Iran's Growing Anti-Americanism

A man leaving a Friday Prayer site in Tehran slapped an image of President Obama. Many in the capital scoff at proponents of the chant “Death to America.” Credit Kaveh Kazemi for The New York Times

Max Boot, Commentary: Iran’s Intensifying Anti-Americanism

The nuclear deal with Iran, reached this summer, was supposed to auger a new age in Iranian-American relations. Advocates of the deal spoke optimistically of Iran moderating, opening up for business, and generally becoming a more constructive force in the region than it has been in the past. The deal really wouldn’t make a lot of sense otherwise: Why would you want to funnel hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran — and put it on the threshold of nuclear weapons status within a decade — if it remains committed to, well, “Death to America”?

So how is the promise of the Iran deal panning out? Not so well as even the New York Times editorial board, fervent supporters of the agreement, is now forced to concede. In an editorial today, the Times editors write: “The anti-American backlash in Iran since the nuclear deal was signed has gotten so bad that one Iranian-American businessman in Tehran now likens it to a witch hunt. As alarming as that is, the crackdown will probably get worse.”

WNU Editor: President Obama pursued a nuclear deal because he believed that by doing so .... the end result would be an open Iran and a change in the character of the Iranian regime. Unfortunately .... we are learning the hard lesson (again) that people's/government's character do not change .... that change must always come from within, and without external influences. The Iranian regime has always stayed steadfast and true to itself, adhering to its religious dogma and political beliefs .... it is not going to change just because President Obama's hopes that they will change. My prediction .... this Iranian nuclear deal and the benefits that Iran will derive from the elimination of sanctions is only going to solidify and fortify the Iranian hard-liners .... a fact that we are seeing play out right now.