Over a 50-year profession in academia and international service, Hooshang Amirahmadi has seen all of it on Iran.
The Rutgers professor, 78, based the transnational-relationship group the American Iranian Council, ran the Middle for Iranian Analysis and Evaluation, visited Iran throughout its struggle with Iraq to attempt to deliver a few decision, authored quite a few books in English and Persian and even submitted bids to run for president of Iran in 2005, 2013 and 2017 earlier than the clerics disqualified him, presumably for his American citizenship and pro-democracy stances.
Amirahmadi can be deeply ensconced within the U.S., the place he’s served as director of Rutgers’ Middle for Center Jap Research and is one of many extra distinguished public figures who holds each American and Iranian passports and travels freely between the nations. Not for nothing has Amirahmadi appeared often on CNN, Fox and PBS.
Given what number of impressions of Iran — generally misimpressions of Iran — have been permeating the information because the Israel-Iran Conflict started 9 days in the past, it appeared like the proper second to succeed in out to Amirahmadi, the person who typically finds himself explaining every nation to the opposite. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to him just a few days earlier than the U.S. joined the Israel-Iran struggle early Sunday morning by bombing Fordow and other key Iranian nuclear sites. Listed below are excerpts of the dialog.
A lot of what we see of Iran on TV reveals here’s a stressed populace keen to assist anybody who opposes the regime. The Apple TV hit Tehran could make it look like half the Iranian safety institution is working for the Mossad. How correct is that illustration?
Properly, first you’ve gotten so many Jewish people who find themselves related to Iran indirectly. There are about 90,000 or 100,000 Jews nonetheless living in Iran. And it’s most likely much more since there are all those that transformed after the revolution so they may keep however at coronary heart are nonetheless Jews. There are even individuals within the regime like this. So lots of people in Iran, I don’t assume that they’d all work for the Mossad after all, however they’re definitely open to doing issues which can be towards the regime. So the reveals are appropriate.
And so they’re not anxious about being seen as supporting the enemy.
Loads of Iranians have good emotions about Israel. The regime doesn’t. However the individuals don’t essentially have a difficulty. In reality generally they’re happy with Iranians who’ve succeeded there — for instance Shaul Mofaz [the Tehrani-born Israeli military hero and former Minister of Defense], he’s somebody even many Muslims are happy with. “An Iranian is a high-ranking member of a international authorities.” These ties are stronger than you’d assume.
And has that remained persistently true even by way of current historical past?
No sadly not. The final 10 or 15 years has gotten worse. When Israel began stepping up its killing of generals and nuclear scientists, I believe that modified issues for some Iranians. Not everybody — I’d say it’s nonetheless about 50-50. Nevertheless it was a a lot larger quantity that had been pro-Israel.
And these assaults are upsetting even to Iranians who don’t just like the regime? They don’t see the nuclear scientists as instruments of that regime, of what they don’t like?
No as a result of the nuclear scientists usually are not walled off like they’re in another nations. They’re professors — professors dwelling of their communities. That’s why the killings have executed a lot to damage Israel-Iranian relations.
The place do you assume the present battle will depart these relations?
Sadly it would improve animosity on each side. When you’ve gotten a lot infrastructure destroyed on each side — hospitals, roads, bridges, you title it — that’s going to occur. In the beginning. However. My hope is that it modifications and it brings individuals collectively. Typically struggle does that. Individuals want it to allow them to perceive one another, can perceive their frequent humanity. Human beings have used struggle that approach. Why couldn’t that occur right here?
Postwar Germany and the U.S. could be instance. OK, so let’s discuss American information organizations. While you watch CNN do you assume it captures what typical Iranians really feel?
Iran sadly has been offered to Individuals as a pariah state made up solely of terrorists. It’s really actually the same scenario to what Iranian TV portrays vis-a-vis Israel — “they’re all terrorists.” And sadly it doesn’t appear to ever get higher. I’ve labored on U.S.-Iran relations for greater than 40 years and there’s nonetheless animus for Individuals towards Iranians due to this.
It’s not essentially all of the networks’ fault, although, in terms of displaying a wider spectrum, is it? A part of the problem is getting information protection from Iran, simply getting reporters on the bottom.
That’s clearly a problem. One other massive downside is that American universities produce only a few Iran specialists. There was quite a bit, and now you’ve gotten much less, and people you do have are usually American. They’re nice however we actually want extra who aren’t simply giving the American view.
Then you’ve gotten all these dissident motion pictures from Iran. We simply had The Seed of the Sacred Fig throughout Oscar season, which confirmed a youthful technology against the regime, and naturally the Women, Life, Freedom protests of 2022 impressed [director] Mohammad Rasoulof to make the film within the first place. Jafar Panahi, one of the crucial well-known dissident filmmakers in Iran, simply received the Palme d’Or for his slyly political movie It Wast Simply An Accident. The photographs of dissatisfaction with the regime and curiosity in democracy that these movies platform — how consultant are they?
What individuals don’t keep in mind is that Iran was essentially the most pro-American nation within the Center East earlier than the revolution. Why would that change? Individuals under 50 or 60 might not assume that approach. However individuals above 50 or 60 do, and possibly they might help the youthful individuals.
You don’t assume even the older individuals have been influenced by the regime and its propaganda?
No, I believe the Iran road is definitely very pro-American. It’s the regime that isn’t. If you wish to see anti-American go to the streets of Saudi Arabia, the place 35% of the individuals reside under the poverty line. Not the palace. The palace, the so-called pro-American palace, that’s simply billionaires having enjoyable. Belief me, they aren’t pro-American. In 10 years they’ll have essentially the most anti-American nation within the area. The common Iranian is 10-times extra pro-American than the common Saudi. Many Iranians, even when they’re Muslim in title, they’re secular, and they are often socialist or capitalist, similar to Individuals. The Iranian economic system is a capitalist economic system. However we are likely to see issues from a political lens and a regime lens and we don’t understand that.
It’s really been putting to me when speaking about Iran and Israel that regardless of being mortal enemies they’re each outliers as two of the biggest non Arab-majority nations within the Center East. That looks as if a nuance that actually will get misplaced, particularly when different Muslim nations within the area are held up as larger American allies.
In Iran the regime is anti-American and the road is pro-American. And in Saudi it’s the reverse. However after all it’s the road that ought to matter extra. The palace modifications. The road doesn’t.
These usually are not nuances that essentially come by way of on American tv information protection.
I imply you’ve gotten Ted Cruz telling Tucker Carlson he doesn’t even know the inhabitants of Iran. I believe many Individuals perceive these variations however our leaders on tv don’t give me numerous hope.
Given {that a} struggle doesn’t are likely to make for essentially the most humanizing results, what’s going to make sure essentially the most correct American perceptions of the Iranian individuals in your view?
We have to see peculiar Iranians, not simply the regime within the information. Somebody must make a present [in Hollywood] the place the primary characters are Iranians in Iran. That’s what is going to make for a deeper understanding.