Baku, Azerbaijan, March 28
By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:
As the 2016 US presidential election has sparked off an intense debate on the outcome of the polls, Iranian social media users have drawn striking parallels between Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and US frontrunner Donald Trump.
While a large number of Iranians have opposed Trump describing him as "emerging nightmare" and "American Ahmadinejad", there are a few people who express support for Trump suggesting the controversial candidate is capable of eliminating terrorism.
There is another group of people who describe Trump as a hardliner and say there is no difference between Iranian and American hardliners.
Such users claimed noticing similar remarks made by Trump and Iranian hardliners regarding the nuclear deal.
"They are both unhappy with the nuclear deal. Is not that strange?" a Twitter user questioned.
"No matter what country they come from, the hardliners always express same views," another Twitter user said.
Ahmadinejad's Hollywood version
Some Iranian social media users believe Donald Trump is the "Hollywood version" of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"Trump is very similar to Ahmadinejad in both talking manner and dressing. I hope he will not gain votes as Ahmadinejad did," a Twitter user said.
Meanwhile, another user said if Trump is elected as US president, Iranians won't feel so embarrassed for having someone like Ahmadinejad for president.
Comparing Trump with Ahmadinejad, another user described the American frontrunner as a "nightmare" saying that Trump as a president is more harmful for the world than the former Iranian president.
"I love Mr. Trump"
Trump however does have its fans among Iranians as well. One Facebook user said it was a mistake "to oppose Trump".
"I love Mr. Trump. I hope he will be the president because I know that he will eliminate terrorism very soon," a Facebook user backed the US presidential candidate.
"Trump knows very well that the root of terrorism is in the Islamic and Arab states. In my opinion Trump has clear goals," another Facebook user said, expressing his support for Trump.
Other users argued that Former US President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan failed to eliminate terrorism.
"Was Bush's attempt to eliminate terrorist successful when he invaded Iraq and Afghanistan? It only increased the number of extremist groups in the region," another Facebook user replied to those who back Trump's views regarding terrorism.
Users making comments such as "for the world Trump is as dangerous as Islamic extremists are", "Trump is just like an emerging Tornado and you can do nothing to stop it" and "Trump is an extremist and extremists are not reliable," raised serious objections to Trump's views regarding terrorism.
Trump vs. Muslims
Some users highlighted Trump's business activities in Muslim countries and criticized his remarks on banning Muslims from entering the US.
Mohammad Reza Sabzalipour, the head of Iran's World Trade Center, pointed to a massive project by Trump for the construction of a skyscraper in Dubai saying Trump is looking for money in Muslim countries but he calls for barring Muslims from entering the US.
"I am really happy that Trump appeared in the US. Now, the world at least understands that the Middle East is not the only region were silly and hardline people appear," a Twitter user said.
Although some users believe that Trump's advance in the election signals the failure of democracy, others say Trump's participation in the electoral campaign is only for heating up the electoral competition and he is incapable of assuming office. The users suggested that other candidates such as Clinton have more chance to be elected as the president of the US.
However, Seyed Hosssein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat has suggested that Trump may come to compromise with Tehran if Americans elect him as president.
"Trump is an unpredictable person. However, he is a businessman and despite his outrageous quotes, he may come to a deal even with Iran, if he finds Iran business interesting and finds Iran helpful for resolving the existing regional crisis," Mousavian told the official IRNA news agency in an early March interview.
Farhad Daneshvar is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @Farhad_Danesh