Abbas Amanat

as it's the fate of all the nations, rather than commit itself or sworn to a particular course of policy.

So there's a give and take as the nature of politics is art of possible, as it been said.

So probably Iran is going to be hopefully moving that direction.

I think there is a generational thing.

That's the third reason.

No matter how much the Islamic Republic tried to Islamicize the Iranian society in its own image of kind of radical ideological indoctrination, it has failed.

It has failed up to what we see today in the Iranian streets.

And the Iranian population said no to it.

And I think if there would have been, and I very much hope there will be, a possibility for a more open environment, more open space where they would be able to speak their views out,

Iranians are not on the side of moving in the extreme directions.

They are in the side of greater accommodation and the greater interest in the outside world.

And if you look at every aspect of today's, beside the government, every aspect of life in today's Iran, we can see that.

From the way that people dress,

to the way that they try to live their lives, to the way that they're educating themselves or being educated in the institutions, do you see a desire, an intention to move forward?

And I'm optimistic.

I have to- That's so nice of you to say so.

And I very much hope so.

There are moments of despair and there are moments that you would think that there is no hope.

And-

But then again, something triggers and you see 100,000 people in the streets of Berlin that are hoping for a better future for Iran.