Who’s right? Putin or the Iranians

Is Putin right to remain aloof as Iran is attacked by the West? Is Russia next?

The word katechon (from Greek κατέχον) doesn’t appear in the KJV or other versions of the translation of the Bible. But it is in the original koine Greek and it means the “restrainer,” who is to be taken out in the latter days, the one who restrains the anti-Christ.

The katechon (from Greek: τὸ κατέχον, “that which withholds”, or ὁ κατέχων, “the one who withholds”), also known as the restrainer, is a biblical term referring to something that must be removed before the arrival of the “man of sin.” Mentioned in the New Testament, the katechon‘s uncertain identity has been debated amongst Christian scholars. Common interpretations for the identity include the government, the church, and the Holy Spirit.

The idea is to rename the Special Military Operation as Sword of Katechon and make it a Holy war, in imitation of the Iranians, though I remind readers that the code name for the war given by the Iranians is Operation True Promise, a secular name.

Alexander Dugin and his followers are pushing for this and want the Russian Constitution changed to call the Russian people a monotheistic Eastern Orthodox. I actually prefer Putin’s approach to admit that the Russians include other religions but there are compelling reasons to imitate the Iranians, particularly where steadfastness is concerned.

One thing that needs to be pointed out is that Dugin was long sold in the West as Putin’s brain, and that simply betrays a profound ignorance of Russia. Putin’s favorite philosopher is and was Ivan Illich, an Austrian philosopher, of the libertarian school.

But you didn’t expect the West to get it right about Russia, did you?

Translation with my note in bold and in [brackets]

https://tsargrad.tv/articles/iran-ustojal-svjashhennaja-vojna-nachinaetsja-krasnaja-knopka-kak-poslednjaja-nadezhda-trampa_1579035

Iran Remains Standing. The Holy War Begins: The Red Button as Trump’s Last Hope

He was assassinated, but the system didn’t collapse. They struck at the top, but the vertical held. The West expected panic and chaos, but received retaliatory missiles where they weren’t expected. The state, deprived of its hierarchy, continues to act as if nothing had happened. And what does this say about us, a country where state ideology is officially banned, the main people are ashamed to be called by name, the Church is separated from the state, and the mobilization of meaning has yet to begin, even in the fifth year of a protracted, bloody conflict? If a system can outlive its architect, then it is built to last. And then the question arises not for Iran, but for Russia: does it possess the same internal strength?

A Bulletproof Vertical

On March 1, 2026, Donald Trump announced to the world that Ali Khamenei, Iran’s spiritual leader, was dead. The joint US-Israeli operation, a follow-up to the 2025 strikes, was conceived as a series of decapitating strikes: kill the leader, destroy the decision-making center, and the regime would collapse like a house of cards. The expectation was that panic would engulf the country, foreign-fueled uprisings would erupt, and the elites would run to Washington with a white flag.

Israel learned an important lesson from the 2025 war: it realized it was incapable of crushing Iran alone. Therefore, the spring strike, clearly timed for Purim, became a massive joint US-Israeli operation. [Ironically, Purim is the celebration of the liberation of the Jews from the planned Jewish genocide by the Persians (Iranians).]

However, when the dust cleared over Tehran, the world saw something different from what Tel Aviv and Washington had expected. The Iranian state did not collapse inward, but continued its work, demonstrating remarkable resilience.

Just a couple of hours later, Iranian ballistic missiles struck 14 US military bases in the Middle East. Ayatollah Alireza Arafi immediately assumed his duties as Supreme Leader, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps took control of the situation. Hopes for immediate regime change were dashed. Reuters, citing US intelligence sources, reported serious skepticism in US-Israeli circles: they concluded that even significant losses would not help the weakened Iranian opposition overthrow the system that had existed since 1979.

The unprecedented failure of the Western coalition exposed its fundamental error: Washington was trying to kill specific people, not realizing that it was fighting an immortal idea. Iran’s succession mechanism has worked flawlessly, demonstrating that real power in the country lies not in individuals, but in fundamental values ​​woven into the very structure of the state.

