Well, it was during the time of the Shah. BTW, one of my best friends at work was Irani-born, went to High-School in Germany, college in California. He thinks the US is "about as good as it gets." I still fear the problem for Iran is a lack of tradition of rule of law and respect for the opinions and rights of others. I truly hope I am wrong.
I think we all hope this. But yes, there is definitely reason for concern here. Even after the Shah was gone things were in quite a state of choas until the mullahs got control.
One counter-balancing element could be the ex-pat community here. I know some who will move back once the mullahcracy is gone, and these would be bringing this tradition.