I wouldn’t discount the possibility that the Israelis would act if they came to the conclusion that basically the world was prepared to live with Iran with nuclear weapons. They certainly have the capability by themselves to set back the Iranian nuclear program.
As a result of the billions of dollars flowing into Iran after the JCPOA, the Iranian regime is able to increase its support to terrorist group groups like Hezbollah.
A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a region free of Iranian nukes are worthy goals that should be able to withstand public scrutiny in every Middle Eastern capital.
I don’t know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, but I have no such thing as national pride. I don’t feel proud that I am Iranian. I happen to be who I am.
Of course there are many factors that led to the Iranian revolution, but back in 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company – which would later become BP – and its principal owner, the British government, conspired to destroy democracy and install a western-controlled regime in Iran.
If all Henry Kissinger contributed to the Middle East were a regional arms race, petrodollar addiction, Iranian radicalization, and the Tehran-Riyadh conflict, it would be bad enough. His legacy, however, is far worse than that: He has to answer for his role in the rise of political Islam.
I feel more Jewish than I do Iranian.
The cinematic language and interior destiny of each Iranian film-maker is different. The international influences on them vary from Rossellini to Fellini, Akira Kurosawa to Hou Hsiao-hsien, but there is a strong sense of solidarity.
For years, I have been writing that ultimately, if nothing else stops the Iranian nuclear project, such as the sanctions or a change in the regime in Tehran, then Israel itself will take action to destroy it from the air.
Well, Israel, obviously, thinks of the Iranian nuclear program as an existential threat to Israel.
I remembered, like, when ‘Not When My Daughter’ came out, I’m serious, I think dating for Iranian men became a lot harder. Dude’s name, Shahrokh – became Tony. Mehsud became Mike.
The younger generation is essentially idealistic. This applies to the Iranian youth as well. In addition, the youth in Iran face certain difficulties… the Iranian youth need more freedom. They are struggling for more freedom and democracy. This commands great respect.
The Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons would be infinitely more costly than any scenario you can imagine to stop it.
I have strong sentiments toward Iran, since I distinguish between the Iranian regime and the Iranian people. I highly esteem Iranian music and culture.
My parents come from that immigrant culture that places a lot of emphasis on doing well scholastically. Being a comedian or an actor is such an American thing. The Iranian culture is not about dreaming. It’s about taking over your father’s business, falling into line.
The Iranian regime is nothing if not resilient. It fought an eight-year-long war with Iraq to a draw despite losing hundreds of thousands of lives; it has survived decades of isolation.
The Iranian government intends to use the nuclear program for peaceful purposes, but must convince international public opinion of that.
From the preemptive strike that destroyed Egypt’s air force during the Six-Day War, to the daring raid on Entebbe, to using all available means to slow the Iranian nuclear program, Israelis have combined strength with ingenuity to keep the country’s enemies at bay.
Magical realism allows an artist like myself to inject layers of meaning without being obvious. In American culture, where there is freedom of expression, this approach may seem forced, unnecessary and misunderstood. But this system of communication has become very Iranian.
The Iranian government is undoubtedly a severe danger to its own population, but not beyond that.
Our military and national security agencies will require flexibility to take steps, short of war, to counter the Iranian threat in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Iranians call California and Iran ‘sister cities;’ they’re very much alike. Iranians feel at home here and the weather is so close to Iranian weather.
My dad is a gentle and brilliant Iranian violinist.
The cinematic language and interior destiny of each Iranian film-maker is different. The international influences on them vary from Rossellini to Fellini, Akira Kurosawa to Hou Hsiao-hsien, but there is a strong sense of solidarity.
Definitely in the West, we’re all cast as the same now. Whether you’re Indian, Pakistani, Arab, Iranian, Afghan or whatever, you just get thrown into this category. And nine times out of 10, you’re depicted as bad.
My family emigrated to the U.S. after the Iranian revolution in 1978.
As an Iranian woman and activist, Sotoudeh’s plight resonated with me on a deeply personal level.
Comedy comes from tragedy, and being Iranian in America from 1979 on had been quite tragic. In stand-up comedy, I was able to take the reality and exaggerate it.
I think of myself, an Iranian/American artist, and wonder what would I want if I’m ever imprisoned by the Iranian government for the work that I make? I answer: I would hope that the United States government comes to my rescue.
The problem with the Iranian regime, of course is, one, its unsettling effects on the Sunnis, particularly Saudi Arabia, and, secondly, its potential threat to Israel.
In the past 30 years, officials of the Iranian regime and its apologists have labeled criticism, especially with regard to women’s rights, as anti-Islamic and pro-Western, justifying its brutalities by ascribing them to Islam and Iran’s culture.
I don’t consider myself an Iranian comedian; I consider myself a comedian who happens to be of Iranian descent.
Israelis cannot enter Iran, so Israel, Iranian officials believe, has devoted huge resources to recruiting Iranians who leave the country on business trips and turning them into agents.
Thus the regime has deprived Iranian women not just of their present rights, but also of their history and their past.
I have both Swedish and Iranian cultures ingrained in me, so that’s always there. Plus my love of the U.S. began early on. But growing up in Sweden as one of the few people of color around was not easy by any means.
I’m a first-generation American, so I had friends from several cultures while growing up, including Indian and Iranian friends.
Iranian filmmakers are not passive. They fight whenever they can, as creative expression means a lot to them. The restrictions and censorship in Iran are a bit like the British weather: one day it’s sunny, the next day it’s raining. You just have to hope you walk out into the sunshine.
We shouldn’t just consider the desire of government to do what it wants to do. We should always consider the resistance of people. The culture of Iranian people doesn’t let the government drag people into deep trouble or backlash. Maybe government wants it, but the culture doesn’t let it go on.
We can pursue peaceful diplomacy with the Iranian regime while also continuing our maximum economic pressure campaign, while also defending ourselves… To say that it’s a war with Iran or nothing is just a fundamental misunderstanding of how foreign policy actually works.
Iranian filmmakers are not passive. They fight whenever they can, as creative expression means a lot to them. The restrictions and censorship in Iran are a bit like the British weather: one day it’s sunny, the next day it’s raining. You just have to hope you walk out into the sunshine.
Is the Iranian record of intervention and terror worse than that of the U.S.?
Under Saddam Hussein, the nation of Iraq possessed and used chemical weapons against both their own Kurdish population and Iranian military forces.
If all Henry Kissinger contributed to the Middle East were a regional arms race, petrodollar addiction, Iranian radicalization, and the Tehran-Riyadh conflict, it would be bad enough. His legacy, however, is far worse than that: He has to answer for his role in the rise of political Islam.
The Iranian people, with regards to the policies of various American administrations in the past 30 years, are very worried. They don’t trust them.
The reason the United States is not so likely to invade Iran is precisely because of the lessons learned from Iraq. And conversely, the Iranian push towards nuclear capability is calculated to deter invasions like the kind deposing Saddam Husain.
Certainly, the JCPOA was not a perfect agreement. It did not deal with the threat from Iranian missiles, or their support for violent extremism. And it contains a ‘sunset clause,’ meaning it expires after a decade. But it was accomplishing the one goal it set out to achieve: stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
We should not approve an agreement that fails to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and does nothing to address Iranian behavior that threatens our allies and our interests.
Iran also has an extensive missile development programme. Iranian officials declare that the range of their modified Shahab-3 missiles is 2,000km, putting allied countries such as Turkey, Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria within reach.
I don’t think that the war serves U.S. interests. I think Osama bin Laden’s interests and the Iranian interests are very much served by it, and it’s becoming a huge drain on our resources both material and political.
