I think there is an official propaganda opinion and the real feeling of the people.
The iranians - especially the generation of young iranians who are 50% of the population - are not fanatic islamics who dream to become martyrs and to kill heretics.
There is a possibility to make them to fanatics. If anyone attacks Iran he creates iranian fanatics.
Saddam had to learn the effects, when he tried to invade Iran and steal the iranian province in SW-Iran.
With this action he created a solidarity and a fanatism in the iranians of the 80ties which made it very easy for Khomeini to manipulate the people. It made the iranian wave attacks possible, where hundredthousands of iranian paramilitary troops died in storm attacks against iraqi lines - pushing Saddams arabs out of iranian territory.
Just one example: During the revolution many iranian fighter pilots were put to prison. When Saddam and his arab hordes attacked, these pilots, trained in the USA, made the suggestion to leave their prison cells in order to fly against the arabs and promised to return and go back to their cells.
The situation was desperate - and so they were allowed to fly. And they didnt flee or defected - which would have been easy with their planes. Instead they fought against the arabs and returned like they promised. Shorty after that they were officially released.
This shows that many things which happened in these days (and still today) are absolutely illogical and hardly to understand.
Israel is another example. Officially it is the big bad enemy of Iran. But Iran has to make sure that Israel will exist instead of destroying it. The existence of Israel keeps the arabs busy - so they cant go against Iran.
Another example of the "logic" of politic was the Armenian-Azerbeidjan-War.
Iran - you know... the ISLAMIC Iran - was not supporting the islamic Azerbeidjan in the war, but the christian Azerbeidjan. Because of political reasons.
When the islamic Talibans were winning their civil war in Afghanistan, supported by Pakistan, it was Iran which defined the Talibans as heretics and supported the afghan factions who were fighting them. 2 million afghans fled to Iran during the civil war and after the USA has deposed the Taliban many of these refugees returned to the west afghan provice of Herat. So today Iran has some influence in this province.
Politic - especially in this region is very complicated.
So its no wonder that it seems surprising and hardly to understand, when official iranian statements and actions are seen.
But on the other hand, there are people in the west, who believe that iranians are members of the semitic arab race or who dont know about the hate between shiite and sunnite islam.
But nevertheless the majority of the iranians dont hate Israel or the USA.
The mullah-rulers use the anti-USA and anti-Israel proclamations in the hope to manipulate the people. But for the iranians there is no reason to believe them. And the actual mullahs dont have the charisma Khomeini had. Also they dont have the experience of the terror of the Shah their parents had.
Also the strongest arab enemy of Iran, Saddams Iraq, has been destroyed and is no longer a danger for Iran.
No - actually the mullahs are shouting their stupid Death to USA / Israel but the funny thing is: They cant stop the process which had begun after the death of Khomeini in Iran and will finally depose them.
And unlike Iraq, which had to be destroyed and where foreigners try to teach the people how democracy has to work, the democracy-process in Iran will be done by iranians in Iran.
Its a long way we have to go and there will be many setbacks, but I am sure that finally the dream of Prime Minister Mossadegh becomes reality.
And then everything is possible - even an official alliance with Israel
