Try looking at the facts. Iran is a theocracy.
And America is a Plutocracy.
They don't have candidates who aren't approved by the Clerics, we don't have candidates who aren't approved by Wall Street.
The United States has officially designated Iran as a leading state sponsor of terrorism since 1984. Iran provides funding, weapons, training, and equipment to militant groups across the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and various militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Okay, and the US has armed the Kurdish Terrorists, the Mujahedin (who eventually became the Taliban and Al Qaeda), the Contras (who smuggled tons of cocaine into the US), and dozens of despots around the world.
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. The people who the Iranians armed represent substantial constiuencies in those countries. In Syria, they supported the recognized government of Bashir Assad. In Iran, they supported the Shi'ite Majority who ran the government. In Yemen, they support the Shi'ite Houthis that want independence from the Sunni/Saudi-backed government. And of course, they support the Palestinian People's struggle against Zionist occupiers.
We can't stick our hands into a hornet's nest and then complain about getting stung.
Iran uses these proxies to project power, destabilize regions, and advance its foreign policy.
Or they are supporting legitimate independence movements. How many of the people that we support can legitimately be called "Democracies". Maybe Israel, if you are being generous and ignoring the Apartheid. The rest are either monarchies or dictatorships.
The U.S. State Department consistently identifies Iran as a top sponsor of international terrorism, noting its actions target international interests and U.S. citizens.
So what? the bigger question is, why do we have an "interest" in that region to start with. Oh, yeah, that's right, AIPAC and Exxon control our politics.
And YOU are defending them. Why?
Because I'm tired of watching young Americans come home in Boxes.
Again, guy, if you are going to post AI crap, you should probably read it before you post it.
And you are defending Iran why?
No, I am making the argument that we shouldn't be involved in that region at all.
The reason why we have the Clerics in charge of Iran right now is because when Iran was moving towards a Democracy, we joined with the British to stage a coup and make the Shah an absolute monarch. The Shah then proceeded to eliminate any legitimate party or organization that could assume leadership, except for the Clergy.
It should also be pointed out that when the CIA staged the coup that ended democracy in Iran, they worked with the Ayatollahs Qasem Kashani and Mohammad Behbahani, who brought the mobs into the street. In short, we initially empowered the religious fanatics.
"Iran’s political barometer is still held in the hands of the men in robes," writes Bobby Ghosh
time.com
We created this mess. We should stop trying to manipulate things our way and make a bigger mess.
Killing Khameini to win over Iranians would be like trying to win over Catholics by killing Pope Leo.