The L.A. Times (2/23/03) carries an article about how Iranian expatriates hope the U.S. invades Iraq–and after that, Iran:
Others, who despair of the clerical regime’s capacity for reform, even hope that after Iraq, the U.S. will take on Iran….James Taranto also points to an article in the Teheran Iran News, a reformist paper:
When newspaper headlines suggest that Washington’s resolve may be wavering, anxiety sets in.
“Are they changing their mind?” Goli Afshar, a 23-year-old student, asked as she alternately tightened and loosened her grip on a mug at a cafe on Gandhi Street. “Can they hurry up with Iraq already, so they can get on with attacking us?”
Why is nobody thinking about the immense suffering of the nation of Iraq? If one negotiates or yields to the demands of this hostage-taker Saddam Hussein, he will only be emboldened to increase his demands. He might even take more hostages. In any event, it is only the hostages [the Iraqi people] who will suffer further loss and injury….If Saddam Hussein is allowed to finesse his way out of this crisis, he may take the entire region as hostage in the near future….Moreover, someone should ask these antiwar protesters…if they realize how truly terrifying it is to live near a deranged and demented ruler such as Saddam Hussein, who has already invaded two of his neighbors?…Where were these protesters when Saddam Hussein was killing hundreds of thousands of citizens with conventional and unconventional weapons?…In conclusion, the same high and mighty Western powers who created the monster that is Saddam Hussein owe a debt of honor to the people of Iraq, as well as to the people of the entire region, to disarm and remove him from power now. [Iran News, 2/17/03]Needless to say, this is not the position of the Iranian government.