I fear that the article may be mistaken in another account. The west assumes that the typical Iranian on the street abhors nuclear weapons, but this may not be the case.
To explain, Iran finds itself in the same situation as did Japan prior to World War II. By all rights, it should have a “place in the sun” among the nations of the world, but it is mistaken in how to achieve this, thinking a combination of militarism and Shiite hegemony.
But nuclear weapons are a big unknown to most Persians, and I specifically mean Persians, because the Iranian minorities of Azeri, Arabs, and Baluchs are second class citizens, who matter far less in the national equation.
Persians were not a part of the post WWII nuclear world. They did not have a culture of nuclear war fear, that much of the world experienced. And thus, for most Persians, nuclear weapons are just a “big bomb”.
But they also are like Aladdin’s djinn. For Iran to have nuclear weapons means that it is forever safe from invasion, a long held Persian fear. It also means that the rest of the world must respect them, and “give them a place at the table.”
And this is likely the mindset of the typical Iranian on the street. As such, what kind of government rules Iran matters less, because the Iranian people want nuclear weapons.
I fear that the article may be mistaken in another account. The west assumes that the typical Iranian on the street abhors nuclear weapons, but this may not be the case.
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I agree and this was one of my main disagreements with this article. However I agree with the article that this is a great chance to change opinions.