Iran: Middle East Powerbroker

The chaos in Iraq has provided a perfect opportunity for the clerics controlling Iran's government to gain influence in the region greater than Khomeini was able to do. In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini took control of the Iranian government from the Shah. Khomeini wanted to make Iran a theocracy and to encourage the growth of Islamic Fundamentalist-led governments throughout the region.

Khomeini imposed Islamic law throughout the country and established the Revolutionary Guard to enforce Islamic law on the streets. He packed the courts and the highest levels of government with clerics who shared his view on making Islamic law apply to the secular aspects of society. Click on the arrow button below to start video.

The current group of cleric controlling Iran now have an unprecedented opportunity to carry on Khomeini's dream of a Middle East controlled by religion-based governments due to the current conflicts in the Middle East. These include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the growing strength of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the sectarian violence in Iraq.

Iran's influence is limited for two important reasons: the population is predominantly Shiite and their culture is Persian not Arabic. These factors are important in a region which countries are ruled by Sunni regimes and composed of Sunni populations and that Middle Eastern culture is basically Arab not Persian. The civil unrest created by Shia dominated-Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Shia in Iraq give Iran a unique opportunity to gain influence in the region. There are already reports of Iran trying to gain influence in Iraq.