Once upon a time, Iranian students breached the U.S. Embassy gate in Tehran. I'd like to know the mood of others in country. Anymore, I am generally suspicious of student motives. If comparable to some American leftist student counterparts then they should not be allowed to leverage lofty change alone.
"Ignoring pleas for calm from President Hassan Rouhani, Iranian protesters took to the streets"
And here's the official NY times tweet on this story:
"Iranian authorities have clamped down on Tehran after demonstrators across the country ignored calls for calm"
I'm sure The Ayatollah loves the way the Times is framing this story...
Seriously, Every protest against Trump is a clarion call for freedom - regardless of property damage, arrests, etc...
But these freedom fighters in Iran are "ignoring calls for calm?!"
Is the NY times longing for the days when they were Stalin's official apologists?
1
If anyone has the slightest doubt that the CIA was involved in arming and instigating these demonstrations in Iran, they are very naive. Allow me to suggest to you, "Killing Hope" by William Blum, a lengthy catalog of CIA involvement in such activities since WWII.
6
Is this the beginning if another Syria-like suppression? Or another Egypt-like uprising? Iran's method of governance is not people friendly and their response will be potentially dangerous to the protestors.
Hoping for not too much carnage is a skeptical response but I hope the people's message is heard AND acted upon.
6
And we should remember that it was the US and Britain who, in 1953, overthrew the only democratically elected President of Iran. Why? Oil. Follow the momey - always.
10
As a complete outsider with bare knowledge of the internal workings of the Iranian government and society, I would like to pose this question: are these protests just another blimp on the radar, or is it an omen of things to come?
There is the obvious, given that this is not the first time that the masses project discontent with the government, this may just be squashed away within days. However, there is the curios matter that this is a protest fueled by economic discontent. Given that this is not a purely political protest, but more about the livelihoods of ordinary people, this does not seem like a grievance that will evaporate after all the harsh clampdowns occur.
People still will resume their daily lives of low economic outcomes. The failure of the government to increase economic output will not disparate. At face value, it seems like these were resentments that were brewing until the boiling point that is today.
As an outsider, one is more interested in the question of just how serious will the Iranian regime address the grievances projected by these protesters? Will the government simply indulge them with flashy promises? Will the government simply use violence to clampdown any and all complaints? In other words, is it going to be carrots or sticks? These are all just the casual questions posed by a complete outsider.
1
Trump, Pence and the dismantled U.S. State Department need to stay out of the Iranian protests and North and South Korean negotiations. Trump campaigned on keeping the U.S. out of world affairs and his ignorance has forced the world to solve their problems without U.S. intervention. As long as this very ignorant group of people are in the White House, keeping their mouths shut and their twitter fingers still would be the intelligent option...oh, "intelligence" seems to be missing from this administration.
5
The torch (pun intended) has been passed to a new generation of Iranians. About 40 years ago in 1979 the chants in the streets of Iran were "Death to America". Today the chants are "Death to the Ayatollah" Why did it take such a long time for Iranians to come to their senses?
8
Protest is a natural reaction to wasting people's money in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen as their gov. supports Shi'ite militias while their country's economy suffers.
6
The emergence of a US leader that cares about freedom and equality has not only galvanized the US citizenry but is bringing new hope to the enslaved people of the world. Just because the fat bloated American supporters of socialist and tyrannical regimes of the world don't want to acknowledge it and denigrate any movement away from their trajectory of enslavement does not remove the idea that "Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free..." really do!
6
"GO TEAM, GO"!!!! Now, if Trump can keep his mouth shut - lest the U.S. be used as an "Evil Satan" scape-goat by the current repressive regime - maybe "freedom" can actually be obtained by the Iranian people.
1
The problem with the anti-clerical demonstrations (we have had several of them in the past 20 years), is that they know what they don't want (removal of the Islamic dictatorship of Khamenei) but they don't know what they want. There is no clear plan of action, no clear aim and project. That is why the movement can easily be clamped down and / or subsided.
Nonetheless, We could guide this movement by widely informing the protestors and activits to focus their slogans on "referandum". Referandum is the only way that would lead to non-violent transition. Of course the clerical regime and its cronies will not accept this because they know they will be the losers but at least the street movement has a moto that clarfies what people want and it is around this moto that these disorganised protests will take the form of a consisting national movement. The republicans and monarchists have both supporters inside Iran. They must get together and form a coalition and demand for referandum. This is the first stage. Follwong the referandum (clerical regime or secular Iran) there will be elections for chosing a Constituent Assembly to write a new Constitution. The third stage will be general elections (either to chose a president for a republican regime or a prime minister and his cabinet for a Constitutional Monarchy).
2
It is stupid to initiate any revolution without an already thought-through and negotiated constitution to steer for.
The "freedom genie" periodically escapes from the bottle, urban demonstrations breakout, violence erupts, mass arrests occur, Iran's mullahs clampdown and the genie is corked. If our media images and reporting represents actual on site reality then this time could be different. The rural population is also involved and that indicates much broader based discontent with the clerical regime. It is interesting too that women are more visibly participating in the demonstrations, rare in Muslim majority countries. These are brave women indeed! Our elite that shapes foreign policy has never understood Iranian society and still is motivated by revenge for the storming and brutal hostage taking of the US Embassy three decades ago. Iran and Saudi Arabia are contending for Middle East domination. Both are theocratic states and both are anti Israel. Our greed for oil has made us pro Saudi even though the hand that quenches our oil thirst has been covertly exporting terrorism worldwide including to our shores. The current demonstrations are occurring under a somewhat moderate regime and the US has some leverage with the nuclear treaty. Perhaps the presidential tweets should be backed by some substantive overtures. The moderate regime has not firmly clamped down yet as has happened during past uprisings. The Administration could exploit this opportunity to negotiate with Iran and get them to recognise Israel and back off from meddling in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
5
My heart goes out to the Iranian people. When I was there with a group of tourists a year ago, I met many Iranians, all of whom were delightful and extremely kind. Their thirst for a connection with America is unquenchable. Everywhere we went we were asked for selfies and for our email addresses, and were given the email addresses of those who approached us. We were hugged and kissed, and each person told us how much they love America.
The protesters, first and foremost, want economic opportunity. Iranians are hard-working and well-educated people, but jobs are few and far between, and everyday life for most people is very hard. Of course, they would like a true democracy, not a backward-looking theocracy, but they know the chance of regime change is between slim and none.
The current protest will soon be quashed, and in all likelihood not much will change as a result of the great sacrifices the protesters have been making to speak out against the sad economic and political situation in their beautiful country.
12
Harsher Response? They have already killed - many, public executions are common. The problem with using fear is the fact that it does not work forever. Themruling class has blamed the US for generations - that is not working anymore either.
2
In 1956 Hungarian revolutionaries were egged on by US broadcasts. Many expected The US to support the revolution more than verbally and were sorely disappointed when Russian tanks crushed the uprising, opposed only by heroic and unarmed Hungarians and more American rhetoric. The demonstrators in Iran should keep this in mind as they read Trump's tweets.
10
I believe Thomas Friedman predicted something like this a year or so ago when he described the effects of a severe drought in Iran,
It is more about their economy than the theocracy and it is a protest by civilians who see money spent by Iran to prop up Assad and to support Shia everywhere including Iraq.
The demographics of Iran with an exploding population of young people who see no future for themselves also plays a role.
And the intrusive role the Republican Guard has in Iran's economy and their corruption is obvious to the citizens of Iran.
To those who think we should "somehow" intervene stop and think. This is exactly what the government wants. That is to paint this internal revolt as fostered and supported by the Great Satan.
Not a word about massive resistance to dress codes forced upon women?
Women are leading the revolt and taking off mandatory hijabs. The photo of a woman on a platform with her hijab at the end of a stick has been widely shared across social media and is a counter-narrative to a popular western left wing trope about the identity of Muslim women. The "Behind The Times" has yet to run the photo! Iranian women are saying the Hijab does not define them! This is a huge, female led aspect of these protests, a struggle for basic human rights!
3
For those people drawing a moral equivalence between Iran and the United States, I would suggest you simply imagine moving there and living there for a year. You know there is a significant difference but choose to use rhetoric implying a similarity for purely political purposes.
Suggesting the US should say nothing in support of the people seeking freedom from an oppressive government as it did under Obama is nonsense. The silence of the US makes no difference to how the Ayatollahs will explain this uprising to its people. They will blame the US regardless.
4
The winter of discontent and anger is giving birth to the Persian spring. Let the Iranians deal with the internal protests for which there is no peaceful end in sight. The west should stay out of this and not cheer either side. Trump should stay quiet and not wish or support a regime change unless the people of Iran deliver it on their own. No idea who these protesters are or where they derive their inspiration from. Let the chips fall where they may and when the smoke c;ears there will be time to determine what the US role could be in the future of the Iranian people.
8
The Iran protests started off blaming Pres. Rouhani for poor economic conditions (largely the result of factors outside his domestic power to affect) but have moved on to other long-standing grievances against other elements of the government controlled by his political enemies. Is this a case of astro-turf arson spreading inadvertently to old dry wood?
For a good laugh check out an article from 5 WEEKS AGO (Nov 26, 2017) by NY Times' Iranian correspondent Thomas Erdrbrink.
The headline? "Long Divided, Iran Unites Against Trump and Saudis in a Nationalist Fervor". He really seems to have his finger on the pulse of the nation. Keep up the good work, sir!
