Iran was born an empire! Without an empire, Iran is nothing!
The problem with old sayings is that they don't change or allow for growth.
Iran is more than an empire... for Syria and Yemen it is hope... and for the Shia populations in neighbouring countries it is hope.
And for the rest of the world it is the best medicine against the wahhabist nutters that the Sunni seem to spread like shit...
The only negative thing Iran does is support opposition to Israel... and that is enough for Israel and the US to make them the most evil group on the planet, but if you are not a zionist, who cares, they are no threat to anyone except some terrorist criminals that illegally made a country.
Ironically, all Iran is actually doing is supporting a group that wants to do exactly the same thing... create a country called Palestine... and use any method fair or foul to do it... just as the people did who created Israel.