In the Face of the Iranian Threat: A Call for Moral Clarity
Ashteret, an intellectual platform committed to intercultural dialogue and coexistence among peoples, expresses its deep concern over the current escalation provoked by the Iranian regime.
For years, Iran has promoted an ideological project based on theocratic domination and the instrumentalization of violence. Through its active support for Islamist militias across the region — from Hezbollah to Hamas and the Houthis — it has fueled instability, prolonged conflicts, and undermined regional balance.
Today, the threat goes beyond rhetoric or proxies. It takes the form of direct military capacity, strengthened by an opaque nuclear program and an open strategy to encircle the State of Israel.
Ashteret recalls that every state has the right — and the duty — to defend its citizens. The preventive strikes carried out by Israel against Iranian military infrastructure must be understood as a legitimate act of self-defense, especially in light of the diplomatic failure to contain the expansionist ambitions of the Iranian regime.
The international community cannot continue to look away.
Ambiguity toward terrorism, complacency toward propaganda, and the obsession with “balancing narratives” in Middle Eastern conflicts only serve to deepen confusion and perpetuate injustice.
Ashteret calls on civil society, intellectuals, decision-makers, and international institutions to break out of their dangerous inertia.
It is time to acknowledge that the Iranian regime is no longer a rational actor, but rather a central source of ideological, religious, and geopolitical chaos in the region.
Peace cannot be built on fear. Coexistence requires the courage to name threats.
Faraj Alexandre Rifai
Founder of Ashteret