I'm a Christian pastor who was born in Egypt. Here are 3 facts I learned about Iran's nuclear obsession

I grew up in a Christian community in Egypt. Like many other families, we suffered firsthand under the oppressive rule of the Islamo-socialist regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser, chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council of Egypt. Later, Nasser’s military dictatorship controlled every aspect of our lives.

As a young man, I escaped the repression of Nasser’s Egypt and made my way to freedom in America. Having lived under Islamo-socialism in Egypt, I have a deep compassion for the suffering people of Iran. They only want to live in peace.

But the leaders of Iran are committed to a death-cult ideology—and to a nuclear showdown with Western civilization. Here are three key facts that show why Iran’s radical clerics will never abandon their nuclear obsession:   

Fact No. 1: A nuclear-armed Iran cannot be deterred by Cold War nuclear doctrines. 

During the Cold War, the logic of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) kept nuclear superpowers in check. Every president, premier, and prime minister knew that launching a nuclear attack would invite annihilation. 

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I’ve heard people say, "We’re already living with a nuclear-armed North Korea and a nuclear-armed Pakistan. Would a nuclear-armed Iran be any worse?"

In fact, a nuclear-armed Iran would be infinitely worse. The reason is that Shiite Islam—the ruling ideology in Iran—makes Cold War doctrines of deterrence obsolete. Here’s why:

Fact No. 2: Iran’s leaders have a religious incentive to launch Armageddon.

I’ve spent countless hours talking to Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the Middle East. I also studied cultural anthropology at Emory University, with a focus on radical Islamic movements. My research was published in a textbook, "Revolt against Modernity." I believe it’s vitally important that we in the West understand Islamic history and Islamic beliefs.

Islam is divided into several sects, most notably Sunnis and Shiites. In 1501, the Safavid rulers of the Persian Empire declared Twelver Shiite Islam the official state religion, distinguishing Persia from its Sunni neighbors. After Persia was renamed Iran in 1935, Twelver Shiism remained the official faith.

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Twelver Shiism is the largest branch of Shia Islam, and is defined by its belief in twelve divinely ordained Imams (rightful successors to Muhammad). The last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, supposedly went into occultation (a miraculously hidden state) in the 9th century. Twelvers claim the Mahdi will one day reappear to establish global justice. 

Many of Iran’s clerics fervently believe that, before the Mahdi can be revealed, an apocalyptic battle must be fought between faithful Muslims and the forces of evil. As a result, some Iranian leaders—and possibly the Ayatollah himself—are motivated to trigger a nuclear war to fulfill the ancient prophecies and force the appearance of the hidden Mahdi.

Iran officially denies having a nuclear weapons program. In October 2003, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, issued a fatwa stating that nuclear weapons are forbidden under Islam. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), however, claims Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build nine nuclear warheads. Shiite Islam invented a religious/judicial doctrine called Taqiyya, which necessitates deceiving your enemies until you have the upper hand. 

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The recent attacks by Israel and the United States against Iran’s nuclear facilities have dealt a serious setback to the clerics’ nuclear ambitions—but don’t be misled. Iran’s Twelver Shiite clerics will never abandon their fanatical dream of launching a final war and revealing the long-hidden Mahdi. 

Fact No. 3: A nuclear-armed Iran threatens not only Israel, but all of Western civilization.

Iran has shown that its missiles are capable of penetrating Israel’s Iron Dome defense systems. Imagine if those missiles carried nuclear warheads! Even more troubling, Iran is aggressively developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) through its space launch vehicle (SLV) program. 

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The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, told Congress that Iran could use its SLV program to work "toward an ICBM capability." Whenever Iran tests a satellite launch vehicle, it’s flexing its ability to threaten Europe and North America.

The Iranian clerics have made their goal clear: "Death to Israel! Death to America!" But we in the West do not seek the death of Iran. We only want the Iranian people to be free from theocratic oppression. 

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The people of Iran have repeatedly risen up against the Islamist regime—the 1999 Student Protests, the 2019 "Bloody November" protests, the 2022 women’s rights protests, and many others. Each time the people rose up, the government brutally extinguished their cries for freedom.

I trust and hope that another uprising comes soon, and that the people of Iran achieve their liberation. And I also hope that the leaders of the United States, Europe, and Israel do everything in their power to speed the arrival of that day.