There can be a sense in America that we are hated by the Iranian government for no obvious reason, but the counter-narrative is that there has been a longer war of America and the West against Iranian self-determination. And I’d just like to hear you talk for a minute about how those dueling senses of who started what and who has what interest here have sat and persisted and shaped the decisions of the actors for decades now. It’s a very good point, Ezra, because it is important to understand that Iran is a weak country during the 18th and 19th centuries, was one of the only countries in the world that did not become a colony to a Western power. There is a very strong sense of Iranian nationalism, in the same way that the Chinese have this Middle Kingdom thinking. That sense of Iran having its own dignity and pride is really built into the DNA. And that created resentments toward the United States that then again showed itself in 1979. “Good evening. The U.S. Embassy in Tehran has been invaded and occupied by Iranian students. The Americans inside have been taken prisoner.” “The students want the deposed shah returned to Iran for trial.” But it really goes back to another event. It goes back to 1953, when the U.S. and the U.K. helped topple the popular government of Prime Minister Mosaddegh, who had nationalized Iranian oil. “Iran, where the government of Premier Mosaddegh, with pro-red tendencies, is overthrown by royalist supporters of the shah. Iran, with its rich oil resources, focal point of dispute with the British, is strategically important to democracy. Mossadegh held power at the crossroads of conquest in the very heart of the Middle East.” ”—— and therefore there was always this sense of vendetta among segments of Iranian society against the United States. Some of these historic events have a long tail, especially when you’re dealing with ancient civilizations. They have long memories, and it is important to understand that many in the U.S. might not even know what happened in 1953. But every schoolchildren in Iran has heard of this event and it is sort of built into their psyche. To your point that the history has a long tail here, I mean, even now, one of the people being talked about — it seems unlikely, but being talked about for a leader in Iran, if the current regime collapses, is the shah’s son, who is in exile and has become a more popular opposition leader and has better relationship with Israel and is more favored by the West. I don’t think that many people think it would work to install him, but you’ve certainly heard that hope voiced quite often by people who are hopeful that the current regime will collapse. Absolutely, and again, there is precedent. His grandfather Reza Shah, founder of the dynasty, came to power with British interference in another coup in the earlier 20th century. And his father was restored to power by the United States. And now he’s trying to regain power through help from Israel. And this is why, even if a formula like this succeeds, which I agree has a low chance, but we have to see these kind of short-term gains in the longer perspective of how often they come back to haunt us.
