What America Needs to Understand About Iran

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Perhaps to Iran, the biggest enemy is and for a long time to come, will remain the United States of America. While the whole world believes that it may only be the leadership that is against the USA, they could get real nasty surprise.

The USA has somehow maintained a great drama about how the Iranian people are oppressed at the hands of the leadership of the religious leaders in Iran, who are also known as the Ayatollahs.

The statement is not wrong. The Iranian people are not exactly supportive of the regime in Iran. This is evident in the 2007 protests regarding rigged elections where President Ahmedinejad remained incumbent while his opponent, Moussavi was defeated. There was a huge outcry amongst the Iranian people and they marched out onto the streets claiming that the election was rigged and that there be a recount.

Dissent is not exactly encouraged in Iran and as it turned out, the Iranian authorities clamped down brutally on the Iranian protesters. The Americans used this to their advantage, somehow bringing in extra coverage over the issue and supporting the Iranian people morally. It was funny how suddenly Iranian protests were covered by the media with so much enthusiasm.

The Americans don’t understand one thing. Its not just the Iranian leadership that hates America, it is the Iranian people who hate America as well.

The hatred is not new, and it is not because of the propaganda spewed by the Imams and Ayatollahs after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The hatred is old, it is just more intense now.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

In 1953, the Shah was ousted out of power by the Iranian people. However, the CIA had managed to pull off a stunt and bring the Shah back to power. The Shah was one of America’s favourites, and it was in the interest of America to keep the Shah in power and somehow consolidate America’s interests in the Middle East.

The same happened with the Shah’s son who then became the Shah after him. He was used by the US to further their interests. And during the onset of the Islamic Revolution, the Shah fled to the United States of America in order to protect himself. The Iranian people obviously were furious when they came to know that their leader was a US stooge all this while and was taking care of American interests than Iranian ones.

Moreover, it was the feeling of being used that nagged the Iranians.

During the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, all Iranians were out on the streets chanting slogans of “Allah-u-Akbar” and hoping for a Islamic Republic in Iran. They saw and supported the US embassy takeover in Tehran in 1979. It was revenge to being used all this while.

The hatred was fuelled even more when America supported Iraq against Iran in the Iran-Iraq war fought from 1980-1988. America provided arms and ammunition to the Iraqis to fight the Iranians. The war was brutal. Iraq even went to the extent of attacking Iranians with chemical weapons like mustard gas. The Americans turned a blind eye to this, as long as Iraq was winning.

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Would the average Irani think about it and not get angry? I don’t think so. I don’t think anyone would.

The Americans go on blaming the insurgency in Iraq to be originating from Iran and has also accused them of supporting terrorism in Afghanistan. Does this help? Of course not.

And what is more? The Americans have introduced crippling sanctions against the Iranian government because of its nuclear weapons programme. It has become really hard for the Iranian people to somehow survive. Iran has almost become completely shut off from the world.

America can set up committees and extend its support to protesters against the Islamic regime in Iran, they can somehow support them morally and diplomatically, but they can never expect the Iranian people to side with them ever. They can’t forget past misgivings so easily. Even if the regime in Iran does topple, it is going to be replaced perhaps by a regime that is more hostile towards the Americans. That is why normal Iranians do support their nuclear programme.

Iranians are proud of the fact that America has shook because of Iran. They are proud about the fact that Iran is one of the countries that hasn’t been budged even after so much international pressure. They are proud of the fact that they have not only intimidated America, but also have got them to fear Iran.

America has a lot of re-thinking to do.

Copyright © 2011 Ashwath Komath