UK bishop who left Iran after revolution says ‘barbaric’ regime ‘is in its death throes’
The Anglican bishop, who left the country after the revolution, warned that the regime in Iran was “in its death throes” but warned that this “should not be taken lightly”.
Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Rev Guli Francis-Dehqani, said the regime was “doing everything it could to survive another day”.
He expressed deep personal concern, adding that he was “crying for what might have happened” and that he was currently unable to contact anyone he knew in Iran.
The bishop, who holds a seat in the House of Lords, also confirmed his belief that Britain was right to comply with international law and refuse to participate in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Bishop Francis-Dehqani (59) was born in Iran in 1966. His father, Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, served as Anglican Bishop in Iran and headed the bishopric of the Episcopal church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.
After the revolution in 1979, their homes were raided, his father was imprisoned, an assassination attempt was made on his father, and his mother Margaret was injured.
His brother Bahram was later killed while his father was on duty elsewhere in the Middle East.
After the funeral, Guli, his mother and sister Şirin joined his father abroad and eventually settled in the United Kingdom as refugees when Bishop Francis-Dehqani was 14.
Reflecting on the current situation in Iran, the bishop told PA: “I think this regime is in its death throes, it really is.
“But the death throes can go on for a long, long time. I don’t have a clear idea of when it will end, but I believe it will, and so I think they feel a kind of existential threat.”
“I don’t think they really have a plan for how to properly reassert themselves financially, for example…
“I think everything they did was about surviving another day, hence the brutality of the repression that we saw from the end of last year to the beginning of this year. “I mean, it was completely, completely barbaric.
“I think everything they do is about trying to survive the next day, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
Bishop Francis-Dehqani noted that Iran “seems to constantly surprise the West,” adding: “I am not a politician, but I would guess that President Trump is probably quite surprised by Iran’s response to these latest attacks.
“So I think people underestimated their ability to plan for this event; they probably knew it was coming.”
When asked about the UK Government’s decision not to participate in the initial attacks on Iran, he said: “Personally, I agree that Britain should not have participated in the attack.
“I think he (Sir Keir Starmer) was right to say that this has no legal status under international law.
“And frankly, I know international law is almost shattered at the moment and this seems like another nail in the coffin, but I think it’s right for us to stand behind this and refuse to participate in the attack.”
Bishop Francis-Dehqani said he feared Iran would be dragged into a civil war and the resulting bloodshed.
He said: “There is no credible opposition for people to rally around.
“If the regime collapses in some kind of chaos, I’m really worried about civil war breaking out.
“There are people who are looking for change, who want change. Some of them are no better or worse than what we have now.
“And I really fear civil war and mass bloodshed.”
Bishop Francis-Dehqani added that any regime change must come from within Iran.
He said: “The West has intervened in Iranian politics so frequently that the people have almost lost the ability to determine their own future.
“So I think the West, yes, supports opposition groups, helps the Iranian people, but they should have some agency in deciding what happens next.
“And of course democracy is a distant dream. Democracy does not come to a nation overnight, it has to be learned. And Iran has never been democratic.”
In discussing his concerns, the bishop recalled a message he received from someone in Iran during the January protests, telling him that there were terrorist opposition groups taking advantage of the unrest.
He said: “They are killing government agents and literally beheading them in the streets.
“Also, the government does not distinguish between terrorist groups and innocent protesters, so I fear that such things will happen more.”
While there were reports of some celebrations in Iran over the Ayatollah’s death, he said he was concerned that joy “will turn into real fear” as time goes on and “the reality becomes clear that this will not be over soon.”
He said: “I’m really crying for what might happen in the coming days and weeks.”
The bishop reported that he “could not receive anything from Iran at the moment, my messages have not arrived and nothing has come of it.”
He said: “I know for people who have close family and a lot of ties in Iran, this is a very, very difficult time because frankly we have no news or information about our friends, our family, our loved ones, etc.”
