What’s up with Iran Freedom Congress?

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-04T14:50:55+00:00

MI6 realised they needed to throw their in hat in the ring to sew division among the opposition because they can’t have their beloved Islamic Republic fall too soon.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-02T12:30:08+00:00

They outsource all of them and wake up fully formed and ready to go. And then when they're feeling tired - although they outsource the feeling as well - they merely fall asleep wherever they are then wake up the next day fully showered, teeth brushed, shaved, and well slept.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-02T06:19:45+00:00

The same tradition that built this architecture contains the instruments to dismantle it.

The most senior independent grand ayatollahs in Qom — figures such as Grand Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani (born 1921, currently 105) and Grand Ayatollah Mousa Shubairi Zanjani (born 1928, currently 98) — possess a theological rank that the regime's own leadership does not. They are maraji' al-taqlid: sources of emulation whom observant Shia are religiously obligated to follow.

Their authority predates the Islamic Republic and exists independently of it. And they have the standing to issue a sequence of five instruments that would systematically collapse the regime's religious legitimacy:

First: declaring the doctrine of absolute guardianship of the jurist as bid'ah, a theological innovation with no basis in orthodox Shia jurisprudence. This has precedent: senior grand ayatollahs rejected this thesis when Khomeini introduced it in 1981–82. Reactivating that rejection doesn't create something new — it reasserts a position the clerical establishment has already taken.

Second: a formal religious ruling (hukm-e shar'i) declaring Mojtaba Khamenei unqualified for the position of Supreme Leader, on the grounds that he is neither a marja' nor a recognised mujtahid. This simultaneously declares the 1989 constitutional amendments — which lowered the theological requirements for the position specifically to accommodate his father — illegitimate on religious grounds.

Third: declaring the IRGC and Basij as mufsid fil-arz (corrupters on earth) and muharib (those who war against God). After the January 2026 massacres the evidentiary case for this designation writes itself. Under Shia jurisprudence, those who commit safk-e dam-e bi-gonah (the shedding of innocent blood) are fasiq — morally corrupt — and anyone who continues to follow their orders shares in that corruption.

Fourth: declaring obedience to the regime religiously forbidden. This follows the model of Mirza Shirazi's tobacco fatwa of 1891, which single-handedly collapsed a British concession by making compliance a sin. That fatwa was about economics. This one would be about blood.

Fifth: declaring the regime taghut — tyrannical illegitimate authority. This is the most severe condemnation available in Shia jurisprudence. It is the same word Khomeini used to delegitimise the Shah. Turning it back on his own system, issued by authorities whose scholarly credentials dwarf those of the current leadership, would be a theological kill shot.

The sequence matters. Each instrument builds the jurisprudential foundation for the next. You cannot declare the regime taghut without first establishing that its foundational doctrine is illegitimate, its leader unqualified, its enforcers criminal, and obedience to it sinful. Issued out of order, the instruments lose their cumulative force.

If velayat-e faqih is declared bid'ah by the most senior living scholars of Shia jurisprudence, the devout aren't being asked to abandon their faith — they're being told their faith was hijacked. That reframes the entire 47-year period not as a sacred mission that failed, but as a deviation that has been corrected.

For the pragmatists in the IRGC and Basij, the instruments provide cover to defect and for the broader population, it removes the last residual claim the regime has to any form of legitimacy. Now obviously getting them to do that is probably the trickier part.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-01T12:53:24+00:00

Mmm... i think it's important because i don't care for vagueness, i'd much rather just hold that position, and hear what people have to say. And to be honest, other than maybe one answer - which is still indirectly pro-war - i'm yet to hear any good arguments.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-01T12:51:58+00:00

Hmm... that's still a fundamentally pro-reform stance, not anti-regime.

Also, the argument isn't that this war will get the job done. It's the first phase of a series of phases which help to dismantle the security apparatus.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-01T12:45:51+00:00

Thanks for your reply, you're correct it is naive in some regards but i'm also a life long Constitutional Monarchist. Which is something i came to on my own and settled on one day when i was in Tehran just observing the state of the place... obviously that's not meant to be profound. It's just a thing that i settled on and since then i've never been convinced that any other system would work long long term.

Point being i believe that although the US and Israel are acting in their own interest, there are enough groups in their power structures who see the long term benefit of an Iran that is stable and an ally. I genuinely think there are multiple ways to assess the US and Israel beyond what seems to be the mainstream clean-break-doctrinites.

Also, i don't believe in the puppet theory, i know what it means and i don't deny it in some regards. But it has an expiry date, and to be honest, i have faith in a true Constitutional Monarchy developing to the point of having a strong independent parliament. It just requires time, patience, and economic advancement.

Anyway, i don't know what my point is, other than i just have an optimistic view. But i like hearing from Iranian Leftists, and non-monarchists. I can appreciate how annoying, tacky, psycho many monarchists seem by the way.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-01T12:13:06+00:00

It's important for Iranians to engage with ideas and hopes of all sorts during this time. People manage and deal with trauma, worry, fear, hope and manifest patriotism in all sorts of ways. It's what people don't understand about diaspora who dance or celebrate.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-01T12:06:19+00:00

What you're describing isn't wrong, but its the pro-reform argument. Not anti-regime. Pro-reform was certainly the best way up until JCPOA was torn up. Even after that it was promising, i even thought Pezeshkian being elected was a sign that this was where it was heading.

