IRAN, BETWEEN POWER AND FEAR: INTERVIEW WITH DAVOOD KARIM - Cristina Di Silvio - ETHICA SOCIETAS-Rivista di scienze umane e sociali

How long will the Ayatollahs’ theocracy continue to claim innocent victims, especially among women?

Abstract: Davood Karimi, president of the Association of Iranian Political Refugees in Italy, describes Iran as a theocratic-military regime built on repression and ideological expansion, supported by the Revolutionary Guards and networks of regional militias. He denounces the West’s inertia and identifies women and organized resistance as the key to change. Women — the protagonists of the struggle following Mahsa Amini’s death — embody the moral and political strength capable of overthrowing the system. Karimi calls for concrete international support for the Iranian people and the National Council of Resistance, to open the path toward a free and democratic Iran.

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Davood Karimi is an Iranian activist and political refugee committed to denouncing human rights violations in Iran and promoting democratic resistance against the Islamic Republic. He took part in the revolution against the Shah and serves as President of the Association of Iranian Political Refugees residing in Italy, a position he has held for over forty years. He lives in Italy, where he stands as one of the most prominent voices of the Iranian opposition in exile, actively advocating for human rights, refugee protection, and the exposure of the Islamic Republic’s regime.

italian version

A geopolitical, legal, and human framework

Davood Karimi is not a distant observer. His voice — sharp, deliberately abrasive, born of a history of opposition and resistance — speaks from within the Iranian wound and addresses the outside world, which observes it with calculated caution or hypocritical indulgence.

In this conversation, his answers shed light on deep fractures: the contradiction between an apparent institutional stability and a radical social unrest, the centrality of organized violence as an instrument of government, and the crucial role of women in dissent.

The reader will find no conciliatory mediation here, but firm positions, strategic analyses, precise accusations, and proposals for rupture. Iran is not described as a mere variant of Eastern despotism, but rather as a theocratic political-military apparatus founded on systematic repression, a predatory economy, and instrumental external relations.

Power, Strategy, and Regime: Iran in the New Cold War

“Iran is often defined as a regional power rather than a traditional nation-state. In your view, what is the current strategic architecture of the Islamic Republic within the Middle Eastern context?” Karimi dismantles the diplomatic cliché: “Iran is not a ‘regional power’ in the classical sense — it is a monstrous octopus, a sprawling apparatus that has invested billions to take hostage vast portions of civic, regional, and even global spheres. Its strategic architecture does not reflect a modern state structure seeking legitimate influence; it is a system conceived to project a theocratic and terrorist hegemony. The head is in Tehran; any real change would destroy the entire economy of repression.”

According to Karimi, Iran’s strategy is a calibrated combination of domestic coercion, paramilitary instruments, and regional proxy networks, financed with public resources sacrificed on the altar of ideological expansion.

“In the context of hybrid warfare and proxy wars, how central is the ideological dimension to Iran’s military projection in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon?” Karimi is unequivocal: “Iran has invested in Syria for years, not only for geopolitical reasons but to build logistical corridors and spheres of influence. The human cost has been enormous: hundreds of thousands of victims, tens of billions spent. Ideology is the mask that justifies the practice: proxies, militias, and interference are the operational arm of a political theology without borders.”

“The recent evolution of relations with Moscow and Beijing seems to be generating a new strategic triangle. What role does Tehran play in this multipolar dynamic?”

“I do not see Moscow and Beijing as long-term strategic allies for Iran — rather, as opportunists. They are taking advantage of a dying patient for immediate gain. For them, Iran is a tactical foothold, not an investment. Once the regime ceases to be useful, it will be abandoned.”

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has now become an autonomous actor. How much does its parallel power influence domestic and foreign policy?”

“The IRGC is the backbone of the regime. There are no autonomous civil institutions: every key position is occupied by former guards. It is the regime’s political-military skeleton — arms, legs, and core. It guarantees the regime’s survival even when everything else lies in ruins.”

The Law as an Instrument of Repression

“Is Iran today a pariah state, or does it still enjoy a form of diplomatic impunity under the pretense of national sovereignty?”

“The regime’s days are numbered, thanks to popular dissent. The uprisings of the past decades — with thousands of deaths and disappearances — show that its stability is an illusion. International impunity is the product of culpable political indulgence.”

“What prevents effective international legal action against human rights violations in Iran? Is it a lack of will or a lack of legal tools?”

