If you’re mourning the loss of Ayatollah Ali Khameni in the U.K., why do you want to live in the U.K.?

[dancingredshoes]

This is just a genuine question, and maybe a little ignorant on my part. But if you essentially worship someone who hates the West and everything the West stands for so much, why do you choose to live in the U.K.? Surely you must hate living here and would prefer to live in countries which follow similar repressive approaches as the IR, so why wouldn’t you move there?

And why has the U.K. allowed the Iranian’s to have an Embassy in London for so long, if they are so anti the West and are such a big security threat to our freedom.

This isn’t a goading post and has nothing to do with moderate Islam, I just don’t understand if you have such extreme views, why you choose to stay in a country that goes against everything you believe in?

This is exactly the question I asked my husband this morning in an attempt to understand! I think it was after seeing photos from a vigil for him in Manchester last night. Maybe it was mostly students who are only here temporarily but want to go back to that regime afterwards? Anyway, you’re not the only one who is puzzled by it, I am too.

My understanding is that most Muslims in the UK are a different sort of Muslim from Iranians so they won't be mourning his death.

And Iranians who live here are generally refugees/in exile so they won't be mourning his death either.

So who is?

@stillawip Iran has been under heavy sanctions for years and years. But no one outside of Iran ever seemed to care about that. Sanctions are an act of war and target the most vulnerable in society (children, families, the sick and the elderly) They are designed to activate 'regime change' - essentially starving people so that they rise up against their Government. This hasn't worked thus far, and it has angered the British and Americans who used to have very profitable shares in Iranian oil. So, we have moved on to Iran being a 'nuclear threat' to start a physical war.

Unfortunately, as we all know - the Iraq war was based on lies. Over a million Iraqis lost their lives there. And all we can say is 'What a shame'
What you have to understand in Politics is the narrative that is spun does not paint the entire picture.
As I have mentioned previous times. The UK always spun the narrative that they were spending taxpayers money funding freedom fighters in Syria. They weren't. Al Qaeda is now governing Syria and the UK are fully backing them.

@igelkott2026 It's not just about Sunni and Shi'a. There are many moderate Sunnis (all over the globe) who support Shi'as. It tends to be the Wahhabis that don't.

Think its you thats deranged.

What you have to understand in Politics is the narrative that is spun does not paint the entire picture.

Your narrative is also a subjective one.

Auto carrot..

Sure, they had legitimate reason to be anti the Shah. Unfortunately they threw their weight behind someone even worse, and paid dearly for it.

You would think that their western counterparts would take note of what happened to their ideological compatriots under the IR and be less inclined to make the same mistakes. Guess not.

@quantumbutterfly

Where have I been subjective?

Fact: Iran has been under sanctions for many years

Fact: Sanctions are used to weaken or induce regime change. (That's their purpose) They also impact the most vulnerable in society.

Fact: The British and the Americans overthrew the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister in 1953 because he nationalised Iranian oil. The Americans have admitted this.

Fact: The Americans themselves stated earlier that they had wiped out all Iranian nuclear capabilities. There was no longer any threat.

Fact: Tony Blair himself has admitted he made mistakes in planning the Iraq war. He said "He wanted to set the Iraqi people free, but instead they had become victims of sectarian violence"
The Chilcot enquiry found that the Iraq war was based on flawed intelligence and that peaceful options were not exhausted. The report also stated that Blair exaggerated the threat posed by Sadam Hussein.

Fact: The UK was using millions of pounds of taxpayers money to fund mercenaries ('freedom fighters') in Syria. They even went against guidance issued by the head of the former British Army.
Syria is now governed by Al Qaeda and known Al Qaeda leaders were invited to the UK in November 2025 to reopen the Syrian embassy.

Fact: Al Qaeda affiliate HTS was removed from the proscribed terrorist organisation list so that the UK didn't break any terrorism laws in doing this. The UK continues to provide financial support to the Al Qaeda leaders now governing Syria

All true. And? No one is laboring under the delusion that the US and Israel are perfect freedom fighters. Persians especially are quite cognizant of the fact that they wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t in their interest to do so.

Here, their interests align. Despite knowing full well the extent to which the US and allies have interfered in Iran, they are still preferred to the IR. Having experience of both, they know what they prefer as an option. The US and Israel are at least providing an opportunity for Persians to be rid of the IR, which is not something they can do without external help.

Very, Very well put and as the child of an immigrant I wholeheartedly agree x

Subjective in that you choose what to notice. Unless of course you're in a position to read classified docs and not just whatever is in the public domain.
I'm aware of the anglo-iranian oil co, it morphed into BP didn't it?
I've heard of the issues with Mossadegh & the Shah, seen the photos of Afghanistan & Persia urbanites pre-theocracy, also aware of the European & Iranian 'socialists' who tried to ride on the coat tails of religious fervour when they brought the ayatollah back, and paid with their lives.
My point was merely that when you use the phrase 'you have to understand', that your view is as subjectively based on what you have heard and read and experienced as anybody else's and not some over riding truth that...trumps all others.

@InterIgnis The Americans and British know what THEY prefer?
Syrians were literally slaughtered by Al Qaeda. And even when they got into power, the slaughter didn't stop there. Minorities have been brutally (and I do mean brutally) tortured and murdered under the new Al Qaeda 'leadership' fully supported by the UK and America. And here you are so blase acting like it's nothing. Clearly you have never witnessed nor experienced attrocities.

