Just saw this on TCM and gained a bit of Insight

Has anyone thought of this as an allegory about Dante's Inferno? He keeps going down and is not satisfied. He drives back up and goes back again. Each time, he is neither satisfied but hears a different way that God does not want him to do evil.
I watched this film from the point of view of a former soldier of the US. I watched it twice again, with the Gates around 3.5 in, and had a thought. The US should never get involved with any country again. These are kind people but if there government is evil, so let their own country take care of it.
Weird thinking. But this is a film that let's you think such.
(SPOILER ALERT)
Then the director changes from such a wonderful story to.........the crappiest ending of all time!!! THe director can't enter America and I hope he can only enter Dante's hell. How awful an ending and I hope any Iranian film from now on ends with a nuclear blast. Damn all!