131–140 of 169 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"why would you characterize their stance that way?" Because it's the publicly stated intentions of the current government there. We should take their statement at face value.
Citation please.
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/27/world/africa/wipe-israel-...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm an American citizen and visited Iran back 2017 with no problems. I was nervous about getting questioned but surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the smoothest border crossings I've ever experienced - when entering Iran and the US I literally got no questions at all. (Getting an Iranian entry visa as an American without a government minder was bit trickier, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how smoothly t…
>> synagogues Do they still operate or are they remnants of pre-revolutionary times? I don't see how they can operate in a state whose publicly stated goal is to "wipe Israel from the face of the Earth".
The article also mentioned that the buildings are unadorned from the outside, and that the website for the synagogue he attended had text on it condemning the Israeli government for the 2008 Gaza atrocities, so it's not completely unencumbered.
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"Briefly, the anger felt by Iranians is due to their support for their fellow Muslims, the Palestinians, and their extreme mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli government." Yes, we see how angry they are when the extreme mistreatment of Syrian Sunnis or Chinese Uighur. Ah, wait, they even take part in the former. They do a fine job of making it appear the real issue is religious. "For example, Iran was abiding by…
MEMRI is a well-known neocon propaganda outlet, so your arguments merely reflect this. From Sourcewatch: "Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an Israeli propaganda organization that selectively translates materials from the Arab/Muslim/Iranian press purportedly demonstrating hostility against Israel/Jews." https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Middle_East_Media_Rese...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Briefly, the anger felt by Iranians is due to their support for their fellow Muslims, the Palestinians, and their extreme mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli government." Yes, we see how angry they are when the extreme mistreatment of Syrian Sunnis or Chinese Uighur. Ah, wait, they even take part in the former. They do a fine job of making it appear the real issue is religious. "For example, Iran was abiding by…
MEMRI is a well-known neocon propaganda outlet, so your arguments merely reflect this. From Sourcewatch: "Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an Israeli propaganda organization that selectively translates materials from the Arab/Muslim/Iranian press purportedly demonstrating hostility against Israel/Jews." https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Middle_East_Media_Rese...
When it comes down to it, it seems the complaint is that the people Sourcewatch quotes don't like MEMRI's alleged politics, and therefore we should ignore all evidence. IMHO, an ideological echo chamber is bad for the mind.
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> Without fail, every single person that has been to Iran rates it their number one country Only heard similar opinions, which really makes me want to visit. Three female friends of mine went together and they loved it even though there is this omnipresence of the religious police, reminding them to cover up. The stories they told me of how friendly people are and the things that go on behind closed doors makes it so…
> the things that go on behind closed doors "House parties"? That happens to be something I hear about a lot from young Iranians that come to the US for school. My understanding is "house parties" are essentially the only time young men/women can socialize together. I also understand sometimes even alcohol will appear at house parties which again I understand to be at least taboo if not outright illegal generally.
> I also understand sometimes even alcohol will appear at house parties which again I understand to be at least taboo if not outright illegal generally.
I have a very strong aversion regarding breaking laws, especially if I'm at the mercy of a foreign government.
That sounds like hell on Earth for me.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm an American citizen and visited Iran back 2017 with no problems. I was nervous about getting questioned but surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the smoothest border crossings I've ever experienced - when entering Iran and the US I literally got no questions at all. (Getting an Iranian entry visa as an American without a government minder was bit trickier, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how smoothly t…
Until 1979 they were. As quick as it changed it could change back if the poltical pressures change. All it would take would be Iran/Israel making peace which would push the Saudis into the bad guys role.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"why would you characterize their stance that way?" Because it's the publicly stated intentions of the current government there. We should take their statement at face value.
Citation please.
But why don't you take Khamenei's own words, literally from his Twitter account: "Our stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. #Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen." [1]
Or a random sampling of the same stated objective through the times:
"Israel should be wiped off map, says Iran's president" - The Guardian [2]
"Referring to comments by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution, Admadinejad said, "As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."" - NY Times [3]
"Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, who leads the Basij volunteer force, made the declaration to mark Islamic Republic Day in Tehran on Tuesday. “Wiping Israel off the map is not up for negotiation,”" The Independent [4]
This is not a single statement or an off-hand remark - it's made consistently, publicly and empathetically by many representatives of the Iranian regime, without retraction or contextualisation afterwards, throughout the entire history of the regime.
These statements must be taken as a credible articulation of the objectives of Iran - and considered in the context of their goals of obtaining nuclear weapons.
As for the article, I would love to visit Iran, but they are grabbing Western tourists willy nilly, accusing them of being spies etc., so that won't be happening.
[1] https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1003332853525110784
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/oct/27/israel.iran
[3] https://www.nytimes.com./2005/10/27/world/africa/wipe-israel...
[4] https://www.jpost.com/International/Merkels-govt-says-Irans-...
All these politics and political games are such a shame. The Tehran that the author describes seems like a really vibrant city that I'd really like to visit and experience. But I never will for fear or something like this happening, becoming some tiny pawn in a much bigger game. And I wish that Iranians could come to the US and visit NYC or SF and see our culture. Then we might realize that the other side is somethin…
Tehran is a beautiful city with a wide range of smart, compassionate, cool people. My cousin in Tehran introduced me to games like Counterstrike, Grim Fandango, and Battlefield, which got me into PC gaming, which got me into open source game scripting. We spent a few summers in Tehran, and there was this electronics bazaar called Paytakht[1] that I'd always beg my mom to take me to. They had everything from motherboa…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> And I wish that Iranians could come to the US and visit NYC or SF and see our culture Plenty of Iranians live in the US or western countries.
Sure, that's definitely true but I'm just saying that this same thing happens going the other way too. There was actually just an story about it the other day. https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/27/us/michigan-iranian-student-d... So maybe I should've said that I wish more Iranians could come to our country safely and easily.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm an American citizen and visited Iran back 2017 with no problems. I was nervous about getting questioned but surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the smoothest border crossings I've ever experienced - when entering Iran and the US I literally got no questions at all. (Getting an Iranian entry visa as an American without a government minder was bit trickier, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how smoothly t…
>> synagogues Do they still operate or are they remnants of pre-revolutionary times? I don't see how they can operate in a state whose publicly stated goal is to "wipe Israel from the face of the Earth".