Iran Is Not What It Seems!

originally posted by: corkUSMC
I have a very close friend and contact who is Iranian and is well connected with the resistance movement in that nation.

My contact has said that nothing is as it appears to be at least from the perspective of what we're being told and shown.

For the record, my contact lived in Iran for over 40 years and worked as a journalist in that country as well as having served as an editor for several of their internal news organizations. He left Iran almost 4 years ago and now resides in Canada. He has kept in close contact with his ties in Iran since leaving and has his hand on the pulse of the people in that nation.

Here's the highlights from the conversation/interview with my contact:

Apparently, the demonstrations we're being shown on television is a farce; he said the Iranian government typically pays or otherwise compels those we see demonstrating to be out en masse protesting. In reality, by and large, the Iranian people hated Soleimani and celebrated his death

As much as people are attacking Trump for this move, the Iranian people are thankful for what Trump "had the guts to do" in face of the expected opposition and backlash

Everything we're being told about Soleimani is apparently true and just the tip of the iceberg. He was apparently worse than what Western media has indicated in many respects

From the perspective of my contact, Soleimani "deserved" to die and "should of suffered more".

It's easy for the Iranian government to assemble even as many as a million people in the streets but that most of Iran's population of 81 million not only hated Soleimani but hate the Iranian regime altogether.

For these protests, from a logistical standpoint, they do it by recruiting 100,000 people from ten cities and then assemble all of them in the capitol. These protesters are paid and during the demonstrations they receive everything from meals to clothing; they are apparently well taken of and serve to show whatever the Iranian government wants to depict.

For reference, these demonstrations aren't nearly as big or widespread as others have been, for example, when the people of Iran are behind them instead of the government; last time this happened was ten years ago when Ahmadinejad was elected through, what many Iranian people viewed as, cheating. It was a silent protest, albeit, but there were three million in the streets for it.

The Iranian people want war not because they have a problem with the U.S., but rather because they want regime-change and hate their government.

The internal Iranian resistance movement is large and involves "millions and millions" of the nation's population.

The push back from Iraq is also not representative of the reality on the ground. It's true that the current ruling coalition in that country supports the Iranian regime, but that coalition only represents a third of the country's population. By and large, the Iraqi people support what the U.S. did and are in lock step with the majority of Iranians.



          

Now the vilification to the max is doing its but - Does anyone really think that the United States of America has the credibillity to claim piety in this 7 countries in 5 years secnario?

The United States of America credibillity as a truth telling nation is so far down the drain they are the laughing stock of the world community.

One thing is for sure IMO, and that is no country on earth would ever go the aid of the United States of America if it was not forced too. IMO, 99 out of 100 countires would just let the US suffer everything it has inficted on scores of other countries over the years if they thought they would not get bombed back to the stone age for not obeying orders.

a reply to: corkUSMC

With all do respect, your friend is certainly delusional and detached from the reality for advising you with lies that are not in any way related to what is actually going on in Iran right now...As an Iranian I am and we mostly if not all are ,so pissed off and sick of trumps idiotic acts and wrong policies towards Iran that anything could happen if this keeps going on even a tad more...The people are so angry and that is not good,even for the Iranian government.They might force them to do something foolish and believe me that is not what anybody wants...I think the most rational thing to do is to just chill out for a while and try not to make a mistake that our children regret and blame it on us for generations to come,if there is a future anyway.

I think it is safe to say that there are Iranians fiercely loyal to both sides both inside and outside of Iran. There are Chinese who are in the US that are just as fiercely supportive of the CCP and simply deny that they are responsible for the deaths of 60-80 million of their own. There are many more who want something else though.

I suspect, with respect to Iranians, you will find the older generations somewhat more adamant about favoring the Iranian leadership, regardless of living inside or out of Iran.

That said, just saying "This isn't true. They think this way" is just not correct. There are surely lots of people who want the leadership toppled and are happy to see them deposed just as there are fervent supporters. The US has reached a similar situation where if you asked a large number of people they would say adamantly that the country wants the President removed. That doesn't mean it is "True".

The point is, you can ask a bunch of Iranians who you are related to or friends you know and you will surely get at least two adamant stances. I tend to add a bit more credibility to those wanting freedom since very rarely do people vocally wish for more oppression other than out of blind ignorance or fear.

