I've counted some Iranians as friends since 1968. I don't talk to them much, or often, but here's the gist..... Back in the day, the Shah had more "intelligence agents" here in the US than real students or green card legal honest folks, just watching out for disloyalty or revolution.... commies, let's say.
Since the Ayatollah/Nazi ideologues....the remnants of Hitler's agents in Iran during WWII.... took over..... well, let's say, it turned out the "commies" the Shah was worried about weren't real commies at all. Some were tools of US intelligence special units, little different, really, from Russia's "tools of KGB intelligence". Agitators seeking little angles of control and influence in an independent country..... Machiavellian schemers.....
Nobody can claim to run Iran today. The so-called "religious fanatics" of the Iranian government are Western educated, and know all about western intrigue, Russian intrigue, and Chinese intrigue. They simply believe they have the right to have their independence, and their own foreign policy like other "Big Shots" with the power and tools it takes to be independent.
They still believe Jews.... international banker Jews in particular..... are as much the problem with the world, as Hitler ever did.
Israeli government officials believe they are that bad.
Russia's "meddling" in Iran and the Middle East is not all the bad we could imagine. Russia has a fairly positive view of Israel, and uses their influence to intimidate/control the Iranian racists. Assad was not nearly the bad in Syria that our Press makes him out to be, either. Assad protected the 25% of his people who were Christian, and who were essential to his power base.
What went wrong was our idiot President Obama, and Hitler Hillary.... and yes, she is not a democrat by any stretch.... she is R for Rockefeller, the most deranged Secretary of State we ever had. Obama and Hillary contrived to help ISIS get up and running, made arms available.... cash flow available. Without Obama and Hillary, ISIS would never have happened, and would not have prospered, nor lasted. Obama tried to "buy Iran" with billions in outright cash for terrorism, and with a deal that would have in fact enabled Iranian nuclear development. But Iran is smarter than Obama, and never would have become a "good boy" in the New World Order, compliant with Western or any other kind of agenda.
Iranian leaders might be smarter than Trump, too. Genocidal genius generally won't seek alliance. The only thing that will really help Iran is general world sympathy for the majority of peon Iranians, generous asylum rules, and humanitarian aid that does not feed the monster government.
And really, really serious anti-terrorism and punishment of Iranian allies/tools around the world. The serious attack should be on the ideological terrorists where ever they are. The best we can hope for is that the old guard will be so miserably and so catastrophically failed, nobody will want to try to continue their hate-based world view.
So, Trump, don't be a jackass. Shock and Awe military adventurism is stupid here.