Trump, Netanyahu and Khamenei – three angry old men who could get us all killed

How is Putin worse than Netanyahu? Just compare the children death toll in Palestine vs. Ukraine.

They would immediately get replaced with someone just as bad if not worse. The world has an endless supply of power hungry warmongering assholes.

Putin is by far the worst one.

Only if you believe that white lives are far more valuable than non-white lives

Yes agreed

whitewash the man responsible for all my misery

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi?

Have an Iranian (actual Iranian, not arab) coworker. He does NOT have many nice things to say about how the Iranian regime treats their own. Can't imagine how bad it must be for those who are considered "others".

But do you at least acknowledge that it is the Arabian Gulf?

I mean screw the men responsible for your misery, but Iran is objectively the good guy when it comes to Palestine. We don't have quite as much opportunity to shit on Khomeini now that Assad isn't around, but we still hate him don't worry.

Khamenei is a priest. 'Nuff said. Israel is a theocratic state. Religious people attacking each other, with normal people in the middle. Once more, Rome did it first, 900 something years ago.

Trump is actively helping to exterminate hundreds of thousands in Gaza. He is orders of magnitude worse than Khamenei

Seriously. The Guardian has had no problem with Muslims being killed up till now. So long as it was Israel doing it.

No doubt Israel started this iteration but to say that Iran doesn't want war is viewing the regime too favourably. Of course they don't want war on Iranian territory - but they do want to directly sponsor Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, al-Assad (until he fell), and other mostly Shia militias while severely oppressing their own population - especially minorities. Fuck Israel but it's not like Iran comes with peaceful intentions. My parents fled from this regime, and while virtually no Iranian supports Israel's actions or wants war, most of us wouldn't shed a single tear if the entire regime were wiped out.

First of all: It’s not clear that they want nukes. Like, seriously, they have been accused of almost having nukes for thirty years, it’s much more plausible at this point that they are much more interested in the ability to acquire them quickly in case they need them.

But even then: It makes no sense for them to use them aggressively, but it makes an unbelievable amount of sense for them to want them for defensive purposes. Like: They have time and time suffered from western interference, including the extremely bloody Iran-Iraq-war and have a hostile, nazi-run rouge state running a genocide and storing nukes without NPT-approval that is receiving unlimited support from the US in their vicinity.

The fact of the matter is that there is no country on earth that is as justified in pursuing a nuclear deterrent on earth as Iran.

And none of that changes anything about the government being made up from horrible tyrants that are almost as bad (but definitely not actually as bad, let alone worse!) as the one in Israel. They absolutely should be overthrown, but that’s not the job for the genocidal nazis in Israel.

Gotta be a complete idiot not to build nukes when a rogue genocidal cult is constantly threatening to nuke you.

A nuclear Iran is one of the only hopes for peace.

They never tried to build a nuke

Oh no, another "we are the victim" comment

I think it's probably that Americans only do this "both sides are to blame" when their side is the one to blame

There is broad support in Israeli society for the ongoing genocide in Gaza. There are polls showing as much (I think one of them showed a rate of 82%). This is not one man's whim, this is not the will of some small shady elite, this is a consequence of material conditions in Israel. If you don't take those away, some other face will lead the charge.

Plus I'm not convinced that an assassination of Netanyahu would lead to a different party taking charge. I can't imagine their system of governance is set up this way. But this is entirely beside the point. The point is that one man's death doesn't change history. The allies didn't win WWII because Hitler killed himself, Hitler killed himself because the allies won WWII.

Do you really think Trump's supporters would suddenly support Democrats, and, do you really think a power vacuum in Iran would make the Middle East more peaceful?

Similarly, don't skip over the part where the Oslo process ended when Netanyahu's current cabinet had Rabin assassinated. Natanyahu is a linchpin, but the right exists independent of him, and the left is still pretty anti-Palestinian.

Wrong.

Akkshually

That's a fun song (but also obviously silly and wrong).

