Tuesday night, it is probably a good guess that the topic of Iran will come up in the State of the Union.

It is a good time to once again reprint the map of Iran and its close neighbors in the Middle East.

Iran Lebanon Israel area (pdf – includes Israel)

Iran is almost exactly the same geographic size as Alaska, and has a population of about 93 million, more than twice the population of California.  While Alaska and Iran are about the same size, Alaska has less than 1% of Iran’s population (738,000).  Most people in Iran live in cities.  It is a major world country.  It is important to come to an understanding of the country, its people, and particularly its relationship to the west, especially to the United States.  Note especially the Strait of Hormuz, and if I’d make any suggestions start your history with the early 1950s, democracy in Iran, and oil….

I asked some folks I know who are Iranian if they have any sources of info which they would consider credible.   Here’s one: “Article that may be of help:  https://jacobin.com/2026/02/protests-revolution-iran-war-intervention.  I would also check out Quincy institute and their materials.”

This brief post comes about because of an e-mail (forwarded with permission) by a native Iranian (long time American), sent to a friend in the last few days.  Here’s the note in its entirety.  The opinion is as all opinions are: the view of the writer.

“It’s heartwarming to know that you and people like you care.

Internet is somewhat reconnected and the news are horrifying.  I don’t think there is an accurate statistics of the murdered but 40,000 would not be an exaggeration.  At this point anyone I know either knows a killed one personally or knows of them!

The streets were covered in blood of the innocent.  They even attacked the hospitals and shot the wounded!!  We know this because some of the bodies still had hospital stuff attached to them and gunshots in the forehead.

People are divided and really desperate.  Almost half the people really want him to attack!!!  I’m talking about people inside Iran.

I’m totally against this brutal stupidity but understand the desperate people whose logic is: we are getting killed anyways and there is no help.  Even if the help comes in the form of getting more of us killed but giving us freedom we take it.

A lot of people are waiting to be bombed to freedom.”

I only add this comment which I made to the person who sent me the above writing: “As you know ’the west’ has a very long history with Iran, much of it going back to the early 50s and oil and the Shah and the like.”

I could add much more to this, but let it suffice for this post.  This is yet another crucial opportunity to learn.

Here’s an additional response from someone in a position to know what Iran is.