Wednesday, July 16, 2025

 

The Culture of Defeat Framed as Victory

 in the Iranian (Persian) Mindset

by Umud Duzgun

July 17/2025



Iranian political and cultural discourse exhibits a persistent phenomenon that can be described as the transmutation of historical defeat into symbolic or moral victory. This psychological and rhetorical maneuver—deeply embedded in both Shi‘a religious mythology and Persian nationalist ideology—enables systemic failures to be interpreted as triumphs of faith, dignity, or moral superiority. Whether in the context of military setbacks, international isolation, or even football losses, this defeat-as-victory mindset operates as a cultural survival mechanism and a tool of political control.


I. Two Foundations of the Defeat-as-Victory Narrative

This narrative is based on historical and ideological foundations:

1. Preserving False Pride through Historical Reframing

Iran’s historical record is marked more by military defeats than decisive victories. From ancient times through the modern era, Iran has suffered major losses against foreign powers:

  • Defeat by Alexander the Great (4th century BCE)

  • Defeat by Arab (Battle of Qadisiyah- 7th century AD)

  • Defeat by Mongol (13th century)

  • Defeat by Ottoman Empire (battle of Chaldiran - 1514)

  • Defeat by Russia (1804–13 and 1826–28) 

Despite this consistent pattern of defeat, Iranian historiography and popular discourse tend to reframe such events as outcomes of treachery, moral superiority, or foreign conspiracy rather than strategic miscalculations or institutional failure. The goal of these rewritings is to inflate false civilizational pride even in the face of objective collapse. 

The only substantial military successes often cited—those under Nader Shah Afshar, a Turkic military genius—are notable exceptions in an otherwise continuous arc of failure. But even these are attributed more to his unique leadership than to the Persian state’s structural capability.

2. Shu‘ubi-Shi‘a Ideological Reversal of Victory and Defeat

At the theological core of this cultural psyche lies the Shi‘a doctrine of martyrdom, particularly centered on the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. Imam Hussein’s death at the hands of the Umayyad army was a devastating defeat, but it was recast in Shi‘a theology as a spiritual victory—a righteous stand against tyranny. Over time, this defeat became the defining symbol of Shi‘a identity: an eternal, sacred martyrdom that bestows moral supremacy.

This theology of redemptive suffering found a powerful cultural echo in the Shu‘ubiyyah movement—a Persian nationalist current that emerged in response to Arab domination. Following their defeat, Persian elites allied themselves with the Shi‘a opposition to the Umayyads, not purely for theological reasons, but as a vehicle for reclaiming and consolidating a humiliated Persian nationalism under the guise of Shiism. In this synthesis, Shiism served as a vehicle to sacralize Iran’s historical (Cultual, political and military) defeats, while simultaneously reinforcing a Persian-centric pride, expressed through themes of martyrdom and religious victimhood.

Thus, defeat becomes a virtue, and martyrdom becomes a form of civilizational affirmation.


II. Modern Manifestations: Reframing Loss as Triumph

This ideological framework is far from historical nostalgia. It actively shapes modern Iranian political rhetoric, media discourse, and public perception, manifesting across military, diplomatic, and cultural domains.

The Strategic Defeat of Iran: The Consequences of the Twelve-Day War (June 13-24, 2025)

A series of targeted Israeli strikes against Iran-backed forces across the Middle East critically degraded Iran's proxy network, setting the stage for a direct military confrontation. This escalation culminated in the Twelve-Day War (June 13-24, 2025), a high-intensity conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. The war resulted in over 1,100 casualties, including the elimination of 20 Iranian senior military commanders and 11 nuclear scientists. It also led to the comprehensive destruction of key Iranian military infrastructure, including 12 air bases, the nation's integrated air defense network, and its primary missile launch facilities. The conflict was decisively concluded by a U.S. offensive that bombed three critical nuclear sites.

This action precipitated a negotiated ceasefire, implemented under terms largely dictated by the U.S.–Israeli coalition. The truce was not formalized through any memorandum or structured timetable, but rather emerged as an unwritten and fragile understanding. In the absence of binding guarantees, the ceasefire leaves open the possibility of renewed hostilities, creating space for Israel and the United States to launch future surprise offensives under similar circumstances.