5
Normally I'm all for the liberation of the people and so on, but in this case I have to caution the Iranians themselves and everybody in the West against escalation.
Ayatollah Khomeini installed the "Revolutionary Guard" for exactly this situation. I believe they are ruthless killers, sworn solely to the the clergy, not the law. If ordered so they will commit genocide, with mental impunity, since they believe they will go to heaven for it. Basically it's the 9/11 terrorists with nice uniforms.
It has always been asked "Why didn't Germany oppose Hitler". Well, same situation. Germany's SA ("Sturmabteilung") was the exact equivalent of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. And they would beat you up (or worse) if you opened your mouth back then, and they will do it again today.
It's barbaric, it's unjust, it's mean, but if you want to survive you have to accept that it's also _real_!
And no assurances by DJT or any other politician will change that. Look at a map. Compare Iran to Iraq in terms of size. Do you think anybody in the U.S. military would like to wage a ground war there, after what happened in Iraq? To help some protestors? I don't think so...
So the world will be faced with either another drawn-out semi-civil-war or another refugee-crisis. Great, just what we needed! 2018 shapes up to be an continuation of 2017 :-(
1
America has cowardly refused to help the Iranian in any way leaving them to rot under Clinton, Bush, and Obama. President Trump is stepping up and should go to the UN and demand real sanctions on Iran for human rights abuses. If they refuse to budge on the issue, then cut off UN funding totally and pull out. It's also great President Trump is cracking down on the Islamist terror state of Pakistan. I'm sure all the Trump haters at the New York Times will attack whatever he does.
3
Islamic Theocracy MUST go....no other options left.
people are tired, frustrated for 40 years tolerating Islamic republic corruptions and misusing Iranians wealth for terrorisms instead of for Iranians.
IT OVER....this is a Revolution...mullahs are DONE.
2
The Mullahs are Absolutely Corrupt qnd Rotten to the core. They have oppressed and abused the Great Iranian people in the name of Islam while enriching themselves. THEY MUST GO OR IRAN WILL ALWAYS BE SEETHING AND A DESTABILIZING FORCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE WORLD.
1
Arm the rebels. Overthrow Iran. Start an Arab spring with teeth. All these murderous regimes need to be terminated and the spear of a bayonet.
1
this will contrast nicely when resistors in the US come out in millions against tRump.... bigly
U.S. Foreign Policy:
Pakistan
Afghanistan
North Korea
Iran
China
One word says it all.....PANIC!
1
Get ready for a new Arab spring, one in which America will not back down like they did under the weak Obama. Stay tuned.
2
Trump had done a lot against Iranian people but now become our Supporter!
We answer him by #shut_Up_trump in Twitter
Why you don’t Write any thing against his Intervention in Iran internal affairs?!
I'm currently lost for word s
God bless Iran and Iranian , some big corruption cause these unrest ,....
Trump needs to keep his fat trap shut. If anything could bring Iranian protesters and government forces together, it'd be their distain for the man who made it known that he doesn't want Muslims coming to America,
11
Nazi Germany under Hitler punished its own citizens before it turned its military eyes and demands outward to its neighbors. But the NYT seems incapable of learning or remembering history.
THIS is the regime that Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama were desperate to make a deal with, to shore up Obama's "legacy". What. A. Crock. THIS is the regime that once sat on the UN Human Rights Council, even though its "judicial" service convicted and hanged a rape victim for the crime of killing her rapist. THIS is the regime that Obama sat back and watched as anti-government protestors in Iran in 2009 and 2011 were attacked and killed.
For some strange reason, the NYT has blinders on.
5
Stuff like this never ends in peace in Iran.
This is not going to end well yet again. I urge and and all to retreat back and allow them to have their way. Gather your friends, your passports, if you can still obtain them, make your plans carefully and leave Iran for Europe or the USA and or Canada etc. and start your lives over. You can return if you desire down life's road, after the dead are buried and this all changes deep in the future. Not today, tomorrow or worse not now!
These are frightened old men and women from another era, frozen in time. Don't fool around. Leave and leave quietly but leave.
3
Oh, what is to be done when Tyrant A pays for military items but is deposed before they can be delivered, and Tyrant B succeeding him isn't in the lest bit to be trusted with anything more lethal than videotapes of ''The View?''
Maybe our genius-philosophers at the U.N. can devise a way to give that money back to the people it was actually taken from and bypass the tyrannical regime holding them hostage?
1
Interesting.
The NYT makes no mention of those protesters chanting anti-Iranian foreign policy slogans such as “I give my life for Iran, not Gaza, not Lebanon” as reported in The Guardian (see link) as well as in dozens of other newspapers and publications. Supporting Hezbollah and Hamas and Syria ("Let go of Syria") is indeed expensive and a drain on the Iranian economy as well as dangerous for the region.
"..... and slogans opposing Iran’s regional policy, including “Let go of Syria, think about us” and “I give my life for Iran, not Gaza, not Lebanon”.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/31/protesters-who-spread-fear...
7
The United States government should do everything in its power, short of war, to support this uprising and topple the evil Iranian regime. The good people of Iran deserve nothing less. The Iranian regime imprisons, tortures and kills its own people, stiffles economic growth at home, and foments terrorism and violence throughout the world--obviiously in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, but it also now controls the Iraqui government, and is in league with the evil regime in North Korea, and the emerging evil in Venezuela, and other parts of central and South America. For years the Iranian government has spouted, "death to the USA", now it is time for the US and the free world to chant, "death to the Mullahs"!!!
4
Please Mr Trump, if you really want to help the reform movement in Iran, shut up! Every time you open your mouth or issue a Twitter on the subject you said the regime. Incentivising the regime to crack down hard is what the Mullahs want. You want to damage or reform the regime, it's through trade and contact. Your record to date suggests no solidarity with the protesters. It may play well with your narrow base, but beyond that your silence is the most positive thing you can do.
3
Is there an article somwhere that just explains what’s happening in Iran without mentioning Trump? How is his opinion relevant?
2
Alexander Pope told us that hope springs eternal in the human breast. The Iranians are demonstrating yet again the truth of that statement.
Humans need freedom, both social and economic, to thrive. The organized crime syndicate that runs Iran as a theocracy cannot stand forever against the will of the people.
I applaud Trump for loudly and clearly calling for Western support for the protestors.
3
Iran doesn't need no foreigner support of any country! These protests are both right and wrong! Right;because we are getting tired of the corrupt politicians and the miserable conditions we face day to day! Wrong; because if the people don't change their inner spirit by that I mean having the kind of "renaissance" which must happen( soft ware and hardware changes in people) before everything else! Otherwise we only change the politicians not the conditions!
I want these mullahs to stay on power and we the people stand by our powers and change their behaviors! bottom to top changes should happen!
We don't want to become another bloody,unsafe Syria!
5
I know the Russian meddling in our election is on everybody's mind.
But America has always stood for freedom and democracy for time immemorial.
I sure hope that we are meddling in Iran on behalf of demonstrators.
A religious orthodoxy - terrorizing it's own people is an anathema to the 21st century.
And that too Iran.
Like we did with the communists - we should hasten the discarding of religious dictatorship in the dustbin of history.
And if we fail again like we did under the 44th - Congress must hold hearings - to determine why our meddling did NOT help people of Iran.
Now, that's one investigation all will support.
2
It seems that the current movement in Iran is widespread, and at its core, is against theocracy and political Islam.
5
40% unemployment among " the young" is very very high, especially if the young include college graduates. 50% of the population is under 30? So let's see - females pushed down, 40% of " the young" unemployed? How is this ever going to end over time? One poster mentioned that the Iranian regime has existed for 39 years and we need to "get used to it" - newsflash - 39 years isn't very long to claim some sort of permanence anywhere. 35% of the economy is controlled by the IRG. All I can think of is the old twisted Sister Song - " We're not gonna take it"
3
In 2007 Ret. Gen. Clark said on Democracy Now that the Pentagon was making plans to invade Irag and taking out 7 countries within 5 years including Syria, Libya and Iran just days after 9/11.
Looks like they were only off at the time it would take.
2
"The protest wave began, according to Iranian sources, in the city of Mashad, and was originally organized by hard-line clerics – rivals of President Hassan Rohani who sought to capitalize on the unrest over unemployment and high prices. If this was indeed the motivation, it seems to have backfired, with protests quickly spreading to dozens of cities across Iran and now targeting not only the relatively “moderate” Rohani government but the more hard-line establishment around Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his allies, including the Revolutionary Guards."
read more: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/1.832218
5
The linked analysis above by Anshel Pfeffer in Haaretz is by far the best analysis I have seen of the Iran protests. I strongly recommend reading it.
1
Wonder how different things would have been if in 1953 the u.s. didn't overthrow the democratically elected govt in Iran and installed 'our guy' the Shah. First democratically elected govt. in the middle east but for some silly reason it felt like the oil found in Iran was Iran's and not the u.s./england.
The nerve of those Iranians!! As the trump would say, 'sad' or more likely 'fake news'
5
Rouhani has very little ability/power to effect any meaningful change. The way the Iranian Constitution and government is structured, the clerics and the Supreme Leader have the real power. They control the money, the armed forces, and the clergy, among other things, and have no interest in changing the power structure in any way that might reduce their stranglehold. So this article blaming Rouhani and calling for him to make changes is wide of the mark. His hands are pretty much tied. The people who call for removal of the Supreme leader have the right idea. Is it likely to happen? Probably not without a lot of bloodshed.
