Michael Lodge

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@Khaledeneho What a crock of bullshit.

[Reza Nasri @RezaNasri1]

To the American people, the international media, and decision-makers:

Secretary @SecRubio's reading of Iran's political system is deeply misleading. It is a caricature, devised by neoconservatives and Israeli think tanks to convince decision-makers that diplomacy with Iran cannot work because of the country's very nature, leaving military force as the only option on the table. It is bizarre for a country's top diplomat to promote a false narrative that is inherently anti-diplomatic, one that seeks to foreclose diplomacy by portraying an entire political system as beyond its reach.

For those who want a more realistic and nuanced view, here is how Iran actually works.

Start with the Revolution. It was a popular uprising against foreign domination and a monarchy reimposed by the 1953 CIA-backed coup against Iran's elected prime minister. Its stated purpose is captured in its motto: "Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic." The word "Republic" marked a historic break with millennia of absolute monarchy and the brutal Pahlavi reign.

So, the so-called "radical Shia clerics" Mr. Rubio refers to actually helped establish a "republic" - not a caliphate, but a republic - whose separation of powers draws on a constitutional tradition dating to 1906, when Iranians won a charter modeled on Belgium's. One might ask Mr. Rubio what is radical or fundamentalist about a clergy that helped establish a republic after centuries of dynastic rule?

Today, Iran has three branches of government, competing parties and political camps, and dozens of specialized councils. One, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, safeguards the nation's cultural values, including against the wave of "wokeism" and cultural currents many Americans are tired of. Iranians regularly elect their president, parliament, local councils and the Assembly of Experts, which selects the Supreme Leader. Some of Washington's closest regional allies hold no national elections at all.

Major decisions are made in the Supreme National Security Council. It is chaired by the elected president and includes the speaker of parliament, military commanders and the president's own ministers. Each member brings a distinct perspective: the foreign minister addresses diplomatic considerations, the interior minister domestic and social consequences, and the planning and budget chief the economic costs. The officials in suits whom Mr. Rubio dismisses sit at that table and help shape the decisions. Contrary to Israeli and neoconservative claims, Iran's foreign minister negotiates with a mandate he has helped formulate. The Supreme Leader sets the general direction, arbitrates disputes and safeguards the Revolution's foundational principles.

The claim that Iran's Revolution or its Shia clerics are apocalyptic is equally absurd. Shia jurisprudence rests on ijtihad, the continuing exercise of independent legal reasoning through which qualified scholars interpret religious principles in light of changing circumstances. In the United States, the Supreme Court plays a consequential role in determining how constitutional principles apply to an evolving society. In Iran, ijtihad provides a framework through which religious authorities interpret enduring principles in response to contemporary realities, often seeking to manage the pace of change and prevent social divisions from escalating into internal conflict.

This tradition is hardly evidence of an apocalyptic worldview. No consequential Shia clerical authority has ever called for the destruction of an entire civilization, unlike the US president. The late Supreme Leader issued a religious edict prohibiting nuclear weapons. In March 2025, the US intelligence community itself assessed that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.

Iran's foreign policy is not expansionist, and it does not seek weapons of mass destruction to destroy any civilization. It rests on three principles articulated by the late Supreme Leader: dignity, wisdom and prudence. These principles must be understood together, with dignity serving as their ultimate purpose. Wisdom and prudence guide the pursuit of national interests, the management of risks and the conduct of diplomacy. Dignity defines the limits beyond which compromise becomes capitulation.

This is central to understanding Iran's refusal to let Washington dictate which technologies it may possess. From Tehran's perspective, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty must not become an instrument of technological apartheid, allowing a select group of states to monopolize scientific advancement while denying others rights recognized under international law. The same principle explains why Iran will not capitulate under coercion: an agreement that requires a nation to surrender its dignity and sovereign equality is not a sustainable foundation for peace.

Iran's posture reflects its environment. US bases ring its borders. Israel pursues expansionist policies and holds an undeclared nuclear arsenal. Certain regional states collude with Washington. Sanctions never lift, whatever Iran does: in 2015, Iran accepted the most intrusive inspections ever negotiated, the IAEA repeatedly verified compliance, and Washington walked away in 2018 regardless. That environment compelled Iran to acquire the means to respond. Examined closely, its actions have been reactive and defensive.

Skeptics should read the late Supreme Leader's 2015 letter "To the Youth in Europe and North America." Few have, and not by accident. Iranian outlets have had their domains seized and officials' accounts removed from major platforms, keeping young Westerners from hearing Iran in its own words.

Mr. Rubio conceded that his account sounds like something from a movie. It does, because it is a script, written by those who have wanted this war for decades.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@PahlaviReza Does your heart ache for the 170 school murdered by your mates?

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@EliAfriatISR What religion do the IDF belong to who are responsible for killing tens of thousands babies and children and committing a genocide ?

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@ValentinaForUSA @realErikDPrince @JDVance Your family are from Colombia…you are the immigrant, dirty drug dealing garbage

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@ValentinaForUSA @goddek @AIPAC What are you? 10 years old?

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@ValentinaForUSA You are a vile, dirty, racist scum bag

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@TRobinsonNewEra You are such tool…please stay in Israhell.. we don’t want you back in the UK you ignorant a33

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@DrEliDavid The only terrorists are those in the Israeli government and the crazy settlers.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@NormanBrennan It’s time for tough and zero tolerance policing and in extreme cases deportation if culprits are non citizens and lengthy sentences for those who are citizens.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@LozzaFox He got his list of stats from Netanyahu.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@LozzaFox @Bushra1Shaikh @elonmusk Let me guess. You got your list from Netanyahu? Netanyahu’s list..in cinemas this July.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@AvivaKlompas @MichaelRapaport Dude you are the biggest tool..third rate actor, and a shit one at that

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@MichaelRapaport Again..another stupid ass statement. How the fuck are people going to jump on a plane and go to Israel to protest when the terrorist Zionist state won’t even let them on the plane to Israel. Trust me, half the world would be there now protesting.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@MichaelRapaport You ignorant dumbass..Let me explain to you so your little brain understands. How do you pronounce “Photo” the P sounds like an F, right? The same goes for Palestine..dickhead.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@MichaelRapaport @normfinkelstein Buddy, you debating @normanfinkelstein is a little like Marvis Frazier taking on @MikeTyson ..and just for the record, you would be Marvis Frazier.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@HilzFuld Maybe try by being honest. He wasn’t murdered, he was killed whilst committing genocide. He was killed whilst trying to murder innocent men, women and children. I’m sure of you explain it honestly, your twins might understand.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@mysteriouskat @ohwenjonez Bullshit. If indeed 40 babies were killed, Israel would have made sure it never stopped being reported or shown in the media.

[Michael Lodge @LodgeMlodge]

@SuellaBraverman Hardly a hate march when they are marching to stop the killing of innocent civilians. Ps..remind me again who elected you? Are you even elected by the British people. Nah..didn’t think so