The outcome constituted a crippling blow to the three central pillars of Iran's strategic doctrine: its regional proxy network, ballistic missile arsenal, and nuclear program were all severely damaged, resulting in a near-total loss of its deterrent leverage and a sharp decline in Iran's national standing.

 Victory claim by Khamenei 

Yet, in the wake of this crushing defeat, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared, “The Zionist regime, under the blows of the Islamic Republic, has nearly collapsed and been crushed.”

This statement epitomizes the regime's adherence to a "Karbala paradigm," a discursive strategy that transmutes tangible military failure into a narrative of spiritual victory and divine vindication. This is not merely wartime rhetoric; it is a deliberate ideological mechanism designed to project internal resilience, suppress political dissent, and maintain absolute ideological control over a populace confronted with the stark reality of national humiliation.

 The ‘Glorious Loss’ in Sports

Even in sports commentary, the defeat-as-victory narrative prevails. After a 3–0 loss in football,  a commentator proclaimed:

 “The Parsi Stars (ستارگان پارسی) played really well. Though they lost 3–0, they conceded the match with strength and dignity. Even in defeat, their merit stands firm. Congratulations to their bravery.”

Such framing is common in Iranian media: emotional valor replaces factual result, reinforcing a mindset of symbolic superiority despite objective failure.

Once again, nationalistic sentiments take the place of reality; and the loss becomes an “honorary presence” to such an extent that it becomes a laughing stock for the observers.


Collapse of the Nuclear Deal and Economic Crisis (2018–2022)

Following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018, Iran endured crippling economic sanctions, a collapsing currency, and increasing isolation. Nevertheless, Iranian officials portrayed this as a moment of national resilience. Former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif stated:

“The Iranian people once again proved their dignity and resilience. They will not bow to tyranny.”

In reality, living conditions deteriorated drastically—but the state narrative maintained the façade of spiritual resistance and victim-heroism.


III. Political and Psychological Functions

This culture of symbolic victory serves distinct ideological, psychological, and political purposes:

  •  National ResilienceEncourages people to endure difficult situations with pride through national resilience

  •  Propaganda Shield: It deflects responsibility from the Iranian regime onto external enemies.

  •  Ideological ContinuityIt links the legitimacy of the Iranian clerical system to distorted Shiite history.

  •  False civilizational pride: Maintains a sense of Persian superiority despite real defeats.


IV: From Denial to Responsibility — A Comparative Perspective on Defeat

In the Iranian (Persian-speaking) political and cultural imagination, defeat is rarely acknowledged as failure. Instead, it is often reinterpreted as a form of moral, cultural, or spiritual victory. Throughout modern Iranian history, the loss of territory or sovereignty has frequently been justified as the survival of Shu'ubi Shiite- Persian identity, preserving a sense of national pride while insulating the ruling elite from accountability. This deeply ingrained pattern is not entirely unique to Iran, but its persistence and ideological sophistication are exceptional.

In contrast, the post-World War II experiences of Germany and Japan reveal a markedly different trajectory. Both nations faced existential defeat on a global stage, yet responded with radical self-critique, public acknowledgment of responsibility, and far-reaching structural reforms. Their national narratives shifted away from glorification and denial toward reconstruction and reintegration into the global community. Denial gave way to responsibility—an essential precondition for building democratic institutions and achieving economic revival.

Iran, by contrast, has developed a durable culture of symbolic survival in place of institutional change. Even in contemporary discourse, economic collapse or foreign policy isolation is routinely reframed through the lens of divine approval, martyrdom, or cultural superiority. This strategy preserves internal legitimacy but stifles adaptation, traps society in cycles of blame, and legitimizes authoritarian governance. While Germany and Japan converted defeat into opportunity, Iran remains tethered to an illusion of triumph, unable—or unwilling—to confront the structural roots of its decline.


Conclusion: The Triumph of Illusion over Reality

Iran’s culture of reframing defeat as victory is not a delusional aberration. It is a highly developed ideological system, cultivated over centuries, and now weaponized for modern statecraft. It enables the Iranian regime to maintain internal legitimacy, suppress truth-based dissent, and reassert Shu'ubi Shi‘a-Persian identity in the face of empirical collapse.

But beneath this symbolic triumph lies a more troubling reality: a nation caught in historical denial, structurally weakened, and disconnected from the modern world. Without confronting the truth of its failures, the Iranian state risks repeating them—only on a grander, more destructive scale.

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