1 hour ago
2
The Iranian regime will “stick together like glue” and be nearly impossible to end, no matter whether the United States launches a military strike, according to a New Yorker who was tortured when held during the November 1979 Iran hostage crisis.
Barry Rosen was a year into his job as a press attaché for the US Embassy in Tehran when he and 51 other Americans were taken by “zealous followers of Ayatollah Khomeini” on Nov. 4, 1979. They spent 444 days in captivity, and “lived in darkness.”
“I have seen this regime up close before – this regime will go down fighting. It has everything to lose,” Rosen, 81, told The Post. He added he hopes to see “a free and open Iran” but admitted, “I don’t think we are as close to regime change as it seems.”
The Upper West Sider’s remarks come as President Trump has moved American military assets into the region in a massive buildup, indicating the US is readying for a “sustained” campaign against Iran.
The show of force has unfolded amid ongoing talks between the two countries to limit Iran’s nuclear program — while current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (successor of Khomeini) has faced unprecedented protests back home.
Protests against the regime broke out in January nationwide, sparked by the falling value of the Iranian Rial currency. It was the biggest domestic uprising since the revolution, but the regime has since brutally cracked down.
“Khamenei and his forces won’t give up their missilesunder any circumstances,” Rosen believes of the tenuous situation.
Rosen shared his unique insight into the brutal authoritarian actors, and how he believes the regime sees itself vis-a-vis the West, particularly the US.
“They see themselves as the oppressed. The regime believes it represents the moral rebellion of the oppressed against the arrogant powers – the West and the US specifically,” he said.
“The Iranians and Khamenei himself have said they have enough missile power to do damage to the American Navy,” he warned, adding, “The regime knows if they don’t have the power of the missiles themselves, they would be destroyed by the United States.”
While Rosen conceded the outsize military advantage of the US, he asserted “this regime will go down fighting if there is a military operation against Iran bought by the United States. It has everything to lose.
“It will fight, and it can cause tremendous damage all over the Middle East and really turn the entire region into flames.”
Citing Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s vow on Saturday that Tehran will not “bow” to foreign pressure, Rosen said “it is now very aggressive in its stance toward the United States, which it sees as threatening its very existence.
“It will pull out as much as it possibly can, if it turns into a military situation – and it is not insignificant.”
Iran has built up significant firepower over the last decade, including hypersonic missiles, thousands of cruise missiles and it manufactures Shahed drones, which have also been supplied to Russia for use on the battlefield.
While ongoing demonstrations from the “brave” Iranian people are heartening, the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards and its attack dogs, the Basij voluntary militia, among others “will stick up with the regime.”
“They’re going to be as aggressive as possible with the Iranian people,” and the public doesn’t have “the weaponry or any way to stop the Revolutionary Guards from doing what they are doing,” he said.
The Revolutionary Guards “are so ideologically tied to Ayatollah Khamenei that I don’t see any split off from the regime itself.”
“The regime is taking the hardest stand it possibly can, but it has its back against the wall,” said Rosen, adding it’s “willing to play an aggressive role” if it sees military opportunities.
Knowing what he does about the regime and its determination, he hopes cooler heads prevail in the Trump administration rather than to wade into a war.
“I would hope the negotiation option will take place – that is lowering the nuclear situation, lowering the enrichment,” said Rosen.
The former hostage, who went on to a career in public affairs at various colleges and now travels the world advocating for the oppressed, added Iran’s post-revolutionary identity “was forged by resistance – against the United States, its sanctions and international isolation,” he said of the rogue state which has been living “under prolonged pressure, bred by a siege mentality.”
That maxim, according to Rosen is, “The world is against us, so survival depends on vigilance and unity.”
Rosen explained that psychology “justifies security dominance – the suppression of dissent in the name of preservation.”
Rosen had guns pointed to his head, was tied up, endured mock execution, was forbidden to speak for months and was forced to sign false admissions of being a spy as he was tormented at the hands of Iranian revolutionaries.
But he recognizes the regime treats its own citizens terribly too, and called on Americans to back everyday Iranians in their struggle against oppression.
“It is very disappointing for me to see that the American people are not supporting the Iranian people,” he said.
“The regime is so oppressive, and any progressive human being should be out there in the streets supporting the Iranian people.”
English (US)