Friends and family tried to keep faith that Shane Bauer's night...

fed is a ponzi wrote:

"The Iranian regime is pure evil, and it must be removed, and it has been going on for 30 years. For all the peace gatherings and wishful thinking this is the reality of the situation over there. We, especially liberals, have a hard time understanding that. " Is that a fact?
"Belief: Iran is aggressive and has threatened to attack Israel, its neighbors or the U.S."
"Reality: Iran has not launched an aggressive war modern history (unlike the U.S. or Israel), and its leaders have a doctrine of "no first strike." This is true of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as of Revolutionary Guards commanders."
"Belief: Iran is a militarized society bristling with dangerous weapons and a growing threat to world peace."
"Reality: Iran's military budget is a little over $6 billion annually. Sweden, Singapore and Greece all have larger military budgets. Moreover, Iran is a country of 70 million, so that its per capita spending on defense is tiny compared to these others, since they are much smaller countries with regard to population. Iran spends less per capita on its military than any other country in the Persian Gulf region with the exception of the United Arab Emirates."
Belief: Iran has threatened to attack Israel militarily and to "wipe it off the map."
"Reality: No Iranian leader in the executive has threatened an aggressive act of war on Israel, since this would contradict the doctrine of 'no first strike' to which the country has adhered. The Iranian president has explicitly said that Iran is not a threat to any country, including Israel."