Myths and Facts About Iran

Recently, Iran has been all over the news as an avowed enemy of America and the West. Many still don't seem to take this seriously, though, so in the answer style of Mitchell Bard's Guide To The Arab-Israeli Conflict, I'd like to address a number of common misperceptions about the nation:


Myth: Iran is an Arab country.

Fact: Iran is a Muslim-majority nation in the Middle East, but it is not populated by Arabs. Iran's majority population is Persian, with significant minorities of Kurds and Azeris (a people ethnically native to Iran's neighbor Azerbaijan).


Myth: Iran has a democratic government.

Fact: The government consists of elected officials, but the system is far from democratic. Iran's ruling Islamic clerics control everything, and routinely ban candidates not to their liking.


Myth: Iranians predominantly support their government.

Fact: While no percentage of exact support for or opposition to the government can be accurately ascertained, a large number of Iranians clearly detest the rulling Mullahs and wish for freedom. Less scientifically, but still noteworthy, virtually every Iranian I have ever met here in America (and I know many) both considers him/herself as "Persian" (rather than the regime-favored "Iranian") and strongly opposes radical Islam.


Myth: Being Shiite, Iran does not support Sunni Muslim terrorism (such as Al Qaeda and Hamas).

Fact: Notwithstanding such religious differences, Iran's government has supported terrorism ever since it came to power in 1979. Iran has been consistently observed to have provided manpower, training, weapons, and financial support for Sunni terrorists all over the world. Sunni and Shiite radicals may hate each other (the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s being a culmination of such feelings), but they hate the West even more.


Myth: Iran wants nuclear weapons only for peaceful purposes.

Fact: Iran's nuclear program clearly is a military strategy and poses an increasing danger to the entire world. The words and actions of the country's top policymakers have clearly dictated as such, and we have no reason not to take them at face value.


Iran clearly is a dangerous nation with a threatening military agenda. We must address this issue immediately, before they can develop any sort of nuclear capability. For more information, and most importantly to help, start with the Iran Freedom Foundation.