3
Looks like the I-a-toldja [so] and the I'miss-[ter]-understood have something in common:
...The other guy...
Contrary to what most Americans think, most Iranians priority in life is not to destroy America and Israel. The vast majority of them could care less about Israel and love America and they want pretty much what everyone else wants: good schools for their kids, good jobs and more of a voice in the affairs of their country.
The "Death to America" people Americans see on TV are uneducated and poor and easily manipulated by cynical Iranian leaders (much like Trump does with the uneducated and poor in America)
12
as an iranian barely 21, I firmly believe that here, at least in tehran, this protests are just a simple riot and no more. for two main reason, first : the majority of the protesters are young, and because of the long conflicts between islamic traditions and secular modern culture, unfortunately most of them lack an integrated identity, so they protest as other young people in other countries protest, simply because they want to express their existence and being seen as a matured citizen, in your country or some other countries this take a peaceful form and is about gay marriage but in our country because of its special region and geopolitics, such riots cause serious damages and violate the rules (ISIS is always nearer than you think), and because we are an underdevelopment country, every thing tied up with politics so every protest ends as a political protest and so be vanquished by Sepah security forces (IRGC).
I have two pieces of advice for dear mr trump, first and more important : if you really care for my people, why you ban us from traveling to the US, why you called our persian gulf, which is the honor of our people, the arabian gulf.
the second, never forget that iran wont be the next Syria or Libya, as many in the US clearly want it by their heart.
9
It is unfortuntae that amongst the Western leaders Trump supported the protest movement in Iran. Although the Iranian peopl need international and in particular America support, Trump is not well placed to do so. Trump showed that he is not a wise man, when he banned the Iranians to travel to US and called Iran a rogue nation (he could have said the clerical regime and its revolutionary corps are rogue regime); when he called the Persian Gulf by the faked name of Arabian Gulf, he left a very bad impact on Iranian youth who are now on streets to fight the clerical regime. Trump should first come forward to talk to the Iranian people and appologise for having banned them from travelling to the US and for having used the term "Arabian Gulf". Then his words of support will be taken seriously and the clerical regime cannot find excuse to condemn the American support.
3
Was Nixon smarter than Trump?
I am hopeful that the ineptitude of your tactless president will be a gust in the wind. Sure it's fun to poke at North Korea, Iran and Mexico without retaliation.
The indecisive president's assistance to Americans of Puerto Rico is not good.
"America First". To quote Nixon, "My fellow Americans..."
The Atlantic reports that electric power in the colony may not be available until May. Currently one third of Puerto Ricans have no electricity according to the Army Corps of Engineers reported in the Washington Post today.
The BBC interview with the mayor of San Juan does not contradict these reports. She said that their are further taxes added to Puerto Rican exports.
The tweet re Iran is not diplomatic and increases the tension in the Middle East.
May I ask who gives advice to this man?
Sunni and Shia Muslims have their differences as do Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The president would be well advised to focus on "local issues" such as Puerto Rico. Religion is not a plaything in international politics and the less said the better. Calm polite and quiet diplomacy is suggested.
May I donate money via the International Red Cross to Puerto Rico?
2
This is what happens when a government is based on religion and enacts laws to impose its religious beliefs on everyone. The people in charge, like the supreme leader here, excuse their horrible behavior on the will of God to expel the infidel. We should all take note as this is the United States envisioned by evangelistic Christians and supported by trump.
3
Donald Trump's political slogan is America First. He was expected to engage in domestic rebuilding during his tenure.
However, the old American habit of foreign intervention and dictating regime changes continue alive and well. North Korea is proving to be a formidable adversary. Let's see how Trump, using nightly tweeters, fares against Iran.
One thing for sure. The times of easy regime changes in the world ended with the invasion of Iraq.
4
Any government which has to enforce its' survival based on claims to supreme rulings of religious interpretation of some ancient "holy" values is falsely claiming rights to be the overlord of its people. In the antebellum American south churchgoers heard Biblical affirmations of slavery justification. Just as there are many parts of the Bible which can inspire, there are parts of the Koran which do the same.
Quoting the Bible or the Koran as justification for subduing any people rather than inspiring them through freedom and toleration is not inspiration from another world from which no traveler has returned (yes, Shakespeare), but a cabal to enforce one's opinion on the lives of others. Often, as the Inquisition or post-Shah, or the "Party of God" have shown more recently. And yes, a claim of Biblical land deed in Jerusalem is equally specious.
A religious man in his own way, Lincoln said he was less concerned about having god on his side, that being on God's side. As religions intone about the greatness and goodness of God, they should also join Lincoln's hope to act and be sure to on God's side, with the freedom to believe, or not, with their people to decide.
2
We need to stay out of this.
I believe most Iranians would like to be free of the theocracy and join the modern world, but I don’t see anything we can do to help that along.
As an aside, Iran is more like the US than Saudi Arabia is; somehow we ended up backing the wrong side of the Shi’a/Sunni divide.
4
Liberal democrats want Trump to be quiet for one reason. If or when the demonstrations bring real change to the government then Trump wins again. This would be a major victory for the Iranian people and for the Trump admin. Liberal democrats are so bitter they prefer to see an entire nation live in subjugation then see Trump on the right side of history.
2
Everywhere in the world today is the disparaging and increasing divide between those who have and those who don't. In the 50 years that I have been looking at it, I see no improvement that has made the distribution of wealth more equitable anywhere. I'll never see it in my lifetime but I will see more and more civil unrest everywhere.
3
The former Shah of Iran is always treated as a pariah and I have a feeling that the vast majority of commentators on this article have not read anything about Mohammed Reza Pahalvi's reign and the good work that he did for the people of Iran. Is the track record of the Islamic Republic and the ayatollahs far worse? The answer is an astounding yes. One can only imagine what the Middle East would look like these days if the Pahlavi Dynasty was still in power - even in a strictly constitutional sense - they would be there to ensure continued stability and secularity in Iran and the region and keep the ayatollahs in line.
2
The hammer is coming down and we'll soon see pajama clad prisoners with frightened eyes 'confessing' to receiving money from Israel and America. But that too will not be the end. There is an awakening that will continue, what the West can do is to speak openly and honestly. No backroom deals, no choosing factions. Rohani will emerge from this severely weakened and the hard right will approach the west with promises of strategic accommodation in the Middle East in exchange for support. There is the trap.
i would like to better understand what roles the Revolutionary Guard plays in Iranian society, thru analogous western entities.
Are they similar to the bureaucracy the Roman Catholic Church had set up during the Inquisition?
Is their role to liquidate opponents of the theocratic state?
Is their role an amalgam of that of the FBI and CIA?
Are they elite segment of the military, such as our Navy Seals?
1
Imagine if Iranian leadership publicly supported protests by American citizens disliking the Trump Regime?
President Trump should not Tweet about on-going Iran protests. Trump has no global credibility since threatening to cut off nations that rebuked him over the Jerusalem embassy issue.
President 45 continues to be an embarrassment to America and Americans, excluding the few remaining staunch supporters who blindly refuse to question anything the Golfer-In-Chief does.
2
We and many other democratic countries, use the same methods as Iranian clerics when there are a street protests and demonstrations. This is part of democracy!
2
Trump's supporters need to understand,
1-Iranians support the nuclear deal
2-Iraninas are disappointed about Trump's muslim ban.
In other words, Trump is the last person that Iranians, or anybody in the world would like to be lectured by on the subject of freedom.
This is not the first time that Iranians protest agains the Shara law, and it wont be the last.
2
we Iranians are experiencing some problems in our country and trying to deal with them.Everyone had better realize that this is an Iranian problem and should be addressed solely by Iranians.America,child-killing regime of Israel,and warmongering and undemocratic Saudi monarchy are not in a position to lecture Iranians on human rights.
5
"Trump officials were reluctant to describe the new strategy, but some suggested that an expanded program of covert action may be in the works. “It’s classified,” the Tillerson aide said. “I can only tell you that we’re taking a dramatically different approach to Iran.” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/16/rex-tillerson-at-the-break...
"In June, the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, told the US Congress that America was working towards “support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government”. " https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/30/iran-protests-trump-tweets
1
Iranian government is a fundamentalist government, and people shout against the Khameneheie who tries to spread his hateful way of thinking. Khamenehee and his group killed thousands of Iranian citizen who were thinking differently, arrest journalist for just having different idea. Jailed workers who just asking for their unpaid wages. People asking him out to have a better life. They want their government to stop meddling in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, They want the country's resources to be allocated to their own country. I think that western media are missing a great opportunity but not helping Iranian protesters.
1
Here's the bottom line for you knuckleheads: our founding fathers wanted a separation of church and state because religious authorities are not to be trusted to run a government without pushing their political agendas. This goes for Iran as well as our own country.
2
To put things in some perspective, during the revolution against the Shah (1977-79), the government's police and troops killed, during ferocious riots in which entire sections of cities were burned, less than 400 people. The Shah's government tried those arrested in civilian courts, and quickly released them.
Compare this to the actions of the Khomeini regime: starting July 19, 1988, at Khomeini's direct order, 20,000 political prisoners were executed, without trial, by slow hanging, over the next four months. These were men, women, and teenage children, who were associated with the People's Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI), the various leftist Fedaian parties, and the Tudeh (Communist Party). 10,000 were executed in Evin and Gohar Dosht prisons in Tehran alone.
