President-elect Barack Obama has not yet been inaugurated, but some Iranians are already losing their optimism that he will change policy toward Iran after 30 years of estrangement.
When the U.S. stock market plunged and venerable New York investment houses fell, some Iranian leaders said the Bush administration was paying the price for its aggressive, unilateral ways.
With only nine months to go before their own presidential voting, Iranians appear far more interested in the U.S. election than in their own, and many think the U.S. choice will deeply affect Iran.