The Constitution of Iran

Today I am providing my English translation of an article by Massimo Mazzucco, originally in Italian, published on his website LuogoComune.net on Tuesday 24th June 2025.
(All emphasis mine).

We have all heard, in recent days, various television commentators repeating ad nauseam that “Iran has written in its constitution that it wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth”.

This is a colossal lie.

Just read the Iranian Constitution, translated into Italian by the Iranian Cultural Institute, to realise that not only does that sentence not exist, but that the word “Israel” does not appear even once in the 177 articles that make up the Constitution.

Article 1 establishes that Iran is a theocratic republic:

Article 1: The State of Iran is an Islamic Republic which the Iranian nation, based on its traditional faith in the government of truth and justice [revealed] in the Koran [...]

Article 2 establishes the fundamental principles on which the theocratic state is based.

Article 3 establishes the primary purposes of the nation's existence:

Article 3: The State of the Islamic Republic of Iran has a duty to achieve the objectives set forth in Article 2, and shall endeavour with all its might to achieve the following purposes:

1. The creation of an environment conducive to the growth of ethical virtues based on faith and devotion and the fight against all aspects of vice and corruption.

2. Raising the general level of awareness of the population in all fields through the proper use of the press, mass media and other means.

3. Free school and physical education for all at all levels; the promotion and wider dissemination of higher education.

4. The promotion of the spirit of research, enterprise and initiative in all scientific, technical and cultural fields, as well as in Islamic studies, through the creation of research centres and incentives for scholars.

5. The complete rejection of colonialism and the prevention of foreign interference.

6. The elimination of all forms of despotism and autocracy, and of any attempt to monopolise power.

7. Guaranteeing political and social freedoms within the framework of the law.

8. The participation of the entire population in determining its own political, economic, social and cultural destiny.

9. The elimination of all unacceptable discrimination and the creation of equal opportunities for all, in all material and spiritual fields.

10. The establishment of a proper administrative system and the abolition of superfluous government agencies.

11. The strengthening of the foundations of national defence across the board through public military conscription for the purpose of safeguarding the independence, territorial integrity and Islamic system of the country.

12. The planning of a sound and balanced economic system, in accordance with Islamic norms, aimed at building prosperity, eliminating poverty, abolishing all forms of deprivation relating to food, housing, work and health, as well as the general extension of social insurance.

13. Guaranteeing self-sufficiency in the fields of science, technology, industry, agriculture, military affairs and the like.

14. Guaranteeing all the multiple rights of citizens, both men and women, equal legal protection for all and equality for all before the law.

15. The expansion and strengthening of brotherhood among Muslims and cooperation among all components of the population.

16. The adoption of a foreign policy based on Islamic criteria, fraternal commitment to all Muslims, and unreserved support for the dispossessed and oppressed peoples of the world.

In total, as we said, there are 177 articles divided into 14 sections. Even in the “Foreign Policy” section (section 10), there is no mention of the existence of Israel:

Article 152: The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic is based on the rejection of all forms of domination or oppression, the protection of the complete independence and territorial integrity of the country in defence of the rights of all Muslims, non-alignment with hegemonic powers, and the establishment of mutually friendly relations with non-aggressive states.

Article 153: The stipulation of any pact that implies foreign hegemony over the natural, economic, cultural and military resources of the country and over any other of its prerogatives is prohibited.

Article 154: The Islamic Republic of Iran aspires to the happiness of human beings in all societies and recognises independence, freedom and the rule of justice as universal rights that all peoples of the world should enjoy. Consequently, while refraining from interfering in the internal affairs of other nations, the Islamic Republic will support every legitimate struggle of exploited peoples against their oppressors throughout the world.

Article 155: The Islamic Republic of Iran may grant political asylum to individuals seeking refuge in Iran, with the exception of those who, in accordance with Iranian law, are recognised as traitors and criminals.

In conclusion, the idea that “Iran has written in its Constitution that it wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth” (and therefore – it is implied – cannot have the atomic bomb) is a blatant lie, which has been spread to the entire Italian public through complicit journalists [presstitutes, I would say], in order to somehow justify the illegitimate and unjustified aggression against Iran by Israel and the United States.

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