And…sure sounds like a false equivalency here - and condoning Iran’s actions over the decades. The US/Israel having nukes doesn’t mean you get make it your life mission to erase Israel, oversee brutal proxy wars, use shipping lanes as leverage, etc. And don’t say Gaza. Iran doesn’t care about Gaza.

Not "condoning" anything. But to ignore the historical context of the region - what the US, Arab countries, & various Israeli govts have done to Iran over the past 70 years - in order to portray Israel as some heroic victim, demonstrates an understanding that is as shallow as MAGA's.

Who’s saying Israel is a heroic victim? I’m anti-Netanyahoo, the genocide in Gaza, Israeli influence in US Gov, etc. I’m just saying it’s a case by case. No one forced Iran to be a brutal theocracy. They could be a thriving economy with alliances and tourism by now. Actions have consequences.

A whole bunch of Americans continually portray Israel as heroic victim, principally the US "Christian" right, but also many "liberals". There's a shitload of history of the region that got us to this point which many people on both sides of the US political divide don't appear to understand at all.

In 1953, US & UK intelligence agencies overthrew an economically-successful, popularly-elected democratic-socialist govt in Iran and installed a dictator to protect BP's interests. The dictator gave BP 50% of Iranian oil profits & suppressed Iranian resistance with brutal secret police forces.

Yes it was a mistake. But Iran also should’ve been realistic that they were not going to control the flow of oil, Western powers be damned. They should’ve negotiated a treaty that allowed the political structure to remain in place. And again, a brutal theocracy is not the answer, and not popular.

They weren't trying to control the flow of oil, just their own resources. The US & UK didn't give the Iranian people a choice in 1953. And in 1979, they embraced the only force capable of helping them throw off the puppet regime and colonial yoke. Yes, ultimately, they screwed themselves, but ...