> Neither have been its main nemesis, the Saudis, Israelis and the U.S.

I agree. OP said the Iranians have been virtuous. My point is nobody is virtuous in these sorts of conflicts.

Washington has the original sin of supporting an authoritarian against the Iranian people. But we have supported bad leaders in lots of places, from Cuba and Korea to Vietnam, that didn’t start menacing their neighbours and sponsoring terrorists.