Iran has sent an open letter to the American public saying its "death to America" chant targets US leaders, not ordinary Americans — a softening gesture that US media is largely ignoring.

• The letter argues the chant means opposition to American policy and the elite behind it, not hostility toward American people.
• Iran also claims its Revolutionary Guard has never attacked civilians, which is false — US-based rights monitors have verified nearly 6,900 protester deaths, with thousands more cases under review.
• Israeli intelligence publicly admitted infiltrating Iran's January protests, which made the crackdown bloodier, but the regime still killed protesters on its own.
• The double standard is the real story: Saudi Arabia executes more people and faces no such pressure, because US media punishes criticism of Israel while rewarding criticism of Iran.
• A brutal government is not a reason to invade — the US stays allied with dictatorships in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

Outlook: The letter reads as an attempt to sway the US midterms, and it will likely go unmentioned on cable news while pressure for confrontation with Iran continues.