One of Khomeini's deputies, Hussein Ali Montazari, disgusted by this, defected, stating that over 30,000 had been executed throughout Iran during this period.
65
Seems like selective memory. The Shah's police tortured routinely.
1
True. But not to be forgotten, the PMOI (religious Marxists, also known as MEK) were instrumental to the revolution and party to all the executions and to the takeover of the US embassy.
But as we know, revolution eats its own - in this case the PMOI/MEK.
Ironic then, today the likes of Rudi Giuliani and John Bolton are spokespersons and supporters of the PMOI or as they have rebranded themselves, NCRI. It is a cult that has destroyed so many families.
They will never be accepted in Iran. They fought with Saddam against Iran during the war, something that will never be forgiven.
1
The Shah's decades in power were marked by brutality and repression.
People don't risk their lives in a revolution if they are happy with the status quo.
1
Why is there no mention in this article of Trump's messages of support for the demonstrators, and his call for other nations to support them?
30
Ah, because America is TOXIC to most Iranians. The worst thing for this is if Trump is seen "in support" and therefore can be used by the powers that be of causing the disturbances.
Yes there is:
"President Trump weighed in on Twitter on Monday, saying that the Iranian people “have been repressed for many years.”
“They are hungry for food & for freedom,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!”"
1
Ignoramus Trump must lay low for the time being. He is not the most popular guy in town in Iran
1
Instead of trying to nip this movement in the bud, Trump, US conservative lawmakers and former US officials who support the terrorist group, MEK/MKo/NCRI, the murderers and hostage takers of the US officials and diplomats, should keep quiet as they have no credibility with the Iranian people. In this context, majority of Iranians whether pro or against the government have very low opinion of Trump and his administration after Trump called Iran, 'the terrorist nation', and the Persian Gulf. "Arabian Gulf' on the urging of the Saudi Arabian rulers and the Zionists.
Therefore, since this is an Iranian domestic situation, the US, the UK, Canada, Israel, France, Germany, etc. and the US and western media should not meddle in the internal affairs of the Iranians. Period.
44
We have to speak up when human rights are abused.Obama kept silent which was wrong.Trump takes the right tone.Iranians know that their corrupt government is a terrorist supporting organization.
1
So I assume you want Iran to stop meddling in other countries.
Look around at the United States....it's a democracy which does not execute men, women and children "without trial, by slow hanging". And we, along with the other democracies in this world do not stand by silently while the Khomeini regime continues to execute another 20,000 political prisoners. If you support him, then you should move back to Iran - You would never be allowed to publicaly write or say what you you think
1
I commend all the good Americans for their bogus concern for the Iranian demonstrators, but the reality is that most Americans I know and our leaders like McCain, Trump, Ryan and Feinstein would like to see Iran destroyed like Syria and Iraq. Bush said it best: "This is a crusade."
21
True; I do not believe in their support (I mean politics) but the bloody clerical regime also exploits this fact to condemn the demonstrators/ unfortunately the Iranian people are taken in between to divils: the clerics and the USA Administration
I wouldn't include Senator Feinstein on that list. She is one of our most decent, ethical senators.
Nonsense. Most Americans have no idea what is happening in Iran, little sense of history, and don't want to destroy people they don't know.
As an American expert on Iranian affairs, I have seen these protests occur several times after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. During Iranian President Khatami's Presidency there were protests at the University of Tehran. What happened? The government shut down the Tehran international airport on day 3 of the protests and then had a pro-government protest on day 4. The result was the protest by the masses ended. After Iranian President Ahmadinejad was re-elected Iranians protested. What happened? The government cracked down, and the protests went away. It is late 2017/early 2018, here we go again. Poor Iranians protest and their hooliganism will be put down by the Iranian government. The current Iranian regime has been in power longer than either King from the last monarchical dynasty of Iran. This February, the Islamic Republic of Iran will enter its 39th year in power. It is safe to say, they are not going anywhere. And President Trump's tweets will only empower the Iranian government. Iranian President Rouhani has tweeted that President Trump does not care about Iranians and that his tweets supporting the Iranian masses are hogwash. It is high time that the West understand what goes on in Iran and who is in charge there.
28
Yes, Iraq is a theocracy. It too believes it is a nation "under God".
Iran is heavily affected by climate change, with rivers running dry. Its population explosion isn't helping. Large areas are expected to become uninhabitable in coming decades.
The Revolutionary Guard is heavily involved in the economy and consequently in corruption. I fully agree that whatever Trump is saying doesn't matter. Only if a very, very large number of Iranians would hit the streets the theocracy would be unable to stop the protests and regime chnage would be possible
Quel surprise. The Iranian government, a cabal of mostly older religiously hidebound and bitter men who have lived in a luxurious cocoon while their nation has evolved into a largely secular community of people who in the main yearn for Western-style freedoms, is doomed to give way to the new generations. It's in the interest of the West to to actively support their aspirations.
36
"A cabal of mostly older religiously hidebound and bitter men who have lived in a luxurious cocoon": why that pretty neatly describes our own government. It's in the interest of those of us in the West to rebel against our own seat of power.
103
Point taken. Well said.
20
Makes sense to leave out the second part from your quote, as it describes how there really are no similarities between them.
Under Pahlevi, Iran was on the threshold of a path Muslim majority nations might have followed to find individual freedom and economic prosperity. When the regime was immobilized by Pahlevi's illness, a clique of radical Islamic clerics seized the moment and staged a coup that rivaled the Bolsheviks in chutzpah, unintended horrors, and eventual failure. Surely, it is time for Western progressives to lament their feckless response back in 1979, for objective minds to condemn the opportunism of the French government and European corporate interests then and later, and to ask Iranians to return to step one and start over.
38
People lived in fear under the Shah; his corrupt foundation siphoned off oil revenues for his family's personal use. There were so many Savak spies and informers that people could not speak freely and did not trust anyone. Dissidents were arrested and tortured.
21
Has there ever been a society so completely divorced from the angry handful running their country?
13
Such an exaggeration!
That was a picnic compared to the rest of the ME, then and today.
For those who supported blindley Iran government over Saudi Arabia, you can see by your eyes what is going on! While admittedly Saudi Arabia is more authoritarian than Iran, but the government SERIOUSLY do care and make thousands of contemplations before ordering a law. As a Saudi, I have free education, free health care, and to name few. Yes, Royal family has a big portion of what they gain from the oil sale, but they spend the other one on the citizens. However, one the other side, off the Arabian peninsula, Iran has swiped away the wealth of the nation and spent them on the WARS and MILITIAS. Additionally, IRAN is not limited democracy as the government has signing it rhythmically to its populace -- they have been fooled badly. Iranian people are smart and ready for scientifically and economically revolutionary change after their current government has stepped down.
33
It is precisely the foundation of Iranian society, which is based truly in secular, egalitarian, education, and a deep sense of history and culture that permits us to believe it its immense potential. The access to education, infrastructure and modern tools are ample. What is lacking is opportunity for a young educated majority.
This foundation and its potential have been hijacked by Shiite Islamic puritains. History will not abide by this aberration. Sooner or later, either by violent revolution or by gradual evolution, Iran will reclaim the path of achieving its potential.
I see not any semblance of a similar cultural foundation and history in the kingdom, which is ruled by even more sinister Sunni Islamic puritains. Under the best outcomes, KSA is not going to shine among nations. Iran offers that promise. Its foundation is not based on Islamic theocracy, but it is smothered by Islamic theocracy. Hence many such as I, express a cogent, not a «blind,» support for IRAN the nation, not its repressive and hateful government.
1
Saudi Arabia is the creator, financier, and sponsor of the terrorist groups, Al Qaeda, ISIS, Al Nusra, Al Shabaab, Boko Haram, and Taliban. At present, they are murdering thousands of innocent people in Yemen including women, children and the elderly. Not only that, they use the US and western weapons including cluster bombs in their murderous venture. They have bombed hospitals, schools, food storage facilities, and infrastructure of Yemen. Also, as a result of the US and Saudi Arabian blockade of Yemen, innocent Yemenis are starving and all kinds of diseases are spreading in Yemen because the US and Saudis will not even allow medical and food supply into Yemen. No, the Wahabi cult Saudi rulers are hundred times worse than the Iranian rulers.
1
All we ever see of Saudi Arabia are the royals and all the princes and the skyscrapers and impressive architecture of the Cities. But where are the ordinary people, we know nothing about them.
We do know that Mossadegh was elected by the Iranian people and the CIA led the coup to oust him and put the Shah in power, a brutal dictator, in 1953. No human rights under his rule.
As a former Foreign Service Officer who had previously spent three years writing a book on Nasser's Egypt, I am leery about making any predictions about the Middle East. Nonetheless, my gut instinct inset is that Iran, within 5-10 years will benefit from an entrepreneurial middle class and shed the blanket of the ayatollahs and the Revolutionary Guard. While stability isn't a word to be used about the Middle East, I consider it likely that Iran ultimately will be a flourishing ME country and will, most probably, be deemed more responsible than many of its Arab neighbors.
113
If there is anything left and Iran will not be another Iraq or Syria.
Fully agree!
1
I visited Iran last year and while I'm no expert, my general impression after talking to many, is inline with your comment.
