Hassan Abbasi, the Khomeinist regime strategist. Image: IRGC-affiliated Mashregh News.

By Kaveh Taheri (Twitter: @TaheriKaveh), co-founder and chairman of the ICBHR.Com and American Truth Project Contributor, a Turkey-based Iranian Human Rights researcher and journalist who has worked exclusively on Middle East. Kaveh, who was a former political prisoner in Shiraz, had been sent to prison for his writings and statements on his Websites and Weblogs, in Iran and fled the country through Turkey to save his life.

From the time of Islam’s first warlord, Muhammad, Islam has been a hostile movement of military leaders, who are commanded by Allah in Quran to bring all people into universal submission, by force when necessary. And so ever since the 1979 revolution, when the Shia Muslims of Iran seized power over that state, the Khomeinist regime has been a major security problem for the world.

One prominent example of such militant leadership from Islamic Iran has been the notorious “Shadow Commander,” Qasem Soleimani. From his part as a young man in the 1979 Shia conquest, Soleimani rose in military leadership, to become the IRGC Major General, and Quds Force Commander. Over these past decades, he played a key commanding role in the fight against all of the Shia regime’s perceived enemies. In the various wars, his actions have killed and maimed numerous Americans and others.

But in masterful strokes of military strategy, Soleimani has at times turned around and duped American leaders into short-term alliances of convenience against Shia’s mutual enemies; such as in secret meetings with the Americans at war against al Qaeda in Afghanistan after 9/11; and against Sunni Islamic State jihadis in Iraq and Syria over the past half-decade. In that process, Soleimani has achieved his larger goal for Iran’s regional dominance—establishment of a land bridge, from Iran, through Iraq and Syria, by which to bring weapons up against the Israeli border.

Indeed, Soleimani has been remarkably skilled at the deceptive art of strategic Islamic war gamesmanship. But he is far from alone as a threatening figure, who has grand ambitions from the top. He has an equal in Hassan Abbasi, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer, and head of its think-tank, ‘Center for Borderless Security Doctrinal Analysis’. With grandiosity, Abbasi calls himself “The Kissinger of Islam”.

Hassan Abbasi, now 53, was first introduced to Iran-watchers as an expert and analyst of Iran’s political and strategic issues during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. He has since been known to take part in the Shia regime fundamentalists’ private meetings, especially those of hardliners.

“Abbasi considers himself to be the owner of all fields and thinks he can comment on all the topics”, as the IRGC officer was characterized by the state-run ISNA. Although Abbasi only holds a bachelor's degree in his higher education credentials, he always introduces himself with the title of “Dr.”

As an Iranian political strategist, Abbasi brings some internal controversy to the regime. According to a news item by Deutsche Welle (DW, Germany’s international broadcaster), Abbasi was arrested for three days in 2016, after he said in a video, “If the world is filled with water just as a pool, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army will not leave sleeping.”

As an Islamic hardline analyst, and with top power in the IRGC, Abbasi presented a five-point set of conditions for America to meet before the regime should negotiate with Washington:

1. The United States must ban porn websites.
2. The U.S. must recognize and accept the Islamic hijab for women.
3. The U.S. must close Wall Street as an “International Usury Center” [Riba] and leave the usury economy.
4. The U.S. must clear away Israel as a state.
5. The U.S. must accept mass conversion to Islam.

Some might want to welcome the fact that the IRGC officer is ready with criticisms of the Rouhani cabinet. But, Abbasi is clearly a very dangerous person to wield power in Iran, and as a voice for the Islamic regime interacting with the international community.

Still, Abbasi’s words are even echoed by other Khomeinist regime officials, including the so-called moderate Rouhani, as well as hardliners. When they share such intolerance, it just reflects the fact that such high-level ideological stances are core commands of the same Islam that Muhammad wielded over people by his conquest and rule fourteen centuries earlier.

In fact, for example, both the so-called moderate president Rouhani and the “Kissinger of Islam” Abbasi have threatened the international community with closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As the confrontational analyst Abbasi made the point, “67% of the world's energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and we will close the strait if the U.S. goes wrong with us.”

And, “Do not play with the lion's tail; you will regret it forever”, as DW quoted Rouhani.

To our worldview in the West, Abbasi is a delusional strategist, who has announced recent plans to celebrate the Shiite Ritual, Tasu'a and Ashura, at the American White House; and the 12th Shiite Imam’s birth date at Britain’s Buckingham Palace; along with the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic) at the French Palace of Versailles; and also as a pilgrim's journey to Jerusalem. He believes that the Islamic militias, led by the Khomeinist regime and the IRGC Quds Force, should seize western countries, and then use the palaces in the capitals of those countries to host Islamic-Shiite ceremonies.

The warmonger ideologist warns the United States that, “We do not need nuclear weapons because there are more than 6,000 atomic warheads in your country; as the Khomeinist regime trains and equips the Muslim migrants [from all Muslim countries, and even from Mexico] for a guerrilla movement.” He admits that the Islamic regime is working on infiltration of Mexicans as well, to undermine America.

It is just more evidence that President Trump is absolutely right to have paused immigration from countries that cannot be vetted; and for his campaign promise to Build the Wall; and even about his withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal.

The paranoid Khomeinist worldview has never advantaged the country of Iran; but rather, it has resulted in high inflation, economic collapse, unemployment, poverty, sanctions, social dilemmas, and the poisoning of diplomatic relations.

The terrorist-sponsorship of the Khomeinist regime funds and fuels heads for militants, proxy armies, and other jihadis, who are supplied, trained, and managed by Iran’s commanders abroad. Abbasi’s role is to ideologize them for war and conquest of Shia’s enemies.

Hassan Abbasi’s statements appear ludicrous to a western audience. But, in the world of Islam, he is not a joke. In power, he is a serious threat to the West. And, because Muslims who have taken state power by force are simply following in the footsteps of Muhammad, we should not forget that Hassan Rouhani is also part of that system of threat. He is no less dangerous than the likes of Abbasi.

By Kaveh Taheri (Twitter: @TaheriKaveh), co-founder and chairman of the ICBHR.Com and American Truth Project Contributor, a Turkey-based Iranian Human Rights researcher and journalist who has worked exclusively on Middle East. Kaveh, who was a former political prisoner in Shiraz, had been sent to prison for his writings and statements on his Websites and Weblogs, in Iran and fled the country through Turkey to save his life.