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The Problem in Making Peace With Iran’s Rulers Is Intrinsic: Their Ideology Militates Against It

The Shi’a clerics have an apocalyptic view of the future as they look for the 12^th Iman to be revealed. But: To hasten the day, they believe they, “must hasten that return through conflict, chaos, bloodshed and martyrdom.” That’s from Cliff May of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. More: Iran’s rulers see themselves as jihadis fighting a holy war against the enemies of Allah. They can contemplate temporary ceasefires, periods of calm that allow them to rearm for the next battle, but a serious “peace deal” would be out of the question. A deeper layer of complexity here is worth noting: Twelver Shiites. They believe the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, was “occulted,” hidden by Allah more than 1,000 years ago, and will eventually return as the Mahdi, essentially the messiah. Mainstream Twelver theology holds that his reappearance is divinely timed and that believers should wait patiently. Yet followers of Ayatollah Khomeini assert that Muslims must hasten that return through conflict, chaos, bloodshed and martyrdom. Twenty years ago, Bernard Lewis, the great scholar of Islam, observed that for those who believe mass death accelerates the journey to paradise, “mutual assured destruction is not a constraint; it is an inducement.” American negotiators, in particular, would do well to bear that in mind (Washington Times).