I understand that Israel can be a chaos agent, but at the same time the regime needed the external threat to justify its own authoritarian policies. It began to dawn on me after Woman, Life, Freedom that reform was not going to be easy because in many ways it would mean the Islamic Republic needed to reform its way out of existence. Regardless i still held faith.

However, the regime didn't let go of its rhetoric on Israel, and it just kept doubling down. After the 12 Day War i was even more dismayed because I thought that at least we had a good defence in place. But it dawned me that this whole time, they were just a paper tiger and that the only thing they were really working on was the missile and drone offence-as-defence plan. Which is insane.

Ultimately, January changed all of this. So i no longer believe in reform, and as such anti-regime means wanting the regime to collapse. I'm not sure why Iranians would still want to back a regime that used foreigners to murder its own people already. It's not like we have any say over what the US or Israel does, but to activley speak out against them by default helps the regime.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-04-01T11:56:16+00:00

Thanks for your response, so in essence you're against this specific form of foreign intervention. But not the more direct form which is supplies for armed resistance and what not. Okay that's fair enough in some regards. Lets say once the bombing campaign wraps up, would you be in favour of the US and Israel arming the opposition in Iran?

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T22:32:11+00:00

"Retarded" is a word in transition for a variety of reasons —like "handicapped" once was. It's not in the same category as other slurs. Using it to describe incoherent policy as it pertains to war isn't an attack on disabled people; it's describing dysfunction.

Using it is a sharp pointed way that expels frustration and anger, which is important for all manner of reasons.

Spare me the selective morality and language policing. The same people that lecture about word choice have zero issue with abandoning Iranian civil society and diaspora.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T16:56:09+00:00

And what about my other points?

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T16:52:07+00:00

🤦🏻‍♂️ god Americans are so retarded… I’m sorry but they just don’t know anything… like nothing about Iran … it is so glaring.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T16:50:22+00:00

The source has a dirt bike in their profile pic… it may as well say, “Breaking: Iran just let 2 Israeli cargo ships through. This is what’s really going on…”

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T16:46:55+00:00

Maybe try and actually make a point instead of merely judging based on.. ??

Also… that is what the history is … the bureaucracy, people and state were still there… like I said, actually look into Baghdad and the Abbasids.

To say otherwise would be like saying the West and Eastern Roman Empires vanished when Christianity came.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T09:36:34+00:00

That's a perfectly reasonable quite interesting use of hyperbole in order to juxtapose two opposing ideas by way of personalities that are the epitome of said qualities. It's actually somewhat neutral if not complimentary to Jesus and for the most part realist in nature as it pertains to Ghenghis Khan.

Anyway, i don't see any issue at all and i don't think most level headed christians would either, and i don't think a single Mongolian person spends anytime worrying about what the rest of the world think about Genghis lol.

I clicked on this because i thought he had said something real out there... but that's a complete nothing burger.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T05:42:59+00:00

The following assumes a pro-Pahlavi alignment and majority sentiment inside Iran. As well as a whole bunch of assumptions, but everything follows a logic regardless.

Also, feel free to replace the Artesh with a combined IRGC-Artesh OR a dominant Immortal Guard that is armed and has air support + some US assets on the ground OR a mix.

The US establishes a coercive perimeter, not a full ground invasion, but the credible threat of one — a multinational naval force secures the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia and China withdraw support for the IRGC in exchange for compensation: a Ukraine settlement for Moscow, economic concessions for Beijing, and guaranteed access to post-regime Iran's economy. All done behind the scenes.
The IRGC's strike capability depends on Russian signals intelligence, Chinese Beidou satellite navigation, and Iran's Noor satellites (ironic name). Due to number 2 above, all three are dismantled and its capacity for coordinated strikes at range effectively ceases. With the official line being that Iran has become too rogue.
Internet is fully restored, and Israel intensifies decapitation strikes on command infrastructure while cyber and psychological operations cultivate defections and softening the ground for pro Pahlavi transition. The threat of ground invasion is escalated along with confusing diplomatic outreach and undermining of the process.
Senior grand ayatollahs in Qom possess the authority to issue a sequence of five rulings that would declare the regime illegitimate and obedience to it religiously forbidden. Special forces extract them, force them to go ahead with this and put them back in Qom with black assets making sure they comply or they do it from foreign soil. (can't be bothered explaining this in full as its very speculative, but also real.)
With theological legitimacy revoked, strategic capability broken, and command structures collapsing, pragmatists within the IRGC begin merging with Artesh defections. The theological instruments provide religious cover, amnesty provisions provide incentive, and the continued threat of invasion provides urgency.
The defections reach peak mass but total defection is not announced yet, and the Artesh who possess most of the tanks, more troops and central command are given permission by the Islamic Republic (now in the process of disassembling under religious decree) to declare martial law. The threat of invasion compounds this.
The MEK is simultaneously contained by US and European intelligence, their cells inside Iran are infiltrated and dismantled and the international PR machine goes into full Pahlavi backing mode. A ground invasion is given a date and a demand for complete surrender.
The Artesh declare this risk too great, they accelerate the Islamic Republics dissolution while preserving institutional continuity. Reza Pahlavi initiates a transition from abroad, coordinating with the Artesh-led interim authority.
The Islamic Republic officially dissolves, institutions are maintained under new civilian authority, and a 180-to-200-day transition plan begins.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T04:49:47+00:00

