Reply #19: That's not much comfort: Ayatollah Khomeini was a real wacko.

[struggle4progress]

Although hostility towards Shah Pahlevi was natural and understandable, and although the overthrow of the Shah and the resulting strain in US-Iranian relations should be understood (at least in part) as blowback associated with US policy dating back to the 1954 coup that installed the Shah, the Islamic Republic next established under Ayatollah Khomeini immediately exhibited fundamentalist and totalitarian features, which is unsurprising, since
Khomeini was an intolerant extremist.

When Ahmadinejad quotes Khomeini, it could mean many different things, of course: it could be a matter of domestic politics or it could reflect his personal views or it could reflect an official government position. But people seeking to gauge the actual prospects for peaceful developments in the Middle East might not be terribly cheered by quibbling over whether the Khomeini quote is a "threat" or a "prophecy."