I'm not sure I agree.  The educated, somewhat secular class of Iranians tend to be pragmatic about the US.  However, I understand that there is a very large group of "haters" in the society as well.  I have relatives that were forced to emigrate due to impending loss of businesses merely due to the fact that they were not Muslims.  There were, in fact, Baha'is which is worse in the eyes of the regime since they are seen as heretics rather than non-believers.  Some ended up in the US, while others are in Canada, Ecuador, and Paraguay.  All have said that whatever its faults, the USA (and the West in general) are clearly superior places to live. 

It remains to be seen whether the correct way to treat Iran is via constructive engagement or via a cold war-type treatment.  My relatives strongly support the latter, but I'm not entirely sure that we couldn't undercut the fundamentalists better via recognition and engagement.

On the other hand, our recognition and engagement of fundamentalist-leaning regimes in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have done absolutely nothing toward independicizing their outlooks.