>I'm not sure what your situation is but I know Americans that have gone through an intermediate country

It's possible, sure. But the risk of arbitrary detention would make it impossible to enjoy. The state department currently lists Iran as "Level 4: Do not travel", and suggests you have a will in order if you do [0]. There was a brief moment towards the end of the Obama era where it seemed things may have been thawing, but with the Soleimani assassination I don't have much hope for the future in that regard.

[0] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/...

You should have a will even if you stay home. And a living will in case you are vegetating and the plug needs to be pulled.

Most people in Iran know there are a bunch of assholes running things there just like there are here. Daily life for most people there consists mostly of mundane things like colored pencils.

Travel requires treating irrational fears as irrational. If you want to go, you can find a way. Your life will be different afterwards because that's what any travel does.

The ways in which people change from travel is why Americans have been banned from Cuba for sixty years and Iran for forty.

iran - and many other countries in the world - could take you happily as a hostage if your government is considered an enemy.

Statistically speaking insanely improbable. ~5m people and thousands of Americans visit Iran every year. Unless you're a anti-govt journalist or intelligence related you have nothing to worry about.

N.B. the argument that Iran will falsely label you a 'spy' feels weak to me given the order of magnitude of such detentions in recent history is in the tens. It would be equally improbably that most of these detentions were false positives as plenty of foreign intelligence operations happen in any country. Especially given the amount of foreign-intelligence related sabotage in recent Iranian history.

There's this person: https://behdadesfahbod.medium.com/if-you-read-one-thing-from...

Extremely respected engineer both in Iran and America, ran tech initiatives for youths in Iran, a key figure in international text rendering. No political activity, but he got arrested and coerced anyway because the Iranian government wanted to force him to become a spy.

He managed to escape, but it ruined his life and career.

of those visitors there will hardly be many at which your country is basically at war which is the case for americans. i can freely travel to iran but i wouldn't recommend it to an american.