I don't think the OP is "misinformed" or lying, nor do I have any reason to believe his source is.

The iran regime is very old.....they have fell so far behind it's only inevitable that the u.s pave the way to arm Iranian rebels to take out their own government.

a reply to: corkUSMC

Hahaha, yes ok I believe you.

You have no proof at all and you expect people to believe you?

Words are wind my friend.

Persia then.........Iran now.......

“God bless his soul, “I was 11, I remember. The first 11 years of my life were great, the rest have been terrible. I ate good food for the first 11 years and then crap.” He grabbed my collarbone with the firm nerve pinch that some Iranian men use to show affection. “God bless his soul.”

Another time, in Shiraz, a bus driver delayed everyone 15 minutes so he could expresses in verbose, glowing terms, his love of the Pahlavi family, “They were strong, they came from good blood, from a good tribe, ” he said to me, raising his extended index finger higher and higher.
“They were powerful, they were able to get things done.”
I was taught in my history classes that the Shah was a tin-pot dictator installed by the CIA to subdue Iran’s leftists and secure American access to the country’s oil. That he was extravagant and capricious. That his secret police, the Savak, tortured and spied with impunity.
Much of this is probably true. Mohammad Reza was definitely the intended beneficiary of an at-least-attempted CIA coup in 1953. And he was definitely a dictator (though whether he was benevolent or tyrannical is debatable).
But I must admit to ambivalent feelings towards the Shah and his government.Under the Shah my grandmother gained the right to vote and to divorce her emotionally abusive, opium-addicted husband. My relatives benefitted from his land redistribution and industrial profit-sharing programmes. My father learned to read from the Shah’s literacy corps and received govenment-subsidised meals and textbooks.
So who am I to tell them that he was a lousy guy, that he was a despot, that his policies were too pro-western? They don’t care about that.They were starving and he gave them food, that’s all they need to know.
They don’t care about that. They were starving and he gave them food, that’s all they need to know.In my household I was always taught that Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his father were the greatest leaders Iran ever had. My family loves the man like a grandfather, or even a god. Growing up, we always had a Shir o Khorshid in our house.
“Every aspect of life was better then,” my father loves to say,
Recently I was at my uncle’s apartment in Tehran. He was watching a documentary about the Shah on illegal satellite TV from Turkey. The narrator was talking over stock footage of how the Shah’s health corps eradicated malaria in the countryside, of how he modernised Iran’s rail infrastructure, of how he took its natural resources back from foreign interests.
“Everything that is functioning in this country today is because of him and his father!” my uncle said to no-one in particular. He turned to me: “Before the Shah, your grandfather used to have to go fight people, with guns and knives, just to get a bucket of water for his family to drink. The Shah made sure that everyone had clean water. A presenter in suit and tie appeared on the screen, sitting in front of the pre-revolutionary flag and a statue of a lion.
“In the Shah’s time, when I went to Italy, they stood up for me, they talked to me with respect,” the presenter said, slamming his fist on the table. “When I went to France they respected me as an Iranian. Now when I go anywhere in the world they think we are terrorists, they think we are barbarians.”
“For 37 years during his rule,” the presenter said, “the price of the dollar didn’t change at all.In 1979 the exchange rate was 70 rials to a dollar, now it is 33,000 rials to a dollar.”

“He was a great man,” said my uncle, “these stupid mullahs have set us back 1500 years.”
Shah cared about his people. He was a real leader. ”
“I can’t say anything for sure, but what I know is that he was far better than the current government,” said Amir, a 26-year-old English teacher who was arrested and tortured for participating in the Green Movement protests after the disputed 2009 presidential election. “All governments are dictatorships, but you can judge them based on the situation of society and the country during their rule. Most of the development that happened in Iran happened under him and his father. And least he was Iranian, I know that much. He wasn’t Arab, now Arabs control the government.”

www.theguardian.com...


THEN.........and NOW .......from an Iranian,

The trouble is those that remember THEN are older and soon there will

be nothing for the NOW to compare with and like he said "The present

regime has taken them 1500 years back in time and all progress has been LOST.

originally posted by: corkUSMC
I have a very close friend and contact who is Iranian and is well connected with the resistance movement in that nation.

