I want Iran to win. What does “win” mean? Iran defines it in the following way: the United States must lift its decades-old sanctions; it must dismantle its military bases in the Arab states; Israel must end its occupation of Lebanon; and Iran must be compensated for the damage it has suffered over the years and in this war. Though more than a thousand Iranis have already died in American and Israeli bombardment, and more may die, securing these outcomes would amount, in Iran’s view, to total victory.

Why do I want Iran to win? At the most basic level, it is the underdog in a confrontation with two nuclear-armed opponents, Israel and the United States. It is militarily weaker, yes, but not feeble, as the world has witnessed since 28 February. It has shown a level of resolve that many other states might not. Another instinctive reason for supporting Iran is that it is, like us, a nation that feels it has been trampled on by what is called the West. I feel solidarity with it for this reason.

At a deeper level, I see Israel and the United States as colonising powers imposing themselves brutally on a region that does not want them. Their actions, therefore, should be resisted. American sanctions on Iran isolate it from the global banking system, making trade with the world difficult. They are designed not only to........

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