[homami]

Even after years of being brained washed by the media and the educational system, a typical middle class millennial in Iran does not hate Western culture or America.

Older generations (even in some rural areas) have fond memories of Americanization of Iran in the 70s (which finally led to the Islamic revolution).

The problem that I see with Trump's approach is that it alienates these groups of people that had been pro-American before.

The country and the economy was thriving for a brief couple of years after the nuclear deal. People used their money to visit Gulf countries, east Asia and Europe. I think Internet speed almost doubled in that period.

But new sanctions made the economy collapse. And Muslim ban is a real thing if you are born in Iran. And it does not matter how pro-American you are.

Then now we ended up in a situation that even ordinary, middle class Iranians that could've been in American camp, are feeling under attack by a bully. For them everything that the government has been preaching about the great Satan is coming true.

[leereeves]

The Iranian government recently murdered at least 200 (according to the UN and Amnesty International) and perhaps over 1000 (according to US officials) unarmed Iranian civilians. Many were shot in the back as they ran away. [1,2]

How can Iranians still support that government?

Sanctions are probably the wrong approach - they tend to hurt ordinary people far more than the government - but if I were Iranian, living under a regime that's willing to shoot me in the back, I'd hope for regime change.

1: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-says-iran-may-have-ki...

2: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/12/iran-death-to...

[Udik]

> For them everything that the government has been preaching about the great Satan is coming true.

Maybe it's time to realise it had elements of truth from the beginning.