My contact has said that nothing is as it appears to be at least from the perspective of what we're being told and shown.

For the record, my contact lived in Iran for over 40 years and worked as a journalist in that country as well as having served as an editor for several of their internal news organizations. He left Iran almost 4 years ago and now resides in Canada. He has kept in close contact with his ties in Iran since leaving and has his hand on the pulse of the people in that nation.

Here's the highlights from the conversation/interview with my contact:

Apparently, the demonstrations we're being shown on television is a farce; he said the Iranian government typically pays or otherwise compels those we see demonstrating to be out en masse protesting. In reality, by and large, the Iranian people hated Soleimani and celebrated his death

As much as people are attacking Trump for this move, the Iranian people are thankful for what Trump "had the guts to do" in face of the expected opposition and backlash

Everything we're being told about Soleimani is apparently true and just the tip of the iceberg. He was apparently worse than what Western media has indicated in many respects

From the perspective of my contact, Soleimani "deserved" to die and "should of suffered more".

It's easy for the Iranian government to assemble even as many as a million people in the streets but that most of Iran's population of 81 million not only hated Soleimani but hate the Iranian regime altogether.

For these protests, from a logistical standpoint, they do it by recruiting 100,000 people from ten cities and then assemble all of them in the capitol. These protesters are paid and during the demonstrations they receive everything from meals to clothing; they are apparently well taken of and serve to show whatever the Iranian government wants to depict.

For reference, these demonstrations aren't nearly as big or widespread as others have been, for example, when the people of Iran are behind them instead of the government; last time this happened was ten years ago when Ahmadinejad was elected through, what many Iranian people viewed as, cheating. It was a silent protest, albeit, but there were three million in the streets for it.

The Iranian people want war not because they have a problem with the U.S., but rather because they want regime-change and hate their government.

The internal Iranian resistance movement is large and involves "millions and millions" of the nation's population.

The push back from Iraq is also not representative of the reality on the ground. It's true that the current ruling coalition in that country supports the Iranian regime, but that coalition only represents a third of the country's population. By and large, the Iraqi people support what the U.S. did and are in lock step with the majority of Iranians.




          

Interesting. Watching the news today on the developments I couldn't help but think that this is all cooked up and wonder where it's all gonna lead.

I guess every generation has to have its war, doesn't it?

originally posted by: Halfswede
I think it is safe to say that there are Iranians fiercely loyal to both sides both inside and outside of Iran. There are Chinese who are in the US that are just as fiercely supportive of the CCP and simply deny that they are responsible for the deaths of 60-80 million of their own. There are many more who want something else though.

I suspect, with respect to Iranians, you will find the older generations somewhat more adamant about favoring the Iranian leadership, regardless of living inside or out of Iran.

That said, just saying "This isn't true. They think this way" is just not correct. There are surely lots of people who want the leadership toppled and are happy to see them deposed just as there are fervent supporters. The US has reached a similar situation where if you asked a large number of people they would say adamantly that the country wants the President removed. That doesn't mean it is "True".

The point is, you can ask a bunch of Iranians who you are related to or friends you know and you will surely get at least two adamant stances. I tend to add a bit more credibility to those wanting freedom since very rarely do people vocally wish for more oppression other than out of blind ignorance or fear.

I don't think the OP is "misinformed" or lying, nor do I have any reason to believe his source is.

It's like asking someone who isn't a US citizen what their opinion of the president is.

You ask some people in various countries in the world, and you'd probably hear people say that Trump himself has a harem of questionable aged women in a secret White House chamber, and that he sees to it that troops March up and down the streets of D.C. shouting "Sieg Trump!"

Hell, just taking a cursory look through Dreddit and you'll see all kinds of ridiculous things about politics from uninformed teenagers and young people.

a reply to: corkUSMC


I have heard the same thing for years.

originally posted by: theruthlessone
My brothers father in law is iranian and at a bday party saturday night told me that Iranian people was genuinely fuming at America. Is your source actually Iranian ?

I notice he still lives in the West... he could say anything from the comfort of his home, since he knows he won’t be oppressed by the US govt.