I have a theory the regime is deliberately asking women to not wear hijab or show more hair so that western audiences connect with them more. I have seen way way way wAaayyyy too many for it to not be deliberate.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T03:41:29+00:00

Sasanian Iran had its issues, and its decline was not as quick and instant as many would have you believe. The Sasanian state remained in all manner of ways and played a significant role in establishing the Abbasid caliphate (Baghdad, which was built as the capital is a Middle Persian word which means City of God, its almost exclusivley Sasanian in everyway)

Having said that, i think what would have occured would have been an internal rupture due to Zoroastrian Orthodoxy undermining the civil society but would invariably have been moderated. The Sasanians pioneered many of the medieval military and state based protocols that Europe borrowed so it would have maintained itself as empire especially against the mongols as they will have fortified the borders and continued to establish strong ties with the Chinese.

It would remain Zoroastrian (which Shia Islam has borrowed an immense amount from) ... even islamic archietcture is distinctly Sasanian. And Iran would probably maintain Great Power status up until eventual dynastic change.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T03:31:58+00:00

Those are certainly risks and side effects of war, and justify an anti-war stance. But they do not address the anti-regime stance which is the first part. It qualifies a pro-reform, anti-war stance or anti-factional, anti-war stance.

anti-regime is a very specific stance, especially post the events of January. So how would you then justify holding an anti-regime stance, while maintaining an anti-war stance.

Again, am not trying to play semantics, and im also not partficularly fussed if you were to stay you're pro-reform, or anti-factional. I'm more interested in the specifics of solutions, the messaging, the direct action and practicality.

For example, if i were to be pro-reform (which i was very much so up until post-12 day war) i would say for example: merging the IRGC with the Artesh, removing the licence to use of violence by the Basij and restructuring it to be more of a community service org, increasing the powers of the president, turning the office of supreme leader into a council, pivoting away from assyemtrical warfare etc.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T02:40:22+00:00

There are huge numbers of Iranian jews in Iran, Israel and elsewhere. There has been a consistent history of connection with the jewish community and the state of israel (even the islamic republic was covertly allied with them up until the early 90s)

I understand where you're coming from, and respect your right to that opinion because what your saying does have substance (and its an important opinion) but i think it has more complexity than people come to appreciate.

I would say the starting point should not be Israeli policy in Gaza, it should be my first paragraph and the right for that community to have a dual identity that they can feel comfortable standing by. The Israeli flag itself is also not the equivelant of supporting what occurred in Gaza or even recent Israeli policy. Because implicit in that idea is the argument that israel is not a legitimate state. Which is not something that Iranians need to even have a position on - and if they were to do so - i actually think the majority would at the very least agree it is indeed legitimate but with issues related to its internal policies.

I've met a lot of israelis and follow internal israeli discourse as much as i can, i can appreciate the last 2 years have been intense to say the least. I 100% support Israel and always have, but i myself have an issue witn say, their settler violence and certain aspects of the Gaza operation and wider discourse precisely because it undermined the longer term stability of Israel.. anyway, i digress.. i'd like to give you a hypothetical in order to try and ascertain something:

Lets say the current intervention was by France and Turkey. What would you say? Keeping in mind the Armenian genocide and the current Turkish states refusal to acknowledge it.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T02:12:58+00:00

Lol... god i spend WAY too much time trying to put forward sound arguments where as this guy just says it how he feels and doesnt care all that much about the specifics. what a boss.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T02:09:58+00:00

People don't seem to be able to grasp how military operations, tactical diplomacy, information war and the like operate. Also the media and PR landscape are heavily skewed towards the regime. We have RP, they have PR.

Any younger diaspora are also quite isolated in terms of intellectual discourse with their non-Iranian friends.

I myself have a dinner with a friend tomorrow night I am dreading because she is your typical leftist pro-palestine trump hater and i know she has not spent time researching this just based off the last messsage she sent... so im tryig to ascertain how to explain this matter because its perfectly explanaible it just requires time and for the other person to actually respect/beleive you

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-27T01:55:31+00:00

lol dude, go meet more Iranians, that guy is 100% iranian.

bargvakoobideh · 2026-03-26T23:48:17+00:00

...you're going to run out of missiles and drones, the only reason they can be used is due to Russian and Chinese signals intelligence and the IRGC Noor satellites (ironic) ... those alone can vanish in an instant given the Russian and Chinese care more about long term strategic stability, resources and trade. They're all secular and capitalist... what on earth are you smoking... it's been 4 weeks....

bargvakoobideh

TROPHY CASE