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Iranian support for US action hangs on Trump’s next moves, an Iranian expert warns - interview

From Jerusalem Post · (28m ago) English Mixed tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • An Iranian expert warns that Iranian public sentiment could shift negatively if civilian infrastructure becomes the target of American attacks.
  • Despite initial popular calls for intervention due to the regime's brutality, a change in US rhetoric and potential attacks on infrastructure could alienate the Iranian people.
  • The expert emphasizes that the Iranian people are America's and Israel's best allies, and their support hinges on the US maintaining its stated objectives, such as dismantling nuclear capabilities and weakening missile programs.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, an Iranian expert, offers a crucial perspective on the volatile situation surrounding potential US action against Iran, as reported by The Jerusalem Post. Her warning underscores the delicate balance of Iranian public opinion, which, while initially receptive to external intervention against the oppressive regime, could rapidly turn if civilian lives and infrastructure are endangered.

Iranians do not want to live another 47 years being brutalized by the Islamic regime, but sentiments could change very quickly if civilian infrastructure starts receiving the brunt of American attacks.

— Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKayMacKay warns about the potential negative shift in Iranian public opinion if civilian infrastructure is targeted.

MacKay highlights a critical misunderstanding in the West, particularly among those on the political left, regarding the Iranian people's desires. She asserts that for 47 years, Iranians have suffered under the Islamic regime, enduring massacres and failed attempts at reform. The initial excitement following President Trump's threats of intervention stemmed from a desperate hope for change, a feeling that their plight was finally being acknowledged.

What many people don't realize in the West, especially from the left of the political spectrum, is that the Iranian people were calling for this intervention.

— Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKayMacKay addresses a perceived Western misunderstanding of the Iranian population's desire for change.

However, MacKay cautions that this sentiment is fragile. The shift in US rhetoric and the potential for collateral damage to civilian infrastructure could be devastating. She stresses that the Iranian people view themselves as America's and Israel's staunchest allies, but this alliance is contingent on the US adhering to its stated goals – dismantling nuclear capabilities and weakening the missile program, rather than regime change or indiscriminate attacks. The article implicitly suggests that a misstep by the US could transform potential allies into disillusioned adversaries, with profound implications for regional stability.

They understood that there is a cost to freedom and that there was going to be collateral damage, and they were willing to pay that price because they said they have nothing else to lose.

— Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKayMacKay explains the initial willingness of Iranians to accept casualties for the sake of freedom.
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Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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