Opinion | Khosro Isfahani: How to finish the Iran job

Khosro Isfahani, research director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, argues in JNS that the West has to treat the fall of the Islamic Republic as the goal, and stop thinking of it as a regime that is one short bombing campaign away from collapse or from turning into a normal state.

"The Islamic Republic is a sophisticated death cult hell-bent on exporting its destructive ideology," he writes, "and the war it launched against the world in 1979 will not end as long as it stands."

He says the war did not hand power to the Revolutionary Guards. Khamenei spent 35 years building the IRGC into every part of Iranian life, and the war only made that visible. The regime "feeds on conflict," so a few days of strikes would cause damage "the regime is built to absorb."

His plan for after the midterms: keep the naval blockade and tighten sanctions; carry out targeted killings of regime officials to disrupt its decision-making; run low-signature operations inside Iran to stop its nuclear, missile and drone programs; destroy its proxies across the Middle East and its push into Africa; dismantle its influence network in the West; and fight its information war.

None of it works without the Iranian people, he writes. After the regime massacred tens of thousands of protesters in January, it is clear they cannot bring it down alone. Isfahani calls for real help, including technical support to break through the regime's internet blackout, training, and "sustained armed drone cover for protesters in the streets." He also tells the Iranian diaspora to stop feuding and unite.

"The Islamic Republic has sat on its bayonet for 47 years," he concludes. "It cannot sit there forever."