I also spent a bit of time in Iran decades ago. Iran's religious leadership are just as corrupt as any western nation when it comes to their own power and privilege. That said, I think that Iran's leaders have a position of their own to maintain as the Guardian among the Shi'ite population of the Shi'ite faith in the Muslim world. Look who Iran's ally in Lebanon, the Shi'Ite minority Hezbollah represents and groups within the Shi'ite populations of the Gulf States and Iraq. THAT is seen by the Gulf state rulers as the real threat among thir own population.
The US was already secretly funding the Mujahedin Khalq in the west as well as certain Sunni groups in Afghanistan against the Iranians. The Iranians have also been funding and training anti-US groups there acording to the wikileaks revelations.
The REAL problem for the US and Israel of a strike at Iran's nuclear facilities is the very real possibility of a Shi'ite uprising against US troops in Iraq as well as Hezbollah and Hamas attacks on Israel's nuclear facilities in places like Dimona.
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