could'nt have put it better myself Barry..

oh by the way - in the 70's the US helped Iran with Nuclear power..

Thirty years ago... when Kissinger was secretary of state for President Gerald Ford, he held that "introduction of nuclear power will both provide for the growing needs of Iran's economy and free remaining oil reserves for export or conversion to petrochemicals". Last year Dafna Linzer of the Washington Post asked Kissinger about his reversal of opinion. Kissinger responded with his usual engaging frankness: "They were an allied country."

and guess who held key positions in the administration at the time..
Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz.

Im no apologist for the Iranian ruling elite.. they are repressive
but in many ways Iran probably has more democratic elements and a real internal opposition than anywhere else in the middle east.

and why do they hate the US? well for a start the US overthrew a freely elected president in 1953 and propped up a tyrant in his place for 25 years..all in exchange for favorable oil deals -- the Iranians were after all getting uppity in seeking a fair royalty for their Oil.

lets hope Dick Cheney doesnt decide to bomb Iran after all.