Seventeen years ago, while serving as an Iran desk officer in the U.S. State Department, I asked a more veteran colleague about the latest inflammatory statement by Mahmood Ahmadinejad, then the Iranian president. My colleague responded: “Stop paying attention to Ahmadinejad. Only focus on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He makes the important decisions.” He added: “But don’t worry. Change is coming. Khamenei”—who was then 69 and widely believed to have cancer—“could die at any moment.”
  • Dr_Pepper [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    41·
    14 days ago

    supreme leader’s 36-year stewardship of the Islamic Republic. Khamenei left a damning legacy. Since his ascension in 1989, the Iranian rial has lost almost all of its value against the dollar. Although rich in natural resources, Iran consistently experiences electricity and water shortages. Over the past year, food prices surged more than 70 percent.

    soviet-hmm I wonder why that is?

    Iran’s economic woes are in large part the consequence of a foreign policy designed to counter U.S. interests.

    Ahh

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OPEnglish
      26·
      14 days ago

      The whole framing there is pretty funny, cause the article acknowledges some facts, but still tries to push the narrative. I do think it’s ultimately underestimating Iran’s goals. They’re not going to go for a ceasefire or some vague assurances. They’re going to push the US out of the region entirely. The author keeps talking about costs for Iran, but doesn’t really talk about the cost for the US, and all the assets they’re losing. It also talks about how Iran attacking US proxies could unite them, but doesn’t really mention what they could bring to the table which isn’t much. Nor does he discuss the possibility that it might unite the people in Arab world against US and Israel and these proxies could collapse as a result.

  • whiskers165 [she/her, she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    28·
    14 days ago

    I hate the author of this article so much. Lies and misrepresentations. That they blame the late Ayatollah for any of this makes me sick.

    And every day it goes on seems to delay a better future for the Iranian people. This is a tragedy that only Khamenei and Trump, together, could engineer.

    Like he just expects that the Iranians would go along with Trump’s war and Trump’s demand without putting up any meaningful resistance otherwise they are equally to blame. MFer they are defending themselves from repeated aggression and warmongering.

    This shit is disgusting.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆OPEnglish
      18·
      14 days ago

      Oh the framing is shit for sure, but if you read past the spin, there is an acknowledgement there that the US doesn’t control escalation dominance in this war. And that is quite the admission for mainstream US media to make.

    • segfault11 [she/her, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
      13·
      14 days ago

      This is a tragedy that only Khamenei and Trump, together, could engineer.

      actually trump is khamenei’s puppet and trump was doing his bidding by killing him