1
From the pages of NYT January 24, 1973. We know what happened in 1979 when the contracts ended.
"Iran Tells Oil Consortium Pact Will Not Be Renewed;
Companies Dispute Legal Right of Shah to End Contract in 1979 Nationalized in 1951
Shah, Mohammed Riza Pahlevi of Iran today told the Western oil consortium operating in his country that its present contract would not be renewed after it expires in 1979."
6
Neither was the Shah renewed...
You think rouhani is a moderate. He is not. they all serve the same purpose, to help regime survive a bit longer. they have used all sort of tricks to fool people and the world. No more.
There is one thing in common among all regime officials. They have proven their worth to the cause in different forms and with utmost cruelty. They are all corrupt. You do not expect them to export anything less to the world.
it is time to end choice between bad and worse. they all need to go. world will be a better place without them.
56
Mehrdad's description of the Iranian political elite rings true to our current Republican Party.
Iran is way beyond less corrupt than America will ever be. I doubt that their "Pentagon" or defense ministry would dare displace their citizens' money to the tune of $1Trillion dollars? They still hang criminals in public squares over there. Here we promote them instead.
1
It's about time that the Iranian people got around to throwing out the illegitimate, unelected, Twelver, religious-fanatic dictators who rule over them in their little costumes and 6th century headgear. Guys, who execute approximately 2 people a day, who discriminate against women and gays, who advocate for the destruction of Israel, a fellow UN member-state, and who are the biggest trouble makers in the region. Worse than the Shah, who over 60 years ago was brought to power with the help of the US.
To put things into perspective on the nastiness scale, the Iranians were stuck with the Shah for about 20 years. The present criminals have been around for almost 40 years.
Good riddance!
60
what about Saudi people? Isn't time for them to get rid of their horrible illegitimate oppressive regime that support menace not only in the ME but all around world?
57
Good point, but does that sanction a theocracy's wall against natural change or produce anarchy as forms of "protest" turn to something like a general strike. Notice how the logic is missing as "activism" achieves a level of "spirit." without the religion which stacked clerics on top of the economy. After dumping the shah, then stacking clerics on top of the police, Iran's regime shares the same stupidity that has made parts of Russia, the US, and Japan radioactive now---and look at the cost to society! The media are turned off to keep the police from having to work! It's absurd! In the struggle for power, see how little religion matters to the whole region's fate, apparently, which civil war animated the "war on terror" in terms of everybody's propaganda.
Ah, they are elected.
“Under Mr. Rouhani, strict Islamic rules have been somewhat relaxed. Concerts have been allowed, and the morals police are largely off the streets. Illegal parties are usually no longer raided, although there have been exceptions.“
Also, the daily chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to the Zionist Entity!” continue. Good times!
15
"Daily chants of "Death to America"...last time I checked America & Britain deposed their democratically elected leader for a despotic ruler who instituted the most feared secret police in that part of the world. Some people just don't seem to have short term memory like we do in the U.S.
2
Yes, I'm not going to believe things have changed until they stop shouting in Iran for those of us in the U.S.A. to be dead!
In past when youth protested they took USA for a model.
But with Mr. Trump having dragged the US into oblivion, the Iranian youth are more likely to look up to China for inspiration to solve their economic woes.
The People's Republic has pulled out 700 million souls out of poverty in last 15 years alone, the same period when both Democrat and Republican Administrations decimated the American middle class.
Street protests in Iran - another potential win for China lining up.
24
When they looked to Obama the last time this happened he did...nothing. Is that what you think is leadership?
37
Where is your evidence that Iranian youth are likely to look to China for inspiration? The ones I have seen interviewed are very Western-oriented.
4
Nothing was the right call. Our interference only shifts blame to us when something goes wrong.
With Trump we don’t have any moral high ground which we have had with all other Presidents, both Democrat or Republican.
20
Iranians are very sophisticated and eduatated people. In fact Iranian-Americans are the most educated emigrants in America with an average of graduate degree. Iranians also have a very bad memories of foreign intervention in their internal politics. The best thing to do for us is to stay out of what is going on there-period!
85
with all due respect, Iranian regime will say this is American intervention anyways, with or without support of US and other countries.
The only difference it makes is what you have seen in the past 40 years. nothing, but worsening situation.
what you ask is what regime wants.
people need hope and encouragement to move forward. they need to know that world is watching.
Your recommendation is the same as regime lobbyist recommendation in US.
10
But Trump already broke the agreements Iran and Russia, USA, France, Germany, and GB had concluded, and there are the sanctions.
Already the Bush people made plans to take down Iran, Iraq, and Syria and some other states. Who would trust the USA nowadays?
So true!! When the US gets involved to "help" a Muslim country, that country usually ends up in ruins.
2
A 16 year old girl Palestinian girl, living under occupation, slaps her occupier. after her cousin is shot. . A 16 year old Palestinian boy, living under occupation, who was shopping with his father is grabbed and beaten by a group of soldiers, blind folded by those soldiers and taken in mass by they heavily armed soldiers to jail. Netanyahu and Trump don't care on bit about the Iranian people. If the Iranian people and Iranian government have any sense they should work out their differences.
27
He has the gall to put out a video. What a ridiculous comment coming from a man that's in charge of a 50 year old brutal occupation.
"In video, PM praises 'heroic' demonstrators protesting against 'cruel regime,' wishes Iranian people success 'in noble quest for freedom'"
11
I wish everyone would calm down and get a grip. It's 2018 but it's sad that a majority of the bloggers are still trapped in a 1953 time warp convinced the current unrest in Iran is yet another CIA plot to formulate another coup against the democratically elected Iranian government. (Stop me if you've heard this story) Without a shred of proof the Iranians are once again the poor misunderstood victims of American imperialism. Could it be that maybe, just maybe, the Iranians are fed up with this iron-fisted theocracy and want the ayatollahs gone.
Iran is more trouble than it's worth. America has the rare luxury of being just a benchwarmer sitting on the sidelines observing the chaos in a Middle East country.
48
Sharon: It's difficult for progressives who swallowed Obama's (and Ben Rhodes') orchestrated Iran reset and rationalization for their lousy nuclear deal whole with so-called moderates and poor misunderstood mullahs cheer-led by the NY Times, Roger Cohen et al to now have to face the idea that maybe the Iranian regjme is really a vile hate-filled clique of corrupt and bloody fanatical theocrats that Obama rolled over for, and who have as much an excuse in the 1953 CIA plot as the Nazis had blaming everything on the harsh 1918 Versailles Treaty.
By the way, perhaps progressives who use the 1953 CIA plot as an excuse for appeasement of Iran's theocracy can explain: Israel had nothing to do with the famed CIA plot to overthrow Mosaddegh in 1953 -- convinced they were that the democratic election was actually manipulated by the Russians (don't ask a progressive if he'd like to the same with the Trump presidency for the same reason). So why are the mullahs so obsessed with wiping Israel off the map -- something even the Palestinian Authority never says it advocates -- at least not in public, or at least not in English to gullible leftists, that is.
22
I agreed with you, until your last comment about Iran being more trouble than it's worth.
A democratic, modern Iran would be a huge boon to stability in the ME. For too many years, western nations have had to make deals with the devil. Wouldn't it be great if there was a country, free and independent, in the ME, with whom most nations could deal with in good faith?
Fingers crossed that the portesters win.
21
This sort of common sense is sadly lacking in 2018. Well done!
6
American and British governments have been behind every revolution in Iran. Whether the recent uprising is going anywhere or not, depends on who is making decision for Iran right now. Revolution of 1979 appeared to be people's revolution, but the clerics were put in place by forces outside of Iran. If what is happening in Iran right now is because people finally are deciding to turn things around and be in charge of their country, then other countries need, (MUST) stay out of it, which I'm sure they won't. Iran is a powerful and rich country in the Middle East, and everybody wants a piece of it. And of course, it is the wonderful Iranian people who are the brunt of these meddling.
As far as the so called money that was given to Iran by President Obama, the money belonged to Iran and Iranians, it wasn't GIVEN to them. Shah's government paid in cash for orders placed in this country, Revolution happened, sanctions placed on Iran, Iran didn't get the money back. This time, they wanted it in cash, which didn't make life any easier for people in that country. Same thing is happening to people in this country, but the method is different. Rich gets richer, but the poor, well, you get my drift.
22
It didn’t have to be returned since they are violating the agreement.
12
Iran is in no violation of any agreement, whereas the list of UN resolutions Israel is in violation of is a mile long.
https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/01/27/rogue-state-israeli-viol...
More added since 2010.
26
"American and British governments have been behind every revolution in Iran. "
Certainly not when the clerics overthrown the Shah!
Our political divide is irreversible. Out of all the conceivable comments that could have been made about the events in Iran, the most popular comment here mocks Trump and compares him to a religious tyranny, a sponsor of terrorism, and a repressor of basic human rights. I am a frequent critic of Trump, but can't we even for a moment resist the temptation to spew political venom and instead come together to support what may be movement in Iran that could have a world altering effect ? If we can't expand our focus beyond political pettiness in a situation like this, we have no hope of ever reconciling our differences.
23
Let face it, Trump is an authoritarian. He would love to be a dictator. So comparing him to other authoritarian figures on the world stage is an accurate comparison.
16
Political pettiness
Is that a nick name for the GOP
And the lunatic in the WH?
