Iran

This quatrain was interpreted on December 2003.  It is being revisited.

Century I, Quatrain 70:
Rain, famine and war will not cease in Persia; too great a faith will betray the monarch.  Those (actions) started in France will end there, a secret sign for one to be sparing.

Interpretation with Explanatory Remarks:

The first interpretation of this quatrain was posted on www.currentpredictions.org in 2003. This posting includes refinements and two related predictions previously left out. 

Chronologically, this prediction starts with the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, by the Islamic Revolution of Iran of 1979.

Nostradamus’ prediction “too great a faith will betray the monarch” refers to the powerful religious movement that toppled the Shah. 

It should be noted that the Shah was the only monarch in modern Persian/Iranian history.  Hence, Nostradamus’ wording “…will betray the monarch” is relevant and correct.

Following the Shah’s overthrow and departure into exile, the Grand Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution, who until then lived in exile in France, returned to Iran as the Supreme Leader of the new government.  Nostradamus’ description “Those (actions) started in France…” is correct and relevant to this prediction. 

The above part of the quatrain which relates to the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran has been fulfilled precisely as described by Nostradamus. The rest of the prediction probably applies to the period starting with the revolution in 1979, and covers an undetermined time into the future.  If Nostradamus is equally correct about the bleak future he describes for Iran, as he was in the first part of his prediction, both the Middle East, as well as the rest of the world, would be confronted with grim and far-reaching geopolitical problems.      

 
The rest of the quatrain which has not been addressed in this section will be interpreted under General Comments together with two other complementary quatrains.

General Comments:  

• Unquestionably, the implications of Nostradamus’ prediction are bound to have a profound impact on the geopolitical stability of the Middle East and beyond its geographic borders.  Therefore, the potential merits and validity of what Nostradamus predicted will be evaluated and scrutinized on the basis of historical data, current ongoing experiences and observations, Iran’s geopolitical aspirations, and behavioral patterns of the Middle East protagonists (the Shiites and Sunnis) since 1979.  Future potential outcomes will be extrapolated.

 

• As noted above, Nostradamus’ expression “Rain, famine and war will not cease in Persia” covers the period starting circa 1979 to an undetermined time into the future.

 

• With few words Nostradamus portrays a very dire and dangerous situation about Iran, expected to last many years into the future.  His phraseology sounds both as a supplication and as a warning to mankind to try to steer away from this impending calamity.  His message is very clear.  In fact, his message could not be stated any clearer.  But, what is he telling us and why is his message of such utmost importance?

 

• In brief, he is telling us that Iran will be involved in constant warfare, and its people will suffer from continuous famine.  But, his most critical prediction relevant to the ongoing Iranian nuclear situation is his cryptic expression that the famine and war will be associated with “rain”, a word, which in Nostradamus’ lingo, infers radioactive rain.  The wording of his expression infers that he was fully aware of the current ongoing situation in the Middle East.  Could his prediction be correct, and if so, why?  But, before I proceed to the analysis, I would like to delve into Nostradamus’ references to milk and rain, and why these two words are so relevant and important to this prediction.

 

• Century II, quatrain 46 posted on www.Currentpredictions.org back in 2003 refers to rain and milk.  In this particular quatrain he associates milk and rain with blood, disease, and famine.  The word milk infers a nuclear mushroom.  The word rain infers radioactive rain and he associates it with sickness, blood, and famine.  Indeed, radioactivity can sicken and kill people; and, it can also bring about famine because agricultural products grown on contaminated land are not edible.  Obviously, Nostradamus did not only have the ability to see things many years into the future, but he could also assess their ramifications beyond the visual plane. Note however that in century I, quatrain 70, which refers to Persia/Iran, Nostradamus does not refer to milk.  In this quatrain he only refers to rain.  This difference may be very important.  It will be explained later on.  But this difference could be one more reason why Nostradamus’ prediction may merit our utmost attention.  Now I will proceed to the analysis to determine “Why Nostradamus may be right in his prediction”.    

Historical Perspective:

      

History tells us that in the past Iran and its many Arab neighboring countries have been involved in constant religious conflicts.  The hostility has been mutual. The spiritual divide between the Sunnis and Shiites is too deep and irreconcilable.  The constant antagonistic dissension for regional religious dominance transcends secular logic and national interests.  Religious fanaticism has been a blinding force that defies logic. 

 

       Status Since 1979:

 

1. From 1980 through 1988 Iran has been involved in a prolonged, destructive, military conflict with Iraq.  During this entire period the Iranian people did suffer considerably.