90 million Iranians have been instructed by America to stand up against their Government. Even if only half or only a quarter turned up, that would be sufficient for the Americans to state their case. They didn't, so they are going to be bombed into smithereens instead. As punishment.

Oh and hold on, Al Qaeda in Syria were also heavily funded by Saudi Arabia. So why on earth doesn't the UK and America start their regime change there I wonder 🤔

The Persians know what they would rather. It isn’t the IR.

Persians have been told to wait, actually. They are not armed. Taking to the streets now would only result in their massacre.

On the contrary, I have childhood experience of war. So do spare me your bleatings about ‘atrocities’ when your purported concern for human rights is entirely dependent on whether or not they can be weaponized against America, Israel and any other country you consider Imperialist.

@InterIgnis The Americans publicly instructed Iranians to start the uprising. And if millions of civilians marched the streets peacefully, they would win. No question. You are dismissing the Iranian people as being weak. And they sure as hell ain't that.

They are being massacred anyway now, albeit with American and Israeli bombs.

The Americans themselves said that they had eradicated any nuclear threat from the Iranians when they bombed them the first time round and they launched an illegal attack during negotiations.

Do you honestly think the Americans and the British actually give two hoots about civilians? Their goal is purely political.

And any neighbour of Syria who has just seen America and the UK bring Al Qaeda into power in Syria will be extremely cautious. Only the Saudis and selected Gulf countries supported their quest for Al Qaeda leadership. And boy, is that going to backfire! Big time!

@InterIgnisisn’t dismissing them as weak.

Very very obviously, the Iranian people aren't weak at all and I don't see anyone implying that they are. They are absolute lions. But I don't see how they can overthrow the regime with no weapons and no way of organising.

@EasternStandard They said that civilians have been instructed to wait. That order hasn't come from the Americans who are now bombing them. The Americans ordered them to get into the streets and start an uprising. (Similar to what they were also told in Syria)
In Syria, they didn't do this either (go into the streets as instructed) so they were punished by the UK and America funding militants to commit attrocities against the Syrian people. This ultimately resulted in America and the UK bringing Al Qaeda into power in Syria. And before that, Syria used to be one of the safest countries in the world.
And then the biggest insult is that the UK just invited those same Al Qaeda leaders to the UK giving them red carpet treatment and removing the Al Qaeda affiliate HTS from the proscribed terrorist organisation list.

Syrians fought against Al Qaeda for over 14 years. Syria used to be one of the most progressive countries for women until the American and British involvement.

No, I am crediting them with not being stupid. They have been urged to wait and not take to the streets at the current time. They are not currently being massacred by Israel and America, but they were being by the IR. They unfortunately still are being targeted by the IR for celebrating US and Israeli intervention.

“Do you honestly think the Americans and the British actually give two hoots about civilians? Their goal is purely political.”

Are you under the impression that the IR does? What do you think they have to fear from Israel and America when they’re already living the very reality you’re warning of as some abstract concept?

No shit Israel and America are acting out of their own self interest. I already acknowledged this, so I’m not sure why you’re trying to argue as if I haven’t. Their goal in destroying the IR doesn’t have to explicitly be for the Iranian people in order to directly benefit the Iranian people who desire the same. Common goals do not mean, and have never had to mean, total ideological alignment.

@ThatCyanCat 'Regime change' in Syria has resulted in Al Qaeda running the country and America and the UK fully supporting that. Many Syrians were brave enough to stand up to the British and American funded Al Qaeda militants and were literally slaughtered as a result.
The Manchester bomber was one of those Mercenaries in Libya. And rescued by the Royal Navy. But when he carried out the same bombings on UK terrority, he became the terrorist, not the 'freedom fighter'
Politicians need to be very careful with the games they play. It usually comes back to bite them on the backside and it's usually ordinary civilians who bare the brunt of it.

Because Mumsnet is mostly while middle class liberal mums - not generally Muslim extremist?

that’s why it was such a bizarre post
you need to head over to the dark web board ask for this to be moved there

https://washingtonreporter.news/interview-president-donald-trump-wants-iranian-people-to-wait-a-little-bit-longer-before-toppling-the-remaining-regime/

The message from Pahlavi, that was broadcast over Iranian airwaves after hacking was successful, explicitly cautioned the to wait. They will be told to take to the streets when the time is right to do so, not at the current time when it is counterproductive for them to do so.

You preferred Assad, who used nerve gas on his own people?
Rock and a hard place for Syria I think. I can imagine that seeing the people of Syria rise up against their leader when they'd had enough made Putin twitchy enough to try and help his ally but that was ultimately unsuccessful.
For the same reason that there's discussion on why we have embassies of unfriendly powers in the UK, relations have been broached with Jolani, Russia too is keen to be an influence.
It would be imperialistic to impose western values on Syria wouldn't it, but realpolitik means we must find ways forward, onward and hopefully upward.

Btw, is it UK & US that are the issue in Iran, or US & Israel? Opinions seem to differ.

@dancingredshoes the answer to your question is that Islamists are colonists. Their aim is to occupy, they’re not here because they appreciate our way of life, they despise our way of life; look at what happened to Iran. The useful idiot uni students, queers for Palestine et al; I can only assume don’t really understand what it is that they are lending their support to.
I am aware by the way that there are modern, moderate Muslims for whom expanding the Caliphate is not an objective.