40 Years After Islamic Revolution, Iran More Dangerous Than Ever

Forty years ago on Feb. 11, a radical Iranian cleric known as the Ayatollah led the overthrow of his country's government and installed an Islamist regime.

That regime still stands and is the world's leading sponsor of terror.

Israel remains on the front line of the battle to prevent Iran from expanding westward and destroying the Jewish state.  

In 1979, the world was introduced to the menacing glare of the Ayatollah Khomeini. His Iranian revolution ousted the Shah of Iran, a US ally, and put his mark on American history with a hostage crisis that lasted more than a year.  Its leaders began to purge the country of western influence and set Iran on a path of expansion and Islamist terror.

During the revolution, the US was dubbed "The Great Satan" by the ruling Mullahs. Still, most of their hatred is reserved for the country they call "the Little Satan": Israel. For four decades they have vowed to wipe it off the map.

The show of force continued this month, as Iran paraded its missiles in Tehran.

Middle East expert Michael Widlanski tells CBN News that according to his Israeli military sources, Iran has armed Hezbollah to the teeth in Lebanon with enough missiles to bombard all of Israel for weeks.

“I think a clash is inevitable,” Widlanksi said. 

“Lebanon is so well armed with Hezbollah missiles and rockets, Israel could face every day, not ten rockets, not 100 rockets, but 2,500 rockets every day for over a period of three weeks,” he explained. 

That doesn't take into account Iran’s nuclear program. In last year's United Nations address in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exposed a secret nuclear site with 300 tons of nuclear material.

“Now I also have a message today for the tyrants of Tehran: Israel knows what you're doing and Israel knows where you're doing it.  Israel will never let a regime that calls for our destruction to develop nuclear weapons – not now, not in ten years, not ever!” Netanyahu said. 

Widlanski warned Israel can take care of itself.  But if the mullahs aren't stopped, their grand design would swallow up the region.

“Iranians want Shia Islam to be the face of Islam. That means they want to go after Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait. They want to go after all their neighbors and project their force all the way to the Mediterranean and to the Atlantic. They want to go through Lebanon and then through North Africa.  They want to go through Yemen. They have a real, real expansionist process, which is similar to what the Communists and the Nazis had.  This is not just a religious calling.  This is very serious, power politics, strategy-playing,” he said.

Widlanski criticized the Europeans for making deals with Iran, especially oil deals.  He compared their behavior to their counterparts of the 1930’s who appeased Hitler. “You feed the crocodile somebody else’s arm and leg and hope that he’ll be satisfied,” he explained. “But when he runs out of their arms and their legs, he comes after you.  That’s the mistake they’re making in Iran again.”