Few Iranian officials embody the regime’s contempt for facts as brazenly as Aliakbar Velayati. His rhetoric recalls the early days of Ayatollah Khomeini, when mythmaking and paternalistic posturing were presented as historical destiny. Velayati—longtime adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader—does not merely distort reality; he delivers these distortions with the tone of a self‑appointed custodian of the region, a man who believes he can issue certificates of legitimacy to neighboring states. Months ago, he claimed—without a hint of embarrassment—that Iran had always enjoyed “friendly relations” with the Arab Gulf sheikhdoms, and that Tehran was responsible for “liberating Muscat from Portuguese occupation.” This week he went further, declaring that the stability of Arab states along the Gulf is owed to Iran’s “centuries‑long […]