It has happened. For a long time, like so many others, I feared this catastrophe. Now it is unfolding before my eyes, from a distance, through footage that overwhelms me, through the voices that I hear at the other end of the line. I hear the voice of a loved one undergoing chemotherapy, now deprived of care and already wounded by the explosions surrounding them in central Tehran. And I hear another voice, and yet another. All these Iranian voices that go unheard here in France, in the West: the voices of the so-called "collateral damage." Collateral damage – this seems to be the fate that all people in the Middle East must eventually resign themselves to in turn. And now, it is the Iranians' turn.

Within the Western media sphere − and especially given the current circumstances − one must be wary of self-appointed spokespersons for "the Iranian people" − for its women or for its vast majority who oppose the Islamic Republic and have been crushed by it for decades. So I speak only for myself and as I see things.

I see my country and its people caught in the middle − on the one hand, there are the oppressors, and on the other, there are the aggressors and the invaders. Hence, we have a tragic paradox. Logically, I should feel relieved to see the heads of the Guardians of the Revolution – the main architects of our misfortunes, capable of slaughtering thousands of Iranians in a matter of days, even hours – eliminated. Their assassinations, which were ultimately so easy and so absurd at their penthouses and luxury residences, say a lot about the class of the leaders of the Islamic State. They are a gang of bandits: unbelievably incompetent and corrupt to the core.

Neither pleased nor relieved

But I am neither pleased nor relieved − on the contrary. For the Iranian that I am, nothing justifies violating my country's territorial integrity. As for domestic politics, the Islamic Republic should be overthrown by the Iranian people, who are the only legitimate sovereigns and masters of their fate. The leaders of the State − along with their henchmen − should be judged by the people's own court and face the punishment they deserve.

You have 65.96% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.