Tehran: The Perforated Carpet
When Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian officially acknowledges on September 11, 2026, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India, that the siege and sanctions have placed Iran in a dangerous and critical phase, and that the country is facing a severe livelihood and economic crisis, this is what you have sown and this is what you have reaped. It is you who have brought Iran to this critical moment in history. This crisis did not arise spontaneously or by chance; rather, it is the result of your own making, a natural consequence of a long course of failed and aggressive policies toward the international community and neighboring countries, without any regard for the interests of the Iranian people. For years, the Iranian regime has acted as if it could defy the world indefinitely. The international community has offered Iran numerous opportunities to correct its course and return to a more rational policy, but it chose maneuvering, escalation, and stubbornness, believing that holding cards of pressure would ultimately enable it to impose its terms on others. Iran is not a country lacking in resources or capabilities. It possesses natural wealth, a strategic geographic location, significant human capital, and a broad market. It could have become a major economic and developmental force in the region had it chosen a foreign policy based on good neighborliness, respect for state sovereignty, and domestic development, instead of engaging in open conflicts and expanding its circle of adversaries. But Tehran chose a different path. Billions of dollars were wasted on developing the nuclear program, and billions more were spent supporting armed groups and regional proxies, while the Iranian citizen could not afford the price of a loaf of bread. A state cannot build its strength by impoverishing its people and expanding its circle of enemies, nor can it impose its ideology by force and then expect others to stand by as spectators. True strength is not measured by the number of missiles or the extent of influence beyond borders, but by a state’s ability to utilize its resources to serve its interests and economy and to provide a dignified life for its people. Tehran has tried to weave for itself a political carpet of influence, conflicts, armed alliances, and security repression, believing that this carpet would ultimately lead it to the position of a great power capable of imposing its will on the region and the world. But it fails to realize that this carpet is full of holes and defects, with frayed threads that it cannot hide, and through which the fragility of this regime and its weakness in resilience have been exposed. Today, Iran stands before two choices and no third: either a courageous review of its policies, or continuing down the path toward further isolation and suffocation. States that wish to become genuine regional powers need a robust economy, a stable society, and balanced relations with the international community, not the spread of chaos and threats to international security.