Iran and the United States exchanged messages last night after their fake attack on our troops in Iraq. But the contents of the messages are classified.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: corkUSMC

So what you are saying is Trump's reckless foreign policy decisions are strengthening the hard liners already in power?

Makes sense.

Just heard Senator Rubio speak on OANN news... he supports Trump avd he’s one of the gang of 8. I was genuinely surprised being that he accepted donations from Soros. But not everything is cut and dried.

This is nothing new. Iran usually pays people and buys people food etc for them to come out for certain things to show faces. There are a lot of poor people who would love some money or food out of all the 70 million people living in iran.

Also, what you see on tv, all those protesting, how many are they out of the WHOLE population of Iran.. 500 000? 2 million? 10 million? Most people are celebrating, but if they were to show it they would be executed on the spot so they rather stay at home.

On mobile, so apologies beforehand.

I know quite a few Iranians who left Iran anywhere from just a couple of years ago to some who left decades ago.

They tell me that the majority of Iranians dislike the Islamic dictatorship, and want to go back to their more liberal ways. They claim that many Iranians like the U.S. and its people, and for the most part have a very favorable outlook upon the West as a whole.

All I know is every Iranian I meet have been very nice folks who seem to echo one another when it comes to their beliefs. All but one Iranian I met gave up on Islam, whereas others were Muslim in name only for practical reasons.

Come now. Sure, I expect most Persians would prefer a mossadegh style govt (which we took away from them) than their current theocracy. But to think that we’ve destroyed their economy, sanctioned them from food and meds, caused deaths and hardships due to lack of those things. And to think that despite these things, despite us arming Iraq and pushing them into war with Iran for a decade, despite all the times we’ve screwed them, to think they sympathize with us and hope we come save them from their rulers?

How stupid can you be? Or how stupid do you think they can be? What, it’s going to be a scenario like in Iraq, where all the citizens love the us and will grab their guns to support us as we walk in and liberate them? What bs. Wise up, fools. Everything you hear is bs. How can you fall for the same bs over and over before you stop believing lies?

And let me add to the “not as it seems”.

So, Iran has the largest Jewish population in the Mideast, outside of Israel. And occasionally, under all the stories of Iran killing non Muslims, oppressing religious freedoms, having a brutal theocratic regime blah blah blah, their Jewish community is asked to comment. Israel even offers them money to repatriate. But their usual response is, surprisingly, “nah, we’re fine here. We actually like it here just fine. We even get to participate in government. Thanks though!”

So, yeah. Not all is as it seems.

a reply to: corkUSMC so you mean those couple million people at his funeral were celebrating?


Haha. B.s. they loved him

a reply to: corkUSMC
Everybody has a friend it seems. And no doupt everybody's friend opinions differ. Though I heard vie youtube off-course about a week on new years that there going to war or proxy with Iran.

Ah! I suppose as good a reason as any. Never heard of this Soleimani character, but I know his drove. And I suppose there are far to many of that type around, I thought they stopped making that type in the 50s, but I thought wrong apparently, its good to wipe a few out here and there. I suppose.

I mean if they dont use there heads and get with the program already, I see no need or reason for any of them to keep them attached to there bodies. And that would be my policy on world matters come this new year. Far to many of them alive wobbling around like duckies in a pond making strange duck noises from there face flap holes, when that should not be so.

All the rest? Meh! Get on with it already, whatever goofy plan the eggheads and brass have, may as well stick to it this time around. And the opinions will off-course differ all across the board. On just what is good, and what is bad.

But one thing is for sure, you all the US and everybody else involved, ain't going to be making any friends if this whole thing turns out like that whole Iran thing. So we shall see.

originally posted by: corkUSMC
I have a very close friend and contact who is Iranian and is well connected with the resistance movement in that nation.

My contact has said that nothing is as it appears to be at least from the perspective of what we're being told and shown.

For the record, my contact lived in Iran for over 40 years and worked as a journalist in that country as well as having served as an editor for several of their internal news organizations. He left Iran almost 4 years ago and now resides in Canada. He has kept in close contact with his ties in Iran since leaving and has his hand on the pulse of the people in that nation.

