The Iranian regime celebrated its “victory” in the 12 Day War with Israel with a parade in Tehran that attempted to paint a brave face on what was, in fact, a crushing defeat against a much smaller adversary.
Iran has been at war with Israel and the United States for decades, killing Israelis and Americans — among others — as part of a global terrorist campaign. It surrounded Israel with a “ring of fire” — a set of terrorist proxies that could attack Israel and, theoretically, deter Israel from attacking Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program. Iran’s proxy, Hamas, launched the October 7 terror attack in Israel, igniting the current conflict.
Yet Israel managed to strike a lightning blow on Iran with a surprise attack on June 12. In the space of several days, Israel eliminated much of Iran’s military command structure; killed its cohort of nuclear scientists, at work on the weapons program; destroyed at least half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers; damaged most of Iran’s nuclear site; and attacked public symbols of the regime, proving its weakness to the Iranian people.
The U.S. airstrike on June 22, late in the war, successfully hit three nuclear sites, including the underground facility of Fordow, previously thought to be impenetrable because it is buried deep within a mountain.
Yet Iran claimed “victory.” Pictures of the parade showed participants holding banners with radical slogans, as well as posters of Iran’s so-called “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as they celebrated.
An elderly Iranian man shouts anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. slogans during a rally to celebrate the ceasefire, which he believes is a victory over Israel in a 12-day war, in downtown Tehran, Iran, on June 24, 2025. Iran and Israel agree to a ceasefire after a 12-day war, proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and mediated by Qatar. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
People hold flags of Iran and Hezbollah as well as posters of Supreme Leader Khamenei as Iranians take to the streets in the downtown Enghelab (Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran on June 24, 2025, to celebrate the ceasefire after a 12-day war with Israel. Iranian officials claim victory and believe that Iran imposed the ceasefire on the US and Israel after attacking Al-Udeid US air base in Qatar. (Photo by Negar / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by NEGAR/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
An Iranian man wearing his country’s flag stands behind an anti-Israeli banner during a rally to celebrate the ceasefire, which he believes is a victory over Israel in a 12-day war, in downtown Tehran, Iran, on June 24, 2025. Iran and Israel agree to a ceasefire after a 12-day war, proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and mediated by Qatar. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Protesters chant slogans as they hold the Iranian flags and posters of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli rally at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Two young Iranian women wave the country’s flags during a rally to celebrate the ceasefire, which they believe is a victory over Israel in a 12-day war, in downtown Tehran, Iran, on June 24, 2025. Iran and Israel agree to a ceasefire after a 12-day war, proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and mediated by Qatar. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Iranian regime published propaganda throughout the war that claimed it was defeating Israel and that U.S. airstrikes had no effect. It also cut Iranians off from the Internet and sources of outside information.
Reports suggest that in the wake of the war, a panicked regime is embarking on a brutal crackdown against dissent, with armed guards at roadblocks and summary executions, without trial, of suspected dissidents.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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