The only way the protestors can accomplish anything is to shut down the marketplace. Each of Iran's larger cities has an enclosed bazaar complex. The demonstrators should stage peaceful sit-down strikes at each of these areas. If/when they're gassed and arrested the cities' residents would need to take over: transact no business at the bazaars until prices are reduced and other necessary agreements are reached between the government and the demonstrators. The merchants drive the marketplace and without them the government can't survive.
15
Or ask Jeff Bezos and Amazon.com to take over the economy.
5
To paraphrase Winston Churchill: "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
15
this is clearly a case of foreign intervention - US and Saudi with Israeli ‘connivance’. be careful, iran has enough cyber skills to interfere in US elections. Iran is the most REAL democratic countries in the world. This US admin is triggering the ‘war of civilizations’. Backwards looking! Sad.
10
"the most REAL democratic countries in the world" in which people are jailed for writing articles and should choose between a few murderers/thieves every four years in a pseudo-election. The country whose educated elite find no alternative but to flee and the minimum wage barely even covers a fraction of people's weekly expenses. I'd surely like to hear more about the grounds on which you have based your "democracy" on.
17
Most democratic countries I know of don't have someone in charge called the "SUPREME leader." Whatever nominal democracy may exist is mocked by a tyrannical ruler who suppresses human rights in his distorted view of religion. To even suggest that Iran is a truly functioning democracy is a degradation of the term and an affront to many democracies in the world whose citizens enjoy, among their many freedoms, freedom of religion, something totally lacking in Iran.
10
Disagree w your superlative re Iranian democracy, especially after the 2009 fraud re-electing Ahmadinejad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_presidential_election,_2009
Your point about this US Admin playing into the radical Islamic (Sunni) narrative of a war of civilizations would've been enough of a thesis for one post.
Rouhani is a “moderate” only in comparison to the rest of the Iranian political spectrum. In Thomas Erdbrink’s home country of The Netherlands, he would be viewed as a facist. If political labels were applied according to some common and objective standard based on an analysis of the policies pursued by each government, it is likely that The NY Times would stop calling people like Rouhani and Abbas “moderates” if in the same breath they call the Israeli coalition government as “right wing” or sometimes even “far right”.
On the plus side, it appears that Mr. Erdbrink has taken account of the harsh criticism of his earlier reporting and is now moving toward somewhat greater objectivity. While these things are hard to know, the real issue is whether these protests started for economic reasons and morphed into demands for political freedom or whether the “freedom” agenda was there at the beginning.
Meantime, the silence of the EU countries is deafening - maybe they are hoping that the Ayatollahs crush the revolt before they have to take a “principled” stand that might imperil the trade advantages they secured after the nuclear deal went through.
The silence of the UN, however, is not surprising but remains disheartening given the hopes and ideals of its founding. Lets just hope that Iran does not descended into a Syria-level humanitarian disaster where citizens demanding dignified treatment from their government are treated as enemies of the state.
26
Or maybe EU remembers how Ayatollah came to power as a result of riots against the oppressive Shah. Or maybe EU remember how riots ended in Libya, Syria, Egypt, Ukraine, so they just don't want to encourage another violence.
10
Rohani is a moderate. How? I know this for a fact because ... well ... because, the NY Times and the mainstream media keeps describing him as a moderate. That's how. So there!
And besides. Rohani never chants "Death to America;'Death to Israel." At most he's been recorded yelling "Lot's of pain and suffering to America; Death to Israel." A great improvement in my book.
20
Your justification of EU inaction assumes that Iran’s only response to these protests. At the very least, the EU can state categorically that Iran should avoid violence and demand that the protesters views be heeded.
The EU has shown little reticence in lecturing Israel, why the silence with Iran - unless they believe that Muslims are somehow more violence-prone and uncontrollable. That’s hardly a progressive frame of mind.
Personally, I think it’s a matter of economic calculation: if they don’t support the Ayatollahs at least through their silence, these liberal countries stand to lose billions of dollars in trade deals. If the regime falls, the new one will be called upon to honor these deals.
10
This has been years in the making. The younger people, who make up the majority of the population, want to progress and modernize and join the 21st century. They know what is going on outside of their country and they long to become a part of it. It was only a matter of time. You can't contain these younger people forever.
52
For Iranian women at least, even the 18th century would be a vast improvement.
6
To NYTimes (and similarly other established media, eg Fox News):
When (1) you first ignore for three days the killing and oppression of the Iranian people by that murderous regime, (2) then you portray that evil murderous regime as a "calming" voice, and (3) then you describe these freedom seeking Iranian people as "violent protestors," you become complicit in the crimes of that regime. Don't think people are not aware of these things. Shame on you! How do you sleep with yourselves?
67
Yea, and what wonders these freedom fighters delivered in Afghanistan. Some people never learnt that enemy of your enemy is not always your friend.
5
Iran helped the US defeat (at least for a time) the Taliban in Afghanistan. They couldn't have done it without them.
Exactly!
1
The NYT reporter indeed has to be cautious in what he reports back. The most accurate news will come from those Iranians on the scene filming and getting thru on social media. Check other news sites for more info.
9
Any country that still has a dress code for women in public should be a rouge state. Period.
42
No doubt you meant ‘rogue’ state. Although ‘rouge’ state is pretty humorous given the context of your well-intentioned comment.
20
Is that a misspelling of "rogue" or a clever pun?
3
Rouge is discouraged as well!
13
The problems in Iran are economics. Most of Iran’s economic recovery can be attributed to a boom in oil output, which grew some 30% in the first ten months of 2016 after the embargo was lifted. While this has allowed foreign currency to flow in it has done little to create jobs in the oil sector, which is
capital-rich rather than labour-intensive.The increase in production was achieved largely by soaking up existing capacity, using slack created under the embargo. So very few ordinary Iranians have felt the benefits.
Unemployment actually went up in the first half of 2016. The unemployment problem is thorniest for young people and women, both highly educated and trained but for whom unemployment stands at 25.2% and 19.7% respectively.
President Rohani, the reformist incumbent, will be keen to address voters’ concerns with an election coming up in May, otherwise he will be gone and the Revolutionary Guards will take charge, which is not good for the West and Iranians.
6
What Iranians want is reform. Instead of fomenting unrest, which is what Trump is doing, we should be offering an olive branch to assist them in reforming. If you consider the mentality and culture of Iran, they are certainly more amenable to America than our so called friend the Saudi's. Radical Islam can be traced back to Saudi funding.
23
This has the CIA fingerprint all over it folks wake up Americans you are being played again. You remember how Mike Pompeo was a hard line against Iran look around. The CIA lost it in Syria so now they are trying to go for the big fish which is Iran. The media is lying to you all once again.
18
You give the United States way too much credit - it has very little or no sway in the region - it may think it does but the truth is no one cares - apart from treating this part of the world as a giant petrol station, what exactly have the Americans done in the last 70 years to change this region?
8
Sounds more like the fingerprints of an over-active anti-American pro-Iranian theocracy imagination.
1
Kind of like Syria, Libya, Ukraine? Of all the nations in the Mideast Iran seems to be the least radical......faint praise but.....considering the severe economic stress the US has imposed since 1979 an accomplishment. The biggest problem like in the US is jobs.
For the Iranians to be truly free, patriots must wash their hands with the blood of tyrants. No economy truly prospers under dictatorship. In order for Iran to free itself and enter the modern world, Trump must use his voice to encourage insurrection
Obama, given a similar opportunity, was too timid. It was on opportunity lost.
14
If you want to kill real reform in Iran let Trump continue his idiotic buffoon tweeting on the subject and give the hardliners the target they need to deflect criticism. Iranians still remember how the US deposed their elected president Mossadegh and installed the odious Shah which led to 25 years of brutal dictatorship. Please , President Trump, just shut up and let other countries take care of their own problems. If this movement is killed, blame Trump.
17
Jessy , you're absolutely right. The US needs to support and arm the opposition in Iran. Free Iran from clerical rule once and for all!
9
then dont whine when Russia ‘interferes’ in your elections.
12
The moderate Hassan Rouhani is seeking to calm the protesters as repression is pervasive and economic hardship is worsening. But he has no control over Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), whose members have a finger in the country's economic pie and benefit from Western sanctions. They were strongly opposed to the 2015 nuclear deal, that Trump et al are seeking to dismantle, citing Iran's support of terrorism, although the issue was not part of the deal. and Iran has been abiding by the agreement.
The IRGC has taken a tough line, warning anti-government protesters that they will be met with an "iron fist" if unrest continues. A powerful force with ties to the supreme leader, it is dedicated to preserving the country's theocracy. It would be a significant escalation were they to become officially involved in cracking down on the protests, like Assad deploring tanks in 2011 that started the war in Syria.
Trump stepped up his war of words with Iran's leaders, posting a tweet saying the "great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food and freedom". This is hypocrisy, because he refuses to certify the deal in October, leaving Congress to decide for him whether to impose tougher sanctions.
Some protesters have been calling for the return of monarchy. The deposed shah's son living in US exile has issued a statement supporting the protests. But he may be as much in the dark about where these protests are heading as every one else.
7
Blaming Trump for anything in Iran is irrational. Trump has not certified the deal because he said during the primaries, general election and ever since that he would not. And it is not a deal, but in every rational definition, a treaty, which is something that Obama administration ignored the requirement that it be approved by the Senate. The US already has Congressional approved sanctions and sanction powers and is using them.
