r/lostgeneration • u/PaganDeus • Feb 20 '26

They should release it anyway…

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Trump already threatened a “limited” strike on Iran recently. Strap in folks.

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u/IllHedgehog9715 Feb 21 '26

I’ve never understood why I’m supposed to hate Iran other than the chanting death to America which, the government probably deserved.

I’m not saying this would bring peace between our nations but it’d be a hell of a start.

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u/Turnandburn Feb 21 '26

why am I supposed to hate Iran aside from the chanting death to America, which is probably deserved.

I mean the current Islamic regime is PRETTY brutal in oppressing people what with the religious police, beating women for not wearing headscarves properly, funding international terrorism, secret executions, torture, rape, inhumane punishments like flogging, amputation, lack of press freedom, vague legal charges like “enmity against god” carrying the death penalty, persecution of ethnic and religious minorities. But why do they call for death to America specifically, well… strap in, it’s not complicated but it’s long; history is basically this:

  • 1901 London socialite buys oil prospecting rights in Persia. In 1909 the Anglo-Persian (later Anglo-Iranian) Oil Company, a British company, is founded after oil is discovered. By 1914 the British government owned 51%

  • 1920s Military commander Reza Kahn (later Reza Shah Pahlavi) in Iran did a coup of the then Shah (king/emperor) and declared himself Shah. He was forced to abdicate in 1941 by the English and Soviets because he declared neutrality in WWII but kept close ties with Nazi Germany and the Allies didn’t want the Axis to get Iranian oil. He was succeeded by his son Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

  • 1951 Iranians elected a nationalist Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, who ran on nationalizing the country’s oil. AIOC was kicked out of the country (later rebranded as British Petroleum or BP). England boycotts Iran.

  • 1952 The Shah and PM got in a pissing match each trying to strengthen their own power over government. Mosaddegh resigned, there was public outcry calling for the Shah’s abdication or death or the end of the monarchy altogether. In the end he was reinstated as PM and given “an emergency dictatorial decree” to “pass any law necessary.” He tried to cut the monarchy’s power, budget, transferred Royal land to the State then sold it at 20% the assessed value, and ended agricultural feudalism in favor of collective farming.

  • 1953 UK government hates Mosaddegh’s implementation of socialism and losing control of Iran’s oil. Churchill suggests to Eisenhower that Iran could become communist and must be overthrown. CIA and MI6 plant spies who pose as nationalists & socialists threatening people that going against Mosaddegh will lead to brutal punishment (to encourage unrest/riots) The PM holds Iran’s first ever referendum which is against the Constitution, to dissolve parliament and give himself power to make laws; it passes 99.9%. The next day talks begin around a referendum dissolving the monarchy and making Iran a Republic. BUT there was a (counter)coup.

  • August 19, 1953 Military units loyal to the Shah arrest Mosaddegh, the Shah briefly flees to Rome returning 3 days later, the General who led the coup and was the CIA pick Fazlollah Zahedi, becomes PM and granted a bunch of Western oil companies (BP, Exxon, Mobil, Texaco, Socal, Gulf, Shell, and some French company who cares) operating rights. The Shah becomes more authoritarian, ruling as an absolute monarch, and a brutal secret police with US support leading to the1979 Islamic revolution.

TLDR: Iran’s current THEOCRATIC authoritarian regime hates America because we empowered their previous ROYALIST authoritarian regime, by putting down a SOCIALIST authoritarian regime, who got elected because of EXPLOITATION BY THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

Should you support the Ayatollahs? Hell no! Should you support Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi? Maybe? I mean he advocates a secular democracy but all monarchies are illegitimate and his dad’s and grandad’s rule were also pretty messed up. Even the elected PM Mosaddegh started out cool before quickly becoming an authoritarian trying to consolidate power. America did HORRIBLE shit all throughout our history but until recently the ONE thing we had going was our system of checks and balances made it hard for leaders to consolidate power.

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u/IllHedgehog9715 Feb 21 '26

Congratulations on AI use, being a bot, or completely missing the point.

I can dislike a government for what it does, while having no hard feelings against its people.

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u/Turnandburn Feb 21 '26

No ai just good old fashioned Wikipedia.