Experts warned in advance that a US-Iran war would actually radicalize the regime, break the protest movement and allow the regime to re-establish greater control over Iranian society.

And offcourse to everyone’s complete and astonishing surprise, the experts turned out to be right.

Its not just Trump either. Western media were reprehensibly ignorant of Iranian politics. Most popular media outlets ended up giving a centre stage to monarchist demagogues. You couldn’t even turn on the tv without seeing interviews with ‘Iranians’ calling on the US to bomb Iran, calling Netanyahu a great patron and calling the Europeans cowards for not stepping in.

The thing is, most of these people had never even set foot in Iran. And those that had included those who’s families held positions in the regime of the Shah. It’s like asking former Ba’athists what they think should be done in Iraq.