- By Arshia Malik
- Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:46 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Iran transformed from a monarchy into a theocratic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, only to deepen its descent under his successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The trajectory of Iranian society over these 46 years was a path marked by radical Islamism, proxy warfare, bloated military spending at the expense of the people, virulent anti-Western and anti-Semitic ideologies, and a deeply entrenched misogynist culture that stifled half the population. These elements not only isolated Iran globally but also eroded its social fabric from within.
The seeds of this trajectory were sown in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and installed Khomeini as Supreme Leader. Under the banner of Velayat-e faqih, the guardianship of the Islamic jurist, Khomeini established a system where religious authority superseded democratic will, blending theocracy with populist rhetoric.
This wasn't just a political shift; it was a societal upheaval that injected extremism into every vein of Iranian life. Khomeini's fatwa against Salman Rushdie in 1989 exemplified this radicalism, turning literary critique into a global call for assassination and cementing Iran's image as an exporter of ideological terror.
From the outset, the regime embraced proxy terrorism as a foreign policy tool. In the 1980s, Iran founded and funded Hezbollah in Lebanon to counter Israeli and Western influences, providing arms and training that fueled regional conflicts. This wasn't mere defence; it was a deliberate strategy to export the revolution, as Khomeini declared the need to spread Islam until "There is no God but Allah" echoed worldwide.
As Khamenei took the reins in 1989, following constitutional amendments that eased his ascension despite lacking traditional religious credentials, the extremism only intensified. Under his watch, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) expanded its Quds Force, orchestrating proxy operations across the Middle East.
By the 2000s, Iran was backing Shia militias in Iraq, Hamas in Gaza, and the Assad regime in Syria, funnelling billions in aid and weapons. The 2020s saw this reach a fever pitch: Iran's missile strikes on Israel in October 2024, retaliation for assassinations like that of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, underscored how proxy terror had evolved into direct confrontation.
The fall of Assad in December 2024 dealt a blow to Iran's influence, yet Khamenei's regime doubled down, committing to Hezbollah amid Lebanon's disarmament efforts in 2025. This proxy strategy hasn't liberated the oppressed, as the constitution claims; it's prolonged wars, displaced millions, and turned Iran into a pariah state.
Economically, the focus on armament has been a catastrophe. Post-revolution, Iran's oil-dependent economy, accounting for 70% of revenue, was redirected toward military might. The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) alone cost $627 billion and 200,000 lives, with child soldiers deployed in human waves.
Under Khamenei, military spending ballooned, funding the nuclear program that resumed uranium enrichment in 2005, defying IAEA resolutions. By 2025, Iran had enriched uranium to 60% purity, prompting UN non-compliance findings and stalled negotiations with the US.
Sanctions, starting with the US in the 1980s and escalating after the 2018 JCPOA withdrawal, crippled the economy: per capita GNI doubled from 1980 to 2010 but declined 30% overall due to inflation, unemployment, and corruption.
Billions vanished under presidents like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013), with $66 billion unaccounted for. This armament economics starved social programs, leading to poverty rates of 15-40% and mass emigration of 2-4 million skilled workers, costing $80-120 billion. In 2025, amid economic protests and water shortages, the regime's response was a massacre, with tens of thousands of dead under Khamenei's orders.
Anti-Western and anti-Semitic politics have been the ideological glue holding this regime together. Khomeini's "Neither East nor West" mantra labelled the US the "Great Satan" and severed ties after the 1979-1981 hostage crisis. Khamenei perpetuated this, with Ahmadinejad's 2005 call to "wipe Israel off the map" and Holocaust denial drawing global condemnation.
Antisemitism is state policy: Iran refuses to recognise Israel, calling it a "Zionist entity," and passports bar travel to "occupied Palestine." Support for Palestinian groups like Hamas, including 90% of its Gaza budget, fuels this hatred.
The 2025 Iran-Israel war, with Israeli strikes on nuclear sites and US bombings of facilities like Fordo, highlighted the escalation. Iran's Jewish community, shrunk to 25,000, faces restrictions, no proselytising, no senior posts, and state media propagates texts like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This anti-Western axis extended to alliances with Russia, China, and Venezuela, countering sanctions but isolating Iran further.
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Perhaps the most insidious trajectory is the misogynist culture embedded since 1979. The constitution promises equal rights "in conformity with Islamic criteria," but this translates to systemic oppression: women's testimony is worth half a man's, inheritance is halved, and blood money (diyya) is at half value.
Mandatory hijab was enforced immediately, with marriage age for girls lowered to 9 under Khomeini's fatwa. Khamenei's era saw crackdowns intensify: 2007's "bad hijab" campaign deployed 70,000 police in Tehran, leading to floggings and arrests.
Bans on stadium entry, glamorous hairstyles, and even dogs as pets reinforced this control. The 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in custody for improper hijab sparked nationwide protests, killing over 500 and arresting 10,000, with similar violence in 2023 after Armita Geravand's coma. Rape convictions are near-impossible due to biased laws, and victims like 16-year-old Atefah Sahaaleh were executed in 2004 despite evidence of assault.
While women's literacy rose from 28% to 80% by 1996 and parliamentary representation increased, these gains mask unequal access; women were barred from 77 university courses in 2012 due to an enrollment cap. Protests like the One Million Signatures Campaign faced brutal repression, with activists flogged and imprisoned.
Reflecting on this trajectory from 1979 to 2025, Iranian society has spiralled from revolutionary fervour into a dystopia of repression and isolation. Khomeini's vision morphed under Khamenei into a machine of extremism that prioritises proxy wars and nuclear ambitions over human dignity.
The economy, ravaged by armament priorities, has fueled discontent, manifesting in recurrent protests, from 1999 student uprisings to the 2022-2023 Amini revolts, met with executions and torture.
Anti-Western and anti-Semitic policies have alienated allies, while misogyny has silenced women, tearing at society's core. As Khamenei met his end in 2026, reportedly assassinated, the regime's legacy is one of unfulfilled promises: population growth from 39 to 81 million, improved HDI, but rampant dissatisfaction (90% in 2002 polls).
Iran deserves better, a society free from the shackles of theocracy, where extremism gives way to empathy, and women, minorities, and dissenters thrive. The true revolution will come from within, reclaiming the humanity lost over these decades.
(Note: The author is an educationist and analyst of Islamic socio-political affairs.)