| > it's worth understanding motivations of people on both sides. 100% agree. > Iran doesn’t have bases or any presence near US borders but Iran does have proxies (with IRG advisors) surrounding Israel That's the way you see it but the way Iran sees it is that Israel is a proxy of the US. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2HZs-v0PR44 The US also chose to fight Taliban alone and lost, rather than continuing their post-9/11 collaboration with Iran - Iran being local to the region would have been a great asset, as they were right up until Bush's "axis of evil" doctrine. > Like you said, when Khomeini stepped off the plane he was flanked by a US ambassador and a rabbi, US policy was once different. You mean to say that the US read Khomeini's book which talks about implementing Sharia law, violence against "corrupt people", destruction of non-Islamic religious centers, the West wanting to steal Iran's resources, etc.. but were willing to take the risk because they were so afraid of the left taking power in Iran. Then they tried to fix their mistake by having Saddam attack Iran, which backfired and created another 50 years worth of resentment towards the US. And they likely ensured another 20+ years of distrust with their recent actions. > Iran's actions may not be as evil as what the US has done to Iran Glad to hear you say this - wish you said this earlier as I would not have guessed it from your previous comments. If you truly think that then I'm not sure why you're surprised at the slogans and Iran's defensive measures. > The US will always see Iran as an enemy as long as Iran calls for the death of America and Americans and wages a proxy war against American interests And Iran will always be aggressive towards countries that commit unprovoked horrors against them while calling them evil and strangling them economically. And mullahs will always use these convenient facts to their advantage to rile up domestic support. > Like the USA Iran is not above using proxies/strategically placing forces outside of Iran's borders or exerting violence outside of their borders to achieve political ends Right, Iran learned from the US on how to use proxy forces, but it turns out being Muslim has certain advantages when you are supporting Muslim proxies. |