Interesting. A lot of conflicting data about the views of the Iranian people.

I've seen data suggesting that only 30% of Iranians are actually Shia Muslims and that there is a big move to atheism and Zorastriansim.

But ultimately the proof is in the pudding. If they don't overthrow their government after being given plenty of opportunity and support to do so they must be considered responsible for its actions and thus bear the consequences.

There has been a tendency in the West and Israel to say that X people are repressed by their government and are not responsible for its actions.

Israel has said it is at war with Hamas, not Gaza, with Hezbollah, not Lebanon, with the Iranian regime, not the Iranian people. The US has adopted a similar position.

I think this is fundamentally wrong with regard to Gaza, where Hamas and the Oct 7 atrocities had overwhelming support. Not a single Gazan helped a hostage escape and when they did escape the population handed them back to Hamas.

With Lebanon it appears that the distinction may be justified.

With Iran I think the distinction is looking less and less justified.

Ultimately the people in a country are responsible for the actions of their government, whether it is a democracy or not. They always have the power to change their government, even if that involves the use of force rather than just voting.

So unless there is clear evidence, like Lebanon where the government has formally agreed to Israeli occupation to remove Hizbollah, the country as a whole needs to be made to bear the price.

This means that complete destruction of Iranian infrastructure and use of tactical nuclear weapons to destroy Pikeaxe mountain needs to be on the agenda.

The West is being too soft and playing into victimhood narratives where people are not responsible for their actions or even inaction.