Beyond the Rhetoric: Iran's Mixed Feelings on Conflict

The historical context also plays a role. While the Islamic Republic has consistently demonized Israel since the 1979 revolution, there was a period of close relations between the two countries during the Pahlavi monarchy. This historical memory, though suppressed by the current regime, might still influence the perspectives of older generations who recall a different era. For them, the current animosity might seem like an unnecessary and dangerous deviation from a more pragmatic past.