Iran: The Rising Monster of Sassanid Dynasty

Lifting of UN sanctions have brought smiles on 80 million faces of people living on Iranian soil but without a doubt many living outside are worried about the future discourse of this hegemonic state. Iran, presently an average income country will be soon as rich as the Gulf States are. In the wake of lifting of sanctions Iran will be able to export 500,000 barrel of oil per day immediately without making any additional arrangements which can be increased to 1 million barrels per day by the end of this year. This huge export of oil will add an additional 30-40 billion dollars to Iranian economy each year. Apart from huge additional revenues by unleashing the oil flood, Iran will be able to export gas worth billions of dollars in a very short time. Iran, after Russia, has the second largest natural gas reserves in the World. This unmatched potential of energy resources gives leading edge to Iran over its regional counterparts. According to US Energy Information Administration, it is predicted that by the year 2030, Iran will be able to add 250 billion dollars of revenue to its economy.  This huge inflow of money will boost the Iranian economy to new heights. Thanks to two power hunger economic giants China and India, Iran doesn't need much effort to grab this money. As tweeted by Iranian President Hassan Rohani in the eve of lifting of sanctions, "our friends are happy and foes don’t need to be worried" but it’s not possible for foes to stop worrying. For an instance, the Israeli Prime Minister has expressed his grave concern over liberation of Iran from sanctions. He has said now Iran will have sufficient money to fund Hezbollah and Hamas. Both of them will have more sophisticated weaponry and sufficient resources to recruit 'terrorists' against Israel and State of Israel will be in deep trouble. 
If it would have been true or limited to Israel only, Muslim World was at peace rather much pleased but it is not as such. Iran, to the  best of my understanding, will have little attention towards Israel. Iran will also try to forget its enduring slogans of 'مرگ بر اسرائیل ' or 'مرگ بر امریکہ'. I believe Iran will focus to take its relations with India, Russia and China to new peeks. I also believe that Iran will emerge as much humble and responsible state with respect to Western World but, God forbid, Iran will be more furious towards lands which were once ruled by Sassanians. 

Before the rise of Arabs, the World was known to only two super powers The Romans and The Persians/Iranians under Sassanian rulers. Arab General Saad bin Abi Waqas defeated one of the greatest Sassanian warriors Rustam, in the bettal of Qadsiyyah in the year 636 breaking the backbone of Sassanian empire. After Qadsiyyah Sassanian could confront Arabs only at Nahawand in 641 where they faced the final defeat. The last emperor of Sassanid dynasty Yazdegard-III died in exile in China around 653. His death officially marked the end of the Sassanid royal lineage and empire.The following map shows the regions once ruled by the Sassanians.  According to this map, Persian rule was extended from Russia to Africa on one side and from present day Pakistan to Basphorus Trait on the other hand. Excluding todays Saudi Arabia, whole of Gulf was also part of this huge empire.

Persians have seen such glory neither before Sassanians nor after them. After the Sassanians Iranian were ruled by Abbasids, Ummayads, Turks, Mongols and others, time to time. Persians remained subordinate to many but they never forget the magnificence of their glorious past. They were always struggling for the revival but couldn't succeeded till the arrival of Shah Ismail who not only founded Safavid dynasty but also provided patronage to Shiaism. In order to have an ideological and religious backing as the Ottomans were having in form of Islam, he sponsored and promoted Shiaism as 'Shia Islam'. Shah Ismail and his successors tried to create new epicenters for Shiaism by design. In Islam Makkah and Madina are sacred cities, they tried to gave Karbala such status. Instead of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions Safavids tried to symbolize Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Hussain. They introduced new concept of Imams in the religion in the wave of making their own heroes. They modified popular understandings of Islam as per design which suited them better. But despite of all their efforts they could hardly managed to convince a minor segment of Muslims towards their version of Islam. Safavid seized wast lands in North and South of present day Iran and established huge empire. Shiaism provided them incomparable support but they couldn't make it matching with Sassanid dynasty in any way. They remained in power till Qajar ended their rule after a civil war. Qajar and after them Pehlvi also tried to follow footsteps of their predecessor emperors to gain the lost glory of Sassanids on the hands of Arabs but could't succeeded. Every ruler of Iran had an imagination of restoring the lost glory of  Persian Empire. In this race of glorifying their past the last king of Iran Raza Shah Pehlvi crossed all limits. He after a decade long preparations in 1971, started celebrations of 2500 years of Persian Empire. Arabs and Sunni Muslims around the World happily and proudly associate themselves with the emergence of Islam in 521 but Iranians are having a total contrary feelings. They proudly call themselves sons of Cyrus who some 2500 years ago founded the Persian Empire in Persipolis near present day Iranian city of Shiraz. 

