In war, initial enthusiasm not a predictor of success

After I wrote a column criticising "the folly of attacking Iran", I had pushback from some Iranians, who understand the region far better than I ever will.

- Nicholas D Kristof

A photo taken on March 7 shows demonstrators from the Iranian diaspora rallying near the White House in Washington, DC, US.BLOOMBERG

(BLOOMBERG)

"We, the Iranians, wanted this," one replied on social media. "You don't know how it's like to live under the boots of one of the most brutal regimes."

They raise a fair question: If some Iranians are celebrating in the streets — so desperate for change that they welcome the bombing of their own cities — should we object?

I sympathise with those Iranians, because I've seen the oppression firsthand in my own reporting in Iran over the years: police officers swooping in on my interviews; security thugs shouting at women to cover up; and intelligence agents who once detained me in Tehran, accused me of being a spy and told me I could be imprisoned indefinitely until I confessed. It is terrifying to feel the breath of Iran's dictatorship on your neck.

In Iran, I saw resentment of the regime everywhere. Once, I encountered it even in the office of a grand ayatollah in the holy city of Qom: My interpreter jokingly introduced me as coming from the Great Satan, and an aide to the ayatollah responded with a laugh: "America is only Baby Satan. We have Big Satan right here at home."

Iran contains multitudes, of course, and the regime does have supporters, especially in rural areas. Even among reformers, there is some fear that this war will make things worse and perhaps threaten the nation's survival. When I asked one Iranian dissident what he expected from the war, he was pithy: "Nothing good."