The Iranians: Let's Talk

By Azadeh Moaveni

Does everybody inside the "axis of evil" hate the U.S.? Apparently not, according to a surprising poll released late last month by Iran's state news agency. It showed that 65% of Iranians support the resumption of ties with the U.S., 75% want dialogue with the U.S. and 46% consider U.S. policies toward Iran--which include President Bush's designation of Iran as part of an "axis of evil"--to be somewhat correct. These embarrassingly pro-U.S. sentiments caused such a stir that hard-line judge Saeed Mortazavi shut down the organization that did the polling and brought charges against the head of the news agency that published it. The survey was commissioned by the pro-reform parliament's national security and foreign policy commission, which denied that the poll was "a manipulation of public views" and asked the judiciary to drop the charges. But given that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called overtures toward the U.S. "treason and stupidity," the harsh reaction was not unexpected. --By Azadeh Moaveni