In 1979 religious tyrants successfully toppled the Shah's regime in a popular 'Islamic Revolution' and turned Iran into an 'Islamic Republic'. Government changed, people in power replaced and nature of statehood converted to an altogether new form but believe me, frame of Persians mind of having renaissance of Sassanid dynasty haven't changed at all. There is a paradigm shift in their approach. They do realize that conquering Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan and even Bahrain and Yemen is not possible militarily nowadays so way not try to conquer them ideologically. Yes, they are doing this now. Since 1979 the World has seen totally changed Shias across the World. They are having enough funding, technical and moral support as well as military trainings as and when required from Iran. This Iranian support has successfully turned many peaceful lands into war zones. Unfortunately most of lands once part of Sassanid dynasty are inhabited by Muslims nowadays therefor Iran never hesitates to join hands even with Hindus and Jews against Muslims living on these lands so that they can be once again integrated into greater Persian empire. With or without help of intruders, Iran has successfully established Shia rule in Iraq. Iran has deployed her regular army alongside Hezbollah in Syria to protect Shia regime of Bashar ul Asad while Lebanon is already under the control of Shia militia Hezbollah. Iran has supported Hothies Shias who successfully toppled the Muslim rule of Abd Rabbu Hadi Mansoor in Yemen. Iran is igniting fire against Sunni rulers of Bahrain where the population of Shias is in majority. Iran is encouraging centrifugal forces in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. Yes, these all lands are away from Pakistan and we can indulge in conspiracy theories but what Iran is doing in Kurram Agency, Gilgit Baltistan and Baluchistan is not impossible to verify. Few months back it was reported in media that militants have stormed a bus near Herban town in Kohistan districts and killed all 16 passengers of the bus. The bus was heading to Gilgit. The actuality of this incident is restricted to very few. It is widely believed that these passengers were returning from Iran after having military training and their objective was to fuel the fire in Gilgit Baltistan area and this killing occurred on the hands of state agencies who knew about them. It may be much surprising for many across the country but it is a truth that Parachinar has become a 100% Shia territory now where not a single Muslim is allowed to live. Muslims of Hangu and surrounding areas of Parachinar believe that the weaponry Shias of Parachinar having is sufficient to combat a military offensive even.

This all happened when Iran was paralyzed by the UN sanctions. Till Jan 17, 2016 Iran was having a limited access to international markets. Her assets outside the country were seized and she was having a very little space to survive. But now the situation is changed. Sanctions have become the story of the past. Iran is flexing her muscles now. Additional income of 250 billion dollars will surely provide this wicked state with sufficient energy to destroy the peace of Muslim world, if any and fulfill the dream of renaissance of Sassanid dynasty. 

Once upon a time there were Romans and Persians only. Romans are there again in the shape of Western World. Iran will try her level best to bring the Persians at parallel to them. 

Muslims around the world don't have any objection on it but they are afraid to pay the cost. In the wake of lifting of sanctions from Iran, the world will have much cheaper oil, may be of 25$ a barrel only but the regions once part of Sassanid dynasty will bear the flames of blazing fire ignited by Iran as an attempt to revenge the defeat on hands of Arab General Saad bin Abi Waqas and restore the lost glory of the past.