I suggest you look at the sober centrist foreign policy journals -- it is precisely groups like the revolutionary guards that have been hurt the most by the sanctions.
10
"Some protesters have been calling for the return of monarchy. The deposed shah's son living in US exile has issued a statement supporting the protests. "
Iran under the Shah was the number one violator of human rights, well documented by NYT in the early 1970s. But yes, his son is working closely with neocons.
"Iran's Exiled Prince Wants a Revolution - Even With the Help of Israel or Trump
Reza Pahlavi's calls for replacing clerical rule with a parliamentary monarchy could prove palatable to the West and Iran's neighbors. But cautionary tales are abundant"
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/1.782409
3
@Pat,
Trump's rejection of the 2015 is "irrational" because he doesn't like the so-called sunset clause, and sees restrictions on Iran's nuclear enrichment programme lifted after 2025, unacceptable. Given Iran's population overwhelmingly young, pro-West and progressive, there's hope that most Iranians wouldn't want to keep their nuclear programme after 2025.
We, in Europe agree that Tehran has so far honoured the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump wants to scuttle the deal, citing Iran's clandestine activities in the Middle East that are destabilising the region. But the JCPOA has nothing to do with Iran's foreign policies and can't be ditched on these grounds.
It's unfortunately that many Americans still dwell on the 1979 trauma (embassy hostage), while over half of the population in Iran is born after 1980.
2
This is either Iranians who realize they could be living in a modern country with real freedoms if they just give up the fixation with destroying Israel... or Israeli and American operatives in Iran stirring up trouble. Or both.
4
You are wrong. Not even Ahmidenijad said he wanted to destroy Israel. Properly translated he said that the Zionist regime would vanish. The destruction of Israel and/ or killing of Jews has never been an Iranian goal.
15
Wrong, snowflake. They say it every 10'.
11
No, Jack is right.
This is a fiction that has been perpetuated in the media and by Israel.
The way our democracy is being corrupted by the elimination of norms and the violation of the law, will the unrest in Iran show it's ugly face in the US? And we have growing racism and ethnocentric nationalism to deal with as well.
2
The power of the pen gives the people a voice when authoritarians try to silence them.
Courageous of you and NY Times to be in Iran.
Please let us know when the government reopens access to social media and messaging.
In light of authoritarian reaponse to free speech, I wonder if you are concerned about any negative reactions to your reporting?
Wishing you safety at all times.
5
Coverage of the earth-shaking events in Iran has been slow to develop compared to the disastrous "Arab Spring" 2011 which. except in Tunisia, accomplished exactly nothing except for a strengthening of fundamentalist Sunni elements. Only now, four days into these demonstrations which may well topple the Iranian Mullahs, is The Times beginning to give this story the prominence it deserves. Why the difference in coverage? The Iranian demonstrators, now as in 2009, are pro-democratic in essence, fighting against great odds an appalling theocratic dictatorship. If they succeed, Iran will once more be a member in good standing of the family of nations. On the other hand, the Islamic fundamentalists who swiftly captured control of events in the Arab countries in 2011 stood against democracy, freedom of expression, the rights of women and gays, and all other values Americans claim to value. And for reasons I completely fail to understand, so-called "progressives" in the West have expressed in recent years a much closer sympathy to this latter group and their Medieval agenda.
27
Unfortunately, these demonstrations are more likely to topple the relatively moderate regime of Rouhani and end up with its replacement by hardliners, especially if Trump continues to interfere.
15
Let us never forget the US/UK staged the coup which overthrew Iran's democratically elected government in the 1950s. We are directly responsible for the rise of Khomeini-ism and the Islamic Republic founded in 1979. The fact that the US supports the protests against the very monster it helped create is ironic at best.
18
I’d feel better about Trump speaking out supporting the protests if he had any credibility at all. But he’s repeatedly lied about the Iran deal and one of his biggest whoppers is that President Obama “gave” Iran a pallet of money. Anyone informed at all knows that the U.S. kept our end of the deal, we merely released the frozen assets, it was their money. His base loves red meat like that though and never fact-check him.
And his finally “getting wise” and “waking up” glare with ignorance. What has Trump been doing for the past decade that would actually bring him to post this? Apparently he hasn’t been reading.
23
Obama gave back the money in the middle of the night in secret.I wonder why?The most over rated president of the century.History will not be kind to his legacy.I voted for him the first time he ran not the second.
Now do you see the precious rarity that is democracy on this planet? Back when the ruling mullahs sitting in private basically owned the American president, they had it made.
Sadly, Mr. Obama actually HELPED the tyrant Ayatollah smash the Green Revolution. Now a more realistic American president actually speaks for people worldwide in their nee for freedoms of speech and assembly.
How refreshing it is to have a patriotic President who actually speaks for freedom!
20
Bu why the same Trump called the Iranians "rogue nation"? why did he ban them from traveling to the USA? why did he injure heart of the Iranians by using the fake term of Arabian Gulf? By this he showed he is an ennemy of the Iran's territorial integrity. This is what the Iranians will never forgive! but if Trump is really sincere he should rectify his words, recocile with the Iranian people (who are not the same as the clerical regime) and then offer them support and the Iranians will welcome him.
50 percent of the population is under 30....sounds like the U.S. back in the 60's...hmmm maybe the Times are a Changin in Iran!
3
They are so corrupt, that's what happens when their leaders are billionaires and the average Iranian is extremely poor. The Iranian LEADERS gained billions from Obama's stupidity/naivety and the average Iranian is angry. The extreme left did not believe the Israeli Prime Minister, the Iranian do.
13
This is the very same regime in Iran that President Obama sent 1.7 Billion dollars in cash on wooden pallets in unmarked currency to. I guess the cash never made it to the people of Iran.
62
That cash is probably sitting in the same Swiss banks holding the perhaps $200 billion Mr. Putin has stolen from Russia. Yassir Arafat LOVED his Swiss bankers!
18
It was their own money which we had impounded in 1979.
8
The money was a settlement of a long-running arbitration claim. The settlement was paid in cash due to the sanctions on banking transactions. Whether the funds reached the Iranian people has nothing to do with President Obama.
"The money came from a little-known fund administered by the Treasury Department for settling litigation claims. The so-called Judgment Fund is taxpayer money Congress has permanently approved in the event it's needed, allowing the president to bypass direct congressional approval to make a settlement. The U.S. previously paid out $278 million in Iran-related claims by using the fund in 1991."
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-iran-payment-cash-20160907...
It's the first day of a new year. Hopefully there will be fewer lies told this year than last.
12
The fact that official Iranian media are reporting on the casualties testifies to how seriously the leadership of Iran perceives to be this outbreak of resistance.
Thank goodness the sanctions remain in place on Iran and its regime.
Let's tighten them further.
21
The violence in Iran over economic issues in recent days is very disturbing but not surprising. Life in Iran is very, very hard.
The leadership governs Iran with a clenched fist for its own personal, narrow and selfish objectives. Leadership guided by the principles of religious fanaticism is very myopic and self-serving, ignoring the population in the process.
Popular protests in the past have all been quashed by the military. But there will continue to be new protests until there is a democratic government in Iran.
33
Completely absent from the Times' reporting is the fact that many of the protesters are, correctly, expressing their frustration with the Iran mullahs' obsession with Israel and support for Palestinian terrorism. The brave, pro-democracy protesters are chanting, "Not Gaza, Not Lebanon, I Give My Life For Iran".
Even if the Times' reporters cannot fathom this, many actual Iranians appear to be woke to the fact that perpetuating the genocidal Palestinian cause -- keeping Palestinian refugees from 1948 in camps while waiting for the genocide of Israeli Jews and the establishment of "Palestine;" or in Iran's case arming Hezbollah -- is simply a ruse that serves these corrupt despotisms to distract and impoverish their own people while enriching themselves rather than striving to provide the safe, prosperous, and reasonably open (no compulsary hijab) society that their citizens deserve. Many Iranian people are demanding that these resources be spend on their own society, rather than attempting to slaughter the six million Jews in the Levant.
Sadly, the Times is also mesermerized by the same genocidal "Palestinian" cause as Iran's mullahs, and quietly assists them in their repression.
141
Excellent points.
14
We don't think the New York Times is mesermerized by Palestinian or any other cause and that they strive to give us objective news coverage. This newspaper has a fine reputation to uphold and if they were going to side with folks I don't think Arabs would be at the top of the list. Consider that just maybe Iran has it in for Israel as their 1979 take over of U.S. embassy was related to the statement of former CIA Director William Colby as made on Ruff House T.V. program Oct. 29, 1979 that Iran "could soon have new government, a military leader could be coming to power and the new government would be friendly toward Israel".
4
"The brave, pro-democracy protesters are chanting, "Not Gaza, Not Lebanon, I Give My Life For Iran"."
Yes. Lines fed to them by Netanyahu's operatives.
6
Keep in mind how we played a major role in bringing the existing leadership in Iran to power.
Below is summary.
■ After World War II Winston Churchill recognized how important oil was going to be to the world and Iran was a country awash with oil reserves.
■ Britain proceeded to enter into an agreement with Iran whereby the oil company would pay to Iran 16% of the net profits of the company to Iran. This 16% was after a large tax paid to Great Britain.