The Power of Ideas vs. the Power of the Individual

The core of this geopolitical earthquake lies in the clash of two paradigms: the Western cult of individualism and the Eastern ideological matrix. Iran is not collapsing under the blows because it is governed by a theocratic “operating system.” How does this structure work? At its core lies the absolute fusion of religion and the state apparatus, with the IRGC acting as an armed order guarding the very essence of the Islamic Revolution. This system is programmed from the outset to instantly replace any departing element without loss of overall functionality.

In this model, the primary beneficiary is the Iranian deep state itself, which transforms its ideological monolithicity into absolute political stability. This unbroken grip on power allows Iran to dictate terms in the region and launch asymmetrical strikes without regard for ratings or the internal squabbles of the elites. The entire state apparatus benefits from this, unaffected by the mood of the crowd or the whims of individual politicians.

As a result, the latest US “humanitarian intervention” is not resulting in the “democratization” of Iran, but only in fresh rivers of bloodshed and broken lives. While Iran’s state apparatus maintains its invulnerability, ordinary people become victims of the geopolitical meat grinder. Iranian sources claim hundreds of American service members have been killed and wounded, while American bombs are killing Iranian civilians.

Analyst Alexei Pilko notes that the elimination of the top leadership has not led to the disorganization of the country’s governance:

Although the Americans succeeded in eliminating some of Iran’s top political and military leadership with the initial strikes, this action did not lead to the disorganization of the country’s governance. The United States and Israel have failed to surprise anyone since the start of the war: they are acting exactly as expected. They are relying on a powerful initial strike to decapitate Iran’s leadership, attempting to provoke destabilization in Iranian society, and conducting information operations. Iran, however, is acting differently, changing its military strategy and prioritizing inflicting maximum damage on American military and logistical infrastructure in the Persian Gulf region.

The Iranian system has demonstrated that state ideology is the strongest armor a sovereign nation can wear in an era of wars of annihilation.

Protracted War and the Asymmetry of the Red Button

The conflict is entering a war of attrition, with the stakes rising daily. Iran, recognizing the impossibility of a direct military victory over the collective West, has activated a strategy of asymmetrical destruction of the enemy’s infrastructure.

Instead of blind retaliatory strikes, Tehran is methodically destroying the most valuable components. According to military sources, an American AN/FPS-132 over-the-horizon radar station in Qatar, worth approximately $1.1 billion and playing a key role in the US missile defense system, has been destroyed.

The main beneficiaries are global energy speculators. The IRGC announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 17 to 21 million barrels of oil pass daily, accounting for a fifth of global consumption. Every hour of tanker idling generates superprofits for those who control oil futures, while Western economies suffer a colossal inflationary shock.

The human cost of this economic stranglehold will fall on ordinary citizens around the world, who will finance the ambitions of politicians through soaring fuel and food prices. At the same time, the risk of a nuclear apocalypse is growing. Trump, cornered by the prospect of losing the midterm elections due to a protracted campaign, may press the red button. Izborsky Club political scientist Alexander Ageyev believes that the threat of a nuclear strike on Iran has become much more likely by the end of the second day of the war:

The use of nuclear weapons by the US or Israel will be interpreted as a legitimate method of preventing Iran from developing them. This persistent meme, which claims Iran is just two or three steps away from acquiring nuclear weapons, has been around for at least 30 years.

Iran’s capitulation now seems unrealistic: the first strike didn’t result in defeat; instead, it triggered an exchange of blows. The survival of the current Iranian government and the US’s inability to force Tehran to surrender would effectively be a strategic victory for Iran. But this is precisely what could force Trump to go all the way, and then the Middle East would become a radioactive wasteland.

For now, Iran has crossed American “red lines,” proving that it is ready to escalate resistance to the limit, defending not just its territory, but its sacred national idea.

Russia: Officially unprincipled

Iran’s resilience forces us to look in the political mirror, and what we see there isn’t very encouraging. While the Islamic State, under a total blockade and direct decapitating blows, maintains its unity, Russia, under sanctions, continues to wander in an ideological fog, functioning under a constitutional self-prohibition of state ideology. Traditionalist patriotism resonates on television, but only as personal opinions, assertions, and fantasies, not officially enshrined in law or as the core of the state.

