Name: Is IRAN a threat to the WEST? - VisualPolitik EN
Uploaded: 2017-08-01T07:41:16.000Z
Duration: 12 min 14 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

The Islamic Republic of Iran: a country famous for making those independent movies you claim

Adverbs of manner

to enjoy but... you actually never watched them.

Basic passive voice

This country is well known too as for being
one of the main enemies for America, Europe

And of course, there are many reasons to believe
so! Iran is an Islamic theocracy where the

Head of the State is not even a politician
but a religious leader: the Ayatolah Jamenei.

Their legal system is based on the sharia
law, tortures and executions are a widely

And it this was not enough, the Government
funds several terrorist groups all across

All of the above is ALSO TRUE in Saudi Arabia.

Nonetheless, Saudies are one of the main allies
for the Americans and hold commercial relationships

So Why Iran is so bad and Saudi Arabia is
so good?

Many would believe the reason is as simple
as oil.

But the truth is: Iran has the 4th biggest
oil resources in the whole planet.

And their crude is quite similar to that one
in Saudi Arabia.

However, just one year ago, they have a
ban to sell it to most of the countries.

Yes, you heard it right: during years, both
America and Europe didn't want to buy anything

So now you might wonder: Why Iran is such
a threat to international security while other

countries as radical as them are way-better
treated?

Today, we are gonna answer to that question.

Until the 70s, Iran was one of the most glamourous
dictatorships in the World.

The so-called SHAH from PERSIA, our good friend,
MOHAMMED REZA PAHLEVI ruled over the country

At the same time, he and his wife, FARAH DIVA,
where gossip magazines stars.

And yes, I said our 'good friend' because
the SHAH of Persia was a great ally for the

United States and a good friend of the free
world.

As we said, Iran holds the 4th largest oil
reserves in the world.

Plus, they have over 80 million habitants
and a highly educated population when compared

This said, Iran is a crucial spot in order
to control the Middle East region.

Nonetheless, while the SHAH was travelling
all across the globe, enjoying a lifestyle

that would make Kanye West look like a humble
dude, his country was getting ready for a

And now you might wonder Was it a communist
revolution?

Well... initially, the Iranian opposition
was very heterogeneous.

Unlike Saudi Arabia, Iran, or, as it was known
before, the PERSIAN empire, has a long history

So among this opposition groups you could
find pro Western liberals, Marxists, social

democrats and, of course, radical islamists.

The latters had just one difference with the
others.

Despite living on the exile in Paris, he had
a great charisma and reputation among the

From his pulpit in Paris, Homeini addressed
to all of those revolutionaries, encouraging

them to take over the power under the promise
of a new and democratic Iran, where Marxists,

liberals and islamists could live together.

And this is how the islamist revolution was
born.

In november, 1979, the revolutionary forces
take over the Government palace and the US

You might remember Ben Affleck's movie,
ARGO, where you can see the story of the American

workers at the Embassy being taken as hostages
by the Iranians.

Right afterwards, the AYATOLAH HOMEINI would
come back to his country, supported by all

And... this is what he said during his first
speech:

'There is no need for an islamic democracy.

It is enough with Islam' --Ayatollah Khomeini

As you can imagine, Khomeini would become
the new leader of the country.

Of course, to eliminate the other revolutionary
groups that helped him take the power.

All those western liberals, Marxists, social
democrats and even moderate islamists where

excluded from the new Islamic Republic of
Iran.

And of course, the relationships with the
United States where absolutely broken.

Actually, American and Iran went from being 'friends' to 'it's complicated'.

In one hand, Khomeiny hated the US badly.

But on the other hand, Ronald Reagan, the
American president back in the day, was selling

weapons to the Iranians so they could fight
against their neighbouring country, IRAQ.

Well... he was a common enemy, both for 
Khomeini and Uncle Sam.

During the 90s and the 2000s, relationships
between these two countries will keep the

In 1997, Iranians choose a new president,
Mohammed JATAMI, who tried to restore friendship

But, at the same time, the supreme leader,
who was not Khomeini anymore but this other

one you see on the screen, the Ayatolah Khamenei,
had an evergreen obsession with Israel.

So he was funding a terrorist organization
called HIZBULLAH.

Don't forget that in Iran, the ultimate
decision maker is not the president but this

religious leader who holds the position of
head of the state.

This said, the American president, back in
the time, Bill Clinton, said he would never

befriend a country that wants Israel out of
the map.

Meanwhile, Iran keeps being a divided country.

Despite the majority of their population stands
for radical islam, there is still a big secular

Nonetheless, something happened in 2005 that
would change the fate of this country.

Despite what it looks, between the end of
the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s, Iran

had flirted with moderation and even secularism.

They even passed a divorce law that included
separation of goods between husband and wife.

Not even that, by the year 2006, 50% of the
students where female.

Of course, Iran was still violation human
rights systematically.

Women where forced to get their head covered
and religious minorities where forbidden.

But don't forget we are talking about an
Islamic Republic.