (Uprising-1") is a short-range ballistic missile designed and built by Iran. It was developed from the Iranian Shahab-2, a licensed copy of the North Korean Hwasong-6, all of which are versions of the Soviet Scud-C missile. The Qiam 1 entered service in 2010, with a range of 800 km (500 mi) and 100 m (330 ft) (CEP) accuracy.

Houthi forces in Yemen have unveiled two Scud-based mobile short-range ballistic missiles: the Burkan 1 and Burkan 2-H. On 4 November 2017, Saudi Arabia claimed to have intercepted a Burkan 2-H over its capital, Riyadh, with a MIM-104 Patriot. It reportedly was aimed at King Khalid International Airport. According to the US State Department, the missile was actually a Qiam. 

There have also been reports of previous attempts by Iran to send missiles to Yemen.

From  Ido Efradi of Reuters:  

Five Israelis lightly wounded in earlier missile barrage from Iran, Houthis and Hezbollah

A total of five Israelis were lightly wounded in separate impact sites, after Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen launched missiles around the same time earlier Thursday. Three people were wounded in two Iranian missile impacts in central Israel. Two men were wounded, probably by missile shrapnel, following a Hezbollah (Lebanon) missile barrage, in northern Israel.