Cool whataboutisms. Yes, Iran is shitty. No, Israel didn't have to do this. Yes, it's a great strategy to regain support for the Likud coalition government and not go to prison for corruption.

And you really think that firing drones and ballistic missiles at civilian populations is a measured response?

Pardon, which county are we talking about here?

Iran at least has the excuse that their missiles can't aim that well.

Israel is an ally of the USA but Iran is violently hostile to the USA.

Nobody is pulling this shit on North Korea.

Yes the mullahs want nukes. Source? I am Iranian.

Despite having nuclear weapons and not being a party to the NPT, Israel has never threatened to use them.

Unlike Iran and most of its neighbors which threaten to destroy Israel every chance they get.

see the evil of the leaders of Iran

I remember when Americans purged Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria of Evil.

I don’t know what you’ve been through but trust me, asking the Americans and the Israelis of all people to ‘free’ you from the Ayatollah is just utterly and completely insane. Just ask anyone from Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan how they found Western intervention. The people of Iran toppled the Shah and rightly sent him packing. He was Western backed and his savagery eclipsed that of the current regime. Not sure if you’re living in Iran or are part of the diaspora but the people of Iran will get rid of their government themselves. They certainly don’t need to be patronised by a wanted war criminal smugly telling them they need to be freed. Israel is doing its best to ensure people gather around the leadership. As for alternatives, the only option floated by the diaspora, who did very well working for the Shah, is his incompetent offspring. Champagne chugging, fine wining and dining and casino frequenting elites are not the answer for a highly conservative society. I’ve had the misfortune to bump into the Iranian pro-monarchy diaspora who joined the Israeli flag shaggers opposing peace protestors calling for a ceasefire. I was horrified at the language they used. It was clear they didn’t give a crap about human rights or even Israel. They simply latch on to Israel as a way to vent their highly venomous anti-Muslim views. In one incident that is seared into my mind, a middle aged Iranian woman screamed at a poor mother with young daughters that they (and I quote) “should be r@ped by Muslims and have sticks shoved up their p*****s”. I was horrified and quite glad when police pulled this despicable human being away. Equating Netanyahu with the Iranian government is like saying a serial killer and a pickpocket are the same thing. Iran for all its faults has not done anything on the level that Netanyahu has unleashed.

The US will turn Iran into another Libya or Iraq or Afghanistan. I get that you may want a different form of government, but bootlicking the West isn't how to get it. Many Iraqis hated Saddam until they got the alternative, now they are worse off, specially the minorities. Not only did Iraq had stability, security and electricity, but religious minority also worshipped freely. Was Saddam good? No, but better than whatever Iraq has now.

When I was younger I was dumb to hope for something similar, now I know better. I remember thinking Iraq will be better without Saddam, and thinking Libya will better without Qadafi; I was very wrong and I wouldn't wish the same on Iran or any other country in the region. I'd take slow and steady progress over a US-imposed regime change. Now I want Saudi Arabia to have nuclear weapons to prevent becoming another Iraq or Libya. In the grand scheme of things the House of Saud is the best thing Saudi Arabia has, and they have been around for over 300 years. Maybe Iran can have a better government, but the change must be from within, and if you see the US-Israel advocating for change be very careful and suspicious. They don't want what's best for you.

What the US-Israel wants for the region is to weaken and fracture it so that only they can dominate it. Greater Israel isn't just a fantasy held by a fringe anymore, more and more elected Israeli politicians talk openly about it. In a similar manner the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and the plans for a 2nd Nakba were a fringe position until it became mainstream and that happened before October 2023. When the existential threat to the region already has nuclear weapons then the sensible thing to do is pursue nuclear weapons. I keep hearing Iran has a fatwa against nuclear weapons and I hope it isn't true and that they don't deny themselves the right to be able to deter foreign aggression.

PS: it is the Arabian Gulf, it was never Persian ;)