2. Considering the fact that following the Iranian Islamic Revolution the regime is tightly controlled by Ayatollahs, one could reasonably assume that the potential for future conflicts could increase exponentially.  Iranian national interests are bound to become subordinate to religious beliefs and spiritual aspirations.  The indiscriminate massacre of thousands of innocent civilians in Syria is proof that the Ayatollahs are willing to employ ruthless force in order to attain their goals.  In fact, during the Iranian green revolution, the regime did not hesitate to massacre its own people in order to stay in power.  If the Ayatollahs have demonstrated such cruelty at this time, how would they behave in the future, if they had weapons of mass destruction? 

     

2. For several years Iran has persistently supported the Hezbollah organization in Lebanon, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad Shiite regime, the Palestinian Hamas, and the Iraqi Shiites.  Iran’s actions destabilized Lebanon, and indirectly, through proxies, brought about serious socioeconomic cleavages in adjacent Sunni countries.  The massive Syrian diaspora to other Sunni countries has exacerbated their socioeconomic conditions even more, and destabilized their regimes.  The impact of the Syrian refugee tsunami will be felt for many decades to come. The most critical lasting effect of the current ongoing conflicts may be the radicalization it created among Sunnis and the potential for future retribution.   

4. All these current ongoing conflicts and bloodshed have increased religious tensions and the desire for revenge against the Shiite regime.  Peace and amicable relations among countries rely on trust and on a workable balance of power.  In the Middle East, trust is non-existent.  Furthermore, the balance of power could change dramatically in favor of Iran, no matter what the outcome of the nuclear negotiations is.  If Iran is permitted to weaponize its nuclear material, they will de facto become a super-nuclear threat not only to the Sunnis and Israel but potentially to the entire world.  Religious fanatics cannot be trusted.  On the other hand, if Iran is allowed to retain their current nuclear energy program, even as a peaceful program, Iran would still tip the scales of the regional balance of power. 

5. Whether we want to admit it or not, Iran currently has the finest governing operations of all the countries in the entire Middle East, including Israel.  The obvious success of their programs demonstrates that they have well-identified and defined strategic objectives.  Their plans are obviously managed by highly competent personnel. Their actions demonstrate that they are following well prepared plans that cover all potential options and outcomes.  Their actions demonstrate that their plans are pragmatic with specific short-term and long-term objectives.  Their actions clearly demonstrate that they are determined to achieve their objectives at any cost. They are cunning, they are realistic, they are outstanding administrators, and they seem to follow a well-defined national strategy.  Therefore, their future success is assured – even with a nuclear energy program.  On the other hand, we see a bunch of decadent Sunni administrations, governing on a day-to-day basis, wasting their national revenue on non-essential programs, reacting to events rather than pursuing a meaningful and constructive long-term plan and national strategy.  They don’t seem to be cognizant that one of these days there will be no more oil to pump out of the ground.  In the case of Israel, we see nothing more than sclerotic administrations mired in an anachronistic national defense concept.  Their paramount national strategic objective seems to be the perpetual construction of “Israeli settlements”.  Israel’s behavioral pattern clearly demonstrates that the governing administrations are not even aware of what their true national interests are.  

6. In brief, the change in the balance of power in favor of Iran could take place for the following reasons: 

1. Nuclear power plants will enable Iran to meet the country’s future electric demand in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Relatively cheap electric power will enable Iran to expand and modernize its manufacturing and industrial base, including its defense industry.  On the contrary, neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia which currently rely on oil/gas to power electric plants will continue to allocate valuable and scarce oil/gas resources to meet electric demand.  Eventually, this could end up as a very costly and wasteful process.  As oil/gas reserves of Sunni countries are depleted – and oil/gas is still the main source of revenue to Sunni countries – the lack of nuclear energy plants could become a serious economic and national defense liability.  All indications point to the fact that time is on the side of Iran. 

2. As Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves deplete, its oil revenues will be hard pressed to support both the country’s many domestic social programs and its defense budget. Military strength is based on economic strength.  Any future reduction in oil revenue is bound to result in serious social unrest.  In fact, depletion of oil resources is bound to impact dramatically the socioeconomic and defense posture of all Sunni countries.  What have the Sunni countries done to prepare for a future without oil?  In turn, this will affect the regional balance of power. 

3. The demographics within Israel are projected to change in favor of the Palestinians.  This is bound to bring about further domestic instability and national insecurity within Israel, which Iran could try to take advantage of.  Even if Iran did not have nuclear weapons, it would have more advanced rockets, missiles, and probably other types of weapons of mass destruction.  The point I like to make is that the “good old days” when young Palestinians threw stones at Israelis, are gone.  The stones and slings have been replaced with sophisticated rockets and missiles that could reach Israeli cities effortlessly.  Iran does not necessarily need to be a nuclear power to threaten Israel or its immediate Sunni neighbors.  A non-nuclear Iran, with a highly sophisticated technical knowhow and a well-managed defense infrastructure, could still pose a serious threat to its immediate neighbors.  The world will soon witness this transformative metamorphosis the moment the economic sanctions imposed on Iran during the last few years are retracted.  Iran’s industrial infrastructure will blossom into an amazing killing machine.             