Here's the highlights from the conversation/interview with my contact:

Apparently, the demonstrations we're being shown on television is a farce; he said the Iranian government typically pays or otherwise compels those we see demonstrating to be out en masse protesting. In reality, by and large, the Iranian people hated Soleimani and celebrated his death

As much as people are attacking Trump for this move, the Iranian people are thankful for what Trump "had the guts to do" in face of the expected opposition and backlash

Everything we're being told about Soleimani is apparently true and just the tip of the iceberg. He was apparently worse than what Western media has indicated in many respects

From the perspective of my contact, Soleimani "deserved" to die and "should of suffered more".

It's easy for the Iranian government to assemble even as many as a million people in the streets but that most of Iran's population of 81 million not only hated Soleimani but hate the Iranian regime altogether.

For these protests, from a logistical standpoint, they do it by recruiting 100,000 people from ten cities and then assemble all of them in the capitol. These protesters are paid and during the demonstrations they receive everything from meals to clothing; they are apparently well taken of and serve to show whatever the Iranian government wants to depict.

For reference, these demonstrations aren't nearly as big or widespread as others have been, for example, when the people of Iran are behind them instead of the government; last time this happened was ten years ago when Ahmadinejad was elected through, what many Iranian people viewed as, cheating. It was a silent protest, albeit, but there were three million in the streets for it.

The Iranian people want war not because they have a problem with the U.S., but rather because they want regime-change and hate their government.

The internal Iranian resistance movement is large and involves "millions and millions" of the nation's population.

The push back from Iraq is also not representative of the reality on the ground. It's true that the current ruling coalition in that country supports the Iranian regime, but that coalition only represents a third of the country's population. By and large, the Iraqi people support what the U.S. did and are in lock step with the majority of Iranians.



          

I agree with you , but it does not take a secret Iranian Journalist to ascertain this info ! Its fairly accepted in many open media circles that what you wrote is common internet knowledge! Agreed that you wont hear these things on MSNBC or CNN ! Thanks for your enthusiasm!

a reply to: corkUSMC

first, Ooh Rah!

second, i have no doubt about what your saying. the young of iran want to be in a modern state. not a backwards azz religious dictatorship. the protest go back as far as the 90's. you can go back years and see where the young have been pushing for change as in the links posted below
from 2001,

As reformists and conservatives wrestle over the future of the Islamic Republic of Iran, much of the pressure for change comes from young people under the age of 30. They make up two-thirds of the country's population, have little or no memory of the 1979 Islamic revolution, and often are hard-pressed to find adequate employment. Afshin Molavi, a journalist and writer, recently spent a year traveling around Iran speaking to youths about what they want for the future. He recounted his experiences last week in a talk at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, attended by RFE/RL's Persian Service. Correspondents Charles Recknagel and Homayoun Majd report. Prague, 16 February 2001 (RFE/RL) -- Afshin Molavi spent the last part of 1999 and most of 2000 visiting more than 20 cities and villages in Iran and talking to Iranian youth.
Iran: Young People Call For Change

from 2012

One of the most pernicious misunderstandings in the West about Iranians is that they are dour religious fanatics. About half of Iranians are under the age of 25, and Iran has done a solid job of raising their education levels.

I was struck on my 1,700-mile road trip across Iran by how many of them share American values, seeking fun rather than fanaticism. They seem less interested in the mosques than in amusement parks (which are ubiquitous in Iran).
In Iran, They Want Fun, Fun, Fun

from 2010

Omid Memarian and Tara Nesvaderani
Youth is the largest population bloc in Iran. Over 60 percent of Iran’s 80 million people are under 30 years old.
Iranian youth are among the most politically active in the 57 nations of the Islamic world.
As the most restive segment of Iranian society, the young also represent one of the greatest long-term threats to the current form of theocratic rule.
Young activists have influenced the Islamic Republic’s political agenda since 1997.
After the 2009 presidential election, youth was the biggest bloc involved in the region’s first sustained “people power” movement for democratic change, creating a new political dynamic in the Middle East.
The Islamic Republic forcibly regained control over the most rebellious sector of society through detentions, expulsions from universities, and expanding the powers of its own young paramilitary forces.
But youth demands have not changed, and anger seethes deeply beneath the surface.
The regime also remains vulnerable because it has failed to address basic socio-economic problems among the young.
The Iran Primer Search Search