As Putin’s war in Ukraine continues to escalate every day, countries around the world are forced to take sides. As it is well known, NATO and many other western countries have taken the side of Ukraine. However, Russia’s allies are a bit more in the shadows with regard to public support over the unjust invasion. One of these countries is Iran, which over the past couple of weeks has been making headlines over the use of their kamikaze drones by Russian invaders. The drones have been used to destroy civilian infrastructure. The Kremlin, Russia’s government, however, is playing coy about these drones as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the Kremlin does not have any information about their use. However, Iranian leadership’s decision to be active participants in an ethnic genocide should NOT reflect the Iranian people’s stance. Ever since Iranian morality police killed a young girl over her resistance to wear a hijab, the Iranian people have erupted in mass protests across the country. These protests pose a challenge to Iran’s Islamic Republic as young women are leading marches freely exposing their hair. Unfortunately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have countered these protests with violence and death. According to Afshon Ostovar, an Iranian national security expert, “the more people killed by regime forces, the more hardened anti-regime sentiments are likely to grow, and the more radicalized the younger generation is likely to become.” It is clear that many Iranian citizens oppose their oppressive regime and thus should not be ignorantly blamed for their nation’s terror in Ukraine. The rest of the world is with the people of Iran as they continue to resist their oppressive regime. (Antonio Morales/Emerald)