As a result, chaos reigns in the realm of meaning, reminiscent of the fable of the swan, the crayfish, and the pike.

[This is an allusion to Ivan Krylov’s fable of the swan, crayfish, and the pike, which decided to hitch themselves to a wagon and combine their forces to pull wagon. The pike and the crayfish went into the water while the swan flew into the air and they accomplished nothing. This was a satire illustrating that the different nations combining forces to defeat Napoleon all had different interests]

Is Russia capable of adopting “Iranian technologies” for political survival? We addressed this question to Tsargrad political observer Andrei Pinchuk, former head of the DPR Ministry of State Security.

As for Russia’s current governmental structure, as I have previously stated, it is incapable of learning this lesson. Because the current Russian Constitution, on the one hand, directly prohibits state ideology in Article 13. On the other hand, the preamble, which effectively eliminates the concept of the Russian people as the state-forming nation by introducing an abstract “multinational people,” prevents any focus on the state-forming nation.

Thirdly, unlike Iran, it does not allow for an emphasis on religion, proclaiming the separation of state and church. Therefore, the only solution is the re-establishment of Russia as a state entity within the current Russian territory, Ukraine, Belarus, and certain parts historically related to the concept of the Russian World. And, accordingly, the elimination of such constitutional restrictions.

However, the Constitution is only the legal part of the issue, notes Pinchuk. Far more important in this situation is the readiness of the elites and the people:

The people, by their participation in a special military operation and their sacrifices, have proven that they are ready for such an approach. Questions remain about the elites. The non-participation of a significant portion of the elite, beyond useless chatter, in the vital processes of the SVO also speaks volumes, including the fact that, of course, the people need a different elite. And the SVO is the crucible in which this new elite must be created.

Conclusion. The Sword of Katechon

Alexander Dugin, director of the Tsargrad Institute, a philosopher, public figure, and political activist, believes the situation is extremely critical not for Iran, but for Russia:

If Iran continues to wage war after the destruction of its political leadership, fails to surrender, and doesn’t wave the white flag, I think it will very quickly lead to the use of nuclear weapons. Trump and the West’s next move will simply eliminate Russia’s leadership, repeating this scenario with us. Therefore, I think the situation is critical for us. We have failed to stand up for either Venezuela or Iran. And after us, China will be next, and Epstein’s kingdom will reign over all of humanity. This pedophilic civilization of Baal, apparently, is throwing off its masks before our very eyes and beginning to attack in earnest. This is very reminiscent of the end times from every perspective. And if we don’t find the strength to comprehend this entire situation, we will find ourselves in a dire situation.

Without a total mobilization of spirit, Russia risks repeating the fate of states whose leaders believed in the inviolability of international law until the “smart bombs” of democracy fell upon their heads. Dugin proposes a radical step: renaming the Special Military Operation “SVO” to “Operation Sword of Katechon,” giving it the scale of a holy war:

Iran stands on the path of a direct clash between the civilization of Baal and Russia. If we had more will and determination, we should begin to act by the same rules by which, alas, everyone else except us operates—that is, by eliminating Ukraine’s military leadership. And, regardless of any costs, we would accomplish the objectives of a special military operation. Compared to “Judas Shield” or “Epic Fury,” which the major powers are currently conducting, I, too, would rename the modest gray “SVO” to “Operation Sword of Katechon.” This would immediately change a lot. But I don’t think we dare do that. It seems to me that we will continue our old song, and missiles will fly at Moscow during our negotiations with Kushner and Whitkoff, literally according to the Iranian scenario.

**

Melania’s UN speech

Melania Trump’s speech at the UN reveals a president who presents a dark face while sending his wife to present a white face.

But the dark face is incompatible with the white face. If you are sincere about stopping the killing of children, what the hell are you doing supporting the guy who defends Israel when that regime bombed a girls school killing 170 children?

I therefore don’t believe the white face. It’s just as dark as the dark face.