To be sure, many of Iran’s ruling elites came of age politically during the anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist agitations of the 1960’s and 1970’s, and still cling to that worldview. Although their revolutionary zeal may have waned over the years, they still tend to share the outlook of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, who likened the relationship between Iran and the US to that “between a sheep and a wolf.”
伊朗长期坚持与美国敌对的原因有点复杂。但可以肯定的是，伊朗很多领导人都出自二十世纪六七十年代，那时反帝国和殖民主义热情都很高涨，对他们的世界观产生了很大影响。虽然革命热情随着年龄的增长而有所消减，但他们还是愿意追随已故的阿亚图拉·霍梅尼的世界观，把伊朗和美国之间的关系比作“羊和狼”的关系。