The absurdity of labeling a terrorist “dishonest” misses the point so entirely that it almost becomes parody. Dishonesty implies a breach of expected norms, a deviation from trust. Terrorists, especially those entrenched in a state apparatus like the Islamic Republic, do not operate within such norms—they exploit them. Calling Kazem Gharibabadi “dishonest” for pocketing a $14,300 gold-plated pen during high-level U.S.-Iran negotiations in Oman is like accusing a serial arsonist of jaywalking. It shrinks the scale of offense down to a farce.
The act—petty theft from an international negotiation table—epitomizes the Islamic Republic’s pathological blend of hypocrisy, entitlement, and kleptocracy. It wasn’t merely a pen. It was a metaphorical signature, proof that even during so-called diplomacy, their instinct is to steal, lie, and con. Oman’s official note requesting the return of the pen reads like satire, yet it reflects a deeper humiliation: that the regime’s representatives treat diplomacy the way a pickpocket treats a crowded metro station.
And yet the West negotiates. As if such regimes possess the decency to respect agreements or the intent to honor anything beyond their own survival. The Gharibabadi incident is not an outlier. It is consistent with how the regime views power: not as something earned, but seized, hidden, hoarded, and stolen.
Those chanting #مهسا_امینی, #زن_زندگی_آزادی know this intimately. They have lived under this parasitic structure that commits murder, theft, and repression with sanctimonious arrogance. So yes, call them murderers. Call them oppressors. Call them thugs with titles. But dishonest? That’s the least of their crimes.
