Being a blogger in Iran today certainly presents many challenges. The government is cracking down like never before and I’ve certainly noted a sense of caution. Who can blame them?
With a US-strike on the country a definite possibility, people I’m speaking to are determined to not let the nuclear issue deter them from daily life. Some support Ahmadinejad’s pursuit of nuclear energy – and Israel’s weapons are a constant source of frustration – but others feel that the US is determined to attack the Islamic Republic, no matter the reason. It’s a long-held Washington position for regime change here, not simply eradicating the alleged nuclear arsenal.
Iran is a country that truly exists behind closed doors. Gender relations, open discussion and political debate. I can’t think of a country on earth that is more fundamentally (deliberately?) mis-understood in the Western media.