“The tools exist. What is lacking is will. International criminal norms can strike, but without parallel political support for the Iranian people, sanctions and judicial procedures risk merely worsening civilian suffering.”

“The Islamic regime uses law as a weapon. Can you explain the political and theological meaning of this practice?”

“The system grounds its legitimacy in the sacralization of power: the leader is the ‘Messenger of God’. This allows any form of dissent to be transformed into mohareb — an ‘enemy of God’ — thereby justifying the most extreme punishment. Vague accusations such as ‘corruption on earth’ serve to legitimize state violence and normalize the suppression of dissent.”

Women and Resistance: The Regime’s Most Feared Frontier

“Iranian women are often perceived as passive victims. What have we misunderstood in the Western narrative?”

“They are not victims — they are the backbone of the resistance. The protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini proved it. Ignoring this dynamic has been a strategic mistake: women lead the mobilization, structure the resistance, and embody the moral legitimacy of the struggle.”

“What role do they play in forms of non-violent resistance and clandestine communication?”

“They are at the forefront. They lead civil movements, coordinate information, organize demonstrations. Wherever there is opposition and dissent, there is an Iranian woman giving shape and substance to the protest.”

“Does the female diaspora risk becoming disconnected from the reality on the ground?”

“That risk exists, but there is also a structured resource: organized resistance. The People’s Mojahedin Organization and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) maintain both an operational and symbolic bridge with the country. Recognizing their legitimacy is crucial.”

“Is the veil merely a religious symbol, or is it a political battleground?”

“Removing the hijab is a powerful symbolic gesture, but it is not enough. It is part of a broader repertoire that signals moral and cultural defection. Yet, to overthrow the regime, one needs political organization and long-term strategy.”

The Diaspora and the Invisible Conflict: A Slow War Beyond Borders

“Who controls the narrative about Iran abroad today?”

“The National Council of Resistance, led by Maryam Rajavi, is the authentic voice of dissent. The regime’s embassies, some think tanks, and colluding networks attempt to impose themselves, but political legitimacy belongs to the organized forces of the resistance.”

“Are sanctions against Tehran effective or counterproductive?”

“It depends. They are effective only if they target the regime’s interests and are accompanied by political support for the dissent. Generic sanctions harm civilians. When coordinated with pro-opposition strategies, they can accelerate the regime’s collapse. Otherwise, they are merely another form of suffering.”

“What is the reach of the regime’s ‘long arm’ beyond its borders?”

“Enormous. The policy of appeasement has allowed the regime to build a network of intimidation and transnational terror, especially against the Mojahedin. Attacks, surveillance, threats — all are part of the arsenal used to silence the diaspora.”

The Regime’s Fear and the Hope for a Future

“What is the most serious strategic mistake the West has made in dealing with Iran?”

“The policy of appeasement. The West has failed to support the Iranian people in crucial moments. This failure has artificially prolonged the regime’s life.”

“What is the regime’s deepest fear — women, truth, or youth indifference?”

“Organized resistance. Women are its heart and brain. And the youth are far from indifferent. The regime fears the truth that seeps out from the streets and from organized civil networks.”

“Is a democratic future for Iran a romantic utopia or a concrete plan?”

“It is not a utopia if it is built upon a structured plan. The Ten-Point Program of the Resistance — abolition of the death penalty, dismantling of nuclear weapons, gender equality, ethnic autonomy — is a roadmap.

The timing depends on the convergence between internal uprisings, international pressure, and political recognition of the Resistance.”

Chronicle of a Suspended Present

The words of Davood Karimi cut into the stone of geopolitical analysis like a chisel. They are not rhetorical appeals but an inventory of responsibilities and strategic options.

If one accepts his premise — radical and deliberately provocative — that Iran is not a state to be negotiated with but a theocratic-military apparatus that has normalized systemic violence and expansion through militias and proxies, then foreign policy tools must change as well.

What is needed, Karimi argues, is direct and structured support for dissent, selective sanctions, and political recognition of resistant forces.

But above all, it means putting women back at the center of strategy — not as subjects to be pitied, but as active political agents capable of dismantling the equilibrium that has sustained the theocracy.

Karimi leaves a warning that sounds like a challenge: “The head of the serpent is still in Tehran. But its vital force has weakened. The real question is this: will the international community have the political courage to stand on the side of Iranian society — not to replace it, but to open the way to a change already underway, whose backbone is made up of women and organized resistance?”