4. The U.S. budget deficit is increasing every year.  At some point in the future the fiscal budgets are bound to be cut dramatically in order to partially balance the budget.  Economic weakness is bound to affect U.S. influence in foreign countries.  Foreign aid and military assistance to countries like Jordan, Israel, and Egypt would either be reduced or discontinued.  When this happens, recipient countries will feel the impact in different ways.  Iran could take advantage of the opportunity to exert its influence in a way that could increase regional instability and result in a new round of local conflicts. 

7. Even if Iran currently agrees to a peaceful nuclear program, we don’t know if at some point in the future Iran would renege on its agreement and surreptitiously attempt to weaponize its nuclear material.  If this were to happen, the assumption is that Iran’s nuclear facilities would be hit by conventional weapons and bunker busters.   Such an attack could result in an accidental radioactive release in the environment.  This may be the reason why Nostradamus predicted radioactive rain but no nuclear mushroom. 

8. Any future military engagements with Iran are bound to have world-wide economic impact because of potential oil disruptions.  Depending on the scope and extent of the conflicts, oil prices could skyrocket.  Weak economies dependent on imported oil would be affected most.  For some countries such an event could be calamitous.  As time goes by, militarily, Iran will be in a better posture to withstand air attacks against its underground nuclear sites.  Air attacks will undoubtedly damage many of these nuclear facilities, and could destroy some altogether, but Iran would still retain the technological knowledge and enough nuclear material for a new restart.

9. The long-term success of any Iranian nuclear agreements depends on the existence and qualitative attributes of a credible U.S. coherent foreign strategy vis-à-vis the Middle East.  Currently, such a strategy, or doctrine, is non-existent.  Our strategy and doctrine appear to be redefined daily. 

10. As long as Israel continues to behave irresponsibly, Israel will continue to destabilize the security of the Middle East and foment the flames for new conflicts.  The time for a peaceful rapprochement with the Palestinians is running out.     

      Related Quatrains: 

The last sentence of century I, quatrain 70, states “Those (actions) started in France will end there, a secret sign for one to be sparing.”  I believe this cryptic remark relates to another prediction, century II, quatrain 2, which cites:

The blue leader will inflict upon the white leader as much damage as France has done them good.  Death from the great antenna hanging from the branch, when the king will ask how many of his men have been captured.”

 

I cannot fully interpret the scenario of this prediction, but I believe Nostradamus is telling us that at some point in the future Iran will attack France – presumably with nuclear weapons.  The expression “blue leader” refers to the Iranians.  Nostradamus’ remark “ …as France has done them good” refers to the fact that France had permitted Ayatollah Khomeini to reside in France during his exile.

The other quatrain related to Iran is century V, quatrain 86.  This quatrain was posted on currentpredictions.blogspot.com/ on April 2004.  The timing of this prediction relates to when the sea level will be rising, several/many years into the future.  The relevant point is that Iran will be powerful enough to exert pressure on neighboring countries like Turkey.  This should tell us something.  

Summary:

We need to realize that Nostradamus’ prediction does not apply just to the immediate future but to several decades into the future.  With this in mind, we need to recognize that any nuclear agreements negotiated in 2013 or 2014, may no longer be valid twenty or thirty years later because other factors may have radically altered the regional balance of power. Examples: depletion of Saudi Arabian oil, lower oil prices, an economic depression or a fiscal crisis in the US, etc.  In brief, the Middle East could face various potential catalysts, internal or external, that could gradually or abruptly change the political dynamics of the region.  One thing is certain.  The introduction of nuclear technology, regardless whether it is weaponized or not, is bound to eventually tip the scales in favor of Iran.  Therefore, the propensity for future conflicts in the Middle East will rise, no matter how successful the current United Nations nuclear negotiations prove to be. 

Readers of this website should realize that not all predictions are absolute.  Not all events are predetermined.  "Free will" invariably always plays an important role in our decision-making process that could alter the course of events.  In fact, the reason why Nostradamus may have published these predictions may have been to alert mankind of the evils awaiting mankind unless our leaders sober up and act with more diligence, seriousness, and tolerance.  Going to war is a serious decision, a very serious decision.  Peoples’ lives are at stake – many of them innocent bystanders, what we casually refer to as “collateral damage”.  Furthermore, there is always the possibility of a pyrrhic outcome or serious unintended consequences.  People should stop thinking of “victory”.  Let’s start talking and thinking about “the cost” – the cost to our national treasury, the cost to innocent participants that could lose their lives, ruin their health, and the psychological devastation to military retirees.  Maybe this is what Nostradamus is so desperately trying to tell us.   So, as you ponder his prediction, evaluating and scrutinizing the facts and/or arguments presented herein, also think of "free will" and its potential implications.