'Joy under bombs: Why do some in Iran support US attacks?'

Some images shared on social media following the US attacks on Iran have revealed that at least a segment of the Iranian public supports these strikes. So, what do these images mean? Does the Iranian public truly approve of their country being bombed? Or is there another social and political reality behind these reactions?

To find the answers to these questions, I spoke with several Iranians whose families and relatives still live in Iran.

The first of these individuals was Anna Tahra, a businesswoman living in Istanbul. I first asked Tahra about the current situation of the people in Iran. Tahra stated that she could not reach her family because internet access was intermittent. So, what did she think about the public welcoming these attacks with "joy"? Her words were striking. She replied as follows:

“At least a large segment of the Iranian public sees this not as a war, but as freedom and liberation. That is why they are rejoicing. Moreover, they want the Iranian regime to collapse as soon as possible; if this is to happen through Iranian and Israeli attacks, they will support them as well.”

So, why does the Iranian public think this way, and why do they support the invaders? To this question, she replied: “The Mullah regime has been oppressing the people for nearly fifty years, trying to govern the country with a despotic administration. As a people, we rebelled against this order, we rose up, but we could never defeat it, we could not find a solution. Therefore, there was no other choice left.”

An Iranian academic/writer, who did not want to share their name for security reasons, explained the situation of the Iranian public as follows: “The Iranian regime has slaughtered thousands of people to date simply because they wanted their freedom. There is a religion-cloaked dictatorship in Iran. And this regime will eventually be defeated. They are currently on the verge of that defeat. The Iranian Mullah regime is experiencing its final gasps, and the public will not stand by the Mullahs in this war. Look, even I still do not feel safe; I cannot speak freely and share my name.”

To my question, “Some Iranians support the US and Israel; are you also on the side of the US and its partners in these attacks?”, they replied:

“Look, of course, I do not support the US, Israel, or any other aggressive power. But today, there is no other remedy left. Before this regime was established, Iran was a prosperous country living in welfare. I lived in Iran for years; my family and relatives are still there. Today, Iran is a poor country, and the people are struggling in pain. The regime has suppressed uprisings in a bloody manner to this day. Moreover, not just today, but since the day it was founded, it has rejected all demands for freedom. In the very first years of its establishment, it killed hundreds of its leftist and socialist citizens. I say this as a leftist and social democrat. Some people in Turkey do not see these realities, do not expose the face of the regime, and say, 'We are with the Iranian people.' Do not be with us like that. Be against the Iranian Mullah regime. We are, of course, against imperialism; we know what Trump and Israel are, but we have no path left to take. The people of Iran who want freedom have reached such a point that they will not even see Israel and the US as invaders. Because the Mullah regime has left them no other option.”

Finally, I asked, “Do you have a call for the people living in Turkey?” They said, “The liberation of the Iranian people and the arrival of democracy in Iran will also affect Turkey, and the Turkish people will be happy about this too. Time will show this; the attainment of freedom by the Iranian people will be a development as valuable for Turkey as it is for Iran.”

İbrahim Şeren, a Jafari religious scholar who lived in Iran for 17 years and directly witnessed the culture and faith of the Iranian people, thought differently on this point.

I also asked him why some people living in Iran support these attacks. Şeren began his sentence by saying, “First of all, these individuals are negligible in number.” He continued by saying, “In democracies, there can be opposing people; this is natural. However, there is disinformation from imperialism and Zionism here.” According to Şeren, the people who are rejoicing are acting under the influence of imperialist rhetoric. At this point, I asked Şeren the question, “Is there democracy in Iran?” Şeren stated that the democracy in Iran does not exist in many countries, that the culture of criticism in Iran is very rich, and that this situation should set an example. Şeren said that they have adopted the Shia and Jafari faith and that they prefer honor over humiliation.

When I reminded him of the uprisings in Iran and the people who died subsequently, he said, “These people were poured into the streets by the CIA and Mossad; they fired at security forces and set state buildings on fire. Is it against democracy to stop these people? Which country would allow such uprisings directed at itself?”

Şeren concluded his words by saying, “If Iran had surrendered to the US, none of what is happening today would have occurred. We are talking about a bandit who took the president of Venezuela from his home. I constantly travel to and from Iran; of course, there may be some problems, especially in the economy, but if there is a price to be paid, it must be paid.”

Did Şeren have a call for Turkey and the rejoicing Iranian public? Şeren answered this question as follows: “Turkey and Iran share a common destiny. The existence of Turkey is the existence of Iran, and vice versa. Today, regional countries are under a great siege. Egypt, Iran, and the next stop will be Turkey. I also want to say this to the Iranians, whose numbers are negligible: Protect your country, do not let your honor be trampled under the dirty feet of imperialism. Protect your dignity. This is our cause of honor and dignity.”

Conclusion.

Undoubtedly, the US has been etched into the conscience and memory of peoples with its bloody history from yesterday to today, with its colonial and bandit identity. It has brought pain and death everywhere it has gone. The imperialist policies led by the US have brought nothing but oppression to peoples. In this context, all aggressions of imperialism, including those against Iran, will yield results in line with their own interests. However, at least some segments of the Iranian public interpret the situation this way. This, too, must be read as another truth.