■ In 1951 Iran democratically elected a new Prime Minister nationalized the oil industry and cut out Britain. England was upset and encouraged the U. S. to overthrow Iran's President. Harry Truman declined.
■ In 1952 Eisenhower bought into the scheme to overthrow the Prime Minister. The CIA created an elaborate scheme to discredit the democratically elected PM and soften the reaction by the people of Iran and the world to the western led coup.
■ Some believe there is a direct link between the coup in the 1953 and the 1979 Islamic revolution
"There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.", Harry Truman
If we are interested in defusing the Middle East we will admit these errors and pledge to seek an amicable solution to the problems we helped create in the Middle East. The solution should not include letting Iran have the bomb. Doing nothing to rectify our mistakes is also a bad option. ... http://lstrn.us/1kc0sHa
8
Stop self-flagellating. Everyone makes mistakes.
12
The mistakes are generally caused by a lawyer dominated and run U.S. government. Lawyers dominating all branches of the government is known as the "legal caste" and late newspaper publisher Edward Scripps wrote "If there is such a thing as true freedom and democracy then the road to that goal lies over and through the ruin and annihilation of the legal caste." The American people should step up and hold their lawyer leaders accountable for the long chain of expensive defeated foreign policies Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Scripps also wrote "The lawyers are known to be liars. They know they are known to be liars. They constantly practice falsehood and false pretense. From among these men we select our judges."
1
I agree, and we did. We need to recognize it.
8
New Year's Eve is not celebrate in Iran.
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/iran/
1
The arrival of the New Year is celebrated in Iran on the vernal equinox, (first day of Spring.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz
1
Stupid Trump tweets away without knowing why the Iranian are protesting, maybe if Fox new will tell him the truth.
Even the Iranian understand that this trickle down theory does not work, hopefully we can take a clue from the Iranian people and protest in the street of a failed business tax break and a govt out of control, that has no respect for its people.
Down with the Govt the republican and democrats have failed this country long enough
2
Free country elect who you want.HRC? Bernie?Probably Bernie would have done a decent job at least his is honest.
"The protests took place in at least half a dozen cities, including Karaj, Qazvin, Qaemshahr, Dorud and Tuyserkan, it said."
All of the above cities have either major Azeri population, or Kurdish population, which means ethnic Persians aren't the participants. Interestingly both Kurds and Azerbaijan are closely allied with Israel. Also, Trump and Israel just signed a secret agreement to closely coordinate their strategy on how to deal with Iran. Since Syrian uprising worked out so well, why not try it on the last country remaining on the list of PNAC crowd.
Given the above, I say this so-called uprising isn't going anywhere.
Recommended reading: Blast from the Past: PNAC's 1998 Letter to Clinton
11
So Iranian repression of ethnic Kurds is a good thing?
15
Always Israel's fault.
You must work at the UN.
37
This is one of the biggest pieces of nonsense I have heard here; and there is quite a lot of nonsense being bandied about.
1. These demonstrations began in Mashhad and not the west of the country.
2. Persian is not an ethnic group but a literate/literary language that has been a common language of the educated class in the greater Iranian world for over a thousand years. It has also been the chosen literary language in the provinces of Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. Nezami (whose mother was irrefutably Kurdish) and Khaqani are perfect examples of this. Both wrote from a very Iranian cultural perspective in the most elevated Persian.
3. "Ethnicity" has nothing to do with what is going on and has had little importance in Iranian history in general.
8
Perhaps the Iranian authorities should think of reducing the corporate tax rate. That fixes all problem, doesn't it?
18
Pence is not going to let the Iranian's down!
Why do our leaders insist on making the USA a joke nation?
Sure, we have a fake President, but this full-Dotard thing is a bit much.
2
This nascent attempt at a 'color revolution' has the stink of the CIA/NED/Mossad to it.
8
Yawn. Let's see some evidence.
If American's got this mad, we'd have a new President and Congress in 3 years.
10
they too get new president every 5 years
1
Not really selected by the people.The Supreme Leader selects who can run.If you are not acceptable to the clerics forget it.
The cry of "let my people go" has sounded throughout the ages, despots and dictators will never end. It is the responsibility of civilization to stand and fight, with our lives if necessary, just as in the American Revolution.
13
Iranians have endured enough hardship and suffering for years while the Religious Leaders, Soldiers and Politicians live in absolute comfort. Hope those who died didn’t do so in vain
42
This is absolutely the best comment which I wanted to describe.Nobody knows about Iranian life and hardships that poor Iranian people deal with. this is when the leaders and governers live in a comfort ,sending their children abroad to have a better life but our young generation doesn't have any right to have a future in our own country.And another joke :embargos and sanctions against Iran,just will kill our ordinary people Not leaders! poor people have to tackle with uemployment,low standard healthcare system,embezzelment, no cultural life,no nightlife and another no no no .
10
talk about the condition of US ‘poor’ -
1
The subject of this article is Iran.
But of course the US doesn't have any poor. It is the worlds richest and most powerful country and God has favoured it, so it's just not possible for there to be poor people.
we need protests here! when the trump/ryan regime is overthrown we will be better off.
45
Vote !! Accept the results of a legal election.Enjoy the low unemployment,rising wages finally,lower tax rate,less government regulation,real economic growth,rising stock market.
HRC is in the wings waiting for your call.
The West, particularly the USA and its interest around the world, are making this so called crisis bigger than appears to be. Take Brazil, were the Koch Brothers funded so called grassroots organizations to destabilize the government of Dilma Roussef. Finally to her impeachment.
9
Good to see that Trump and Pence are supportive of protests against government corruption.
8
As an American, I proudly stand with my fighting Iranian brothers and sisters. The greedy and cruel religious ruling class of old male clerics needs to come to a pulverizing end
77
Be very careful of doing a Judith Miller for the regime change crowd. They are very loud just now.
16
Foreign media is reporting the following. Want to guess who wrote the script? Iranians are way too smart to fall for the amateur hour.
""Some people had came to express their demands, but suddenly, in a crowd of hundreds, a small group that did not exceed 50 shouted deviant and horrendous slogans such as 'Let go of Palestine,' 'Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I'd give my life (only) for Iran,'" Alamolhoda said."
6
I have one major issue with this article and the reporter - Thomas Erdbrink. I read three days ago that Mr. Erdbrink was "too tight" to the Iranian leadership and was worried about becoming the next "Jason Rezaian." (WSJ reporter jailed by Iran for writing the truth). I never thought it to be true after being 30+ year reading specific to world events from the NYTimes. But...
How is it Mr. Erdbrink states:
"This time, it is the failure of President Rouhani, a moderate, to deliver greater political changes and economic opportunity that has led to a boiling over of frustrations, especially from young people."
When, in fact, every other paper in the world is stating:
"People in more than a dozen towns and cities have called for the removal of political leaders, whom they accuse of corruption. Demonstrators chanted “death to the dictator” and “death to Rouhani”, and set fire to public and private property, including banks and cars. Some towns held pro-regime rallies."
New York Times...this is not good!
70
Has everyone forgotten how quickly Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested by the thousands and essentially shut down by the US crackdown? What would you expect any government to do?
13
""arrested by the thousands""
they weren't.
they were allowed to protest for months. literally camping out.
2
And “politely” crushed with encouragement from Obama.
6
Pres. Trump should tweet, "Putin should pardon Alexei Navalny so the Russian people can have an election worthy of their participation." Two can play this game; you know? It could even be in Russian!!
46
Anyone else get a sense of surrealism of Trump telling us the Iranian people have become aware their government is lying to them and ripping them off as he and the lying GOP does exactly that and worse to us?
175
Everything that happens in the world doesn’t necessarily call for Trump bashing, but apparently most NYT readers do no agree.
12
But wasn't Trump's rhetoric against the nuclear deal supposed to unify Iranians behind their leaders? Guess they don't read the NYT.
22
Or listen to GOP talking points which depicts all people as they do our government, entirely evil and out of control, utterly incompetent in all things while being supremely efficient at doing bad things at the very same time. Omniscient incompetence if you will.
Anything they say is true because they say it until they deny it or facts prove them wrong. Then of course they never meant it in the way that makes them wrong at all.
2
But it's a socialist paradise (parasite) with free government healthcare. There is a big sign at the airport that says so.
11
Trivialising people's needs is surely the best way to prove that medical care is not in fact the Human Right it is.
Or is it that you prove what people say of those whom are against medical care for all?
BTW it is not free. If you have 1 billion dollars and pay 10 million in tax and I have 50 K and pay 10K in tax I am paying more tax than you.
3
Medical care is not a 'right'
Rights are things that exist whether or not there is any govt to enforce them. No one can be compelled to help you if you are in need.
You have negative rights. you do not have positive rights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_and_positive_rights
1
'Rights are things that exist whether or not there is any govt to enforce them. No one can be compelled to help you if you are in need."
Your conception of rights here is primitive at best.
Human Rights are not subject to the vicissitudes of mother nature. They are rights that are to be respected by all people for all people. Yes You are obliged to respect Human Rights.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rights-human/#GenIdeHumRig
2
Iran is blaming much of the disorder on foreign intervention. From historical view point it is worth considering that on the Ruff House T.V. program, which was aired Oct. 29, 1979, the late former CIA Director William Colby appeared and said Iran "could soon have a new government, a military leader could be coming to power and the new government will be friendly toward Israel". That evening his message was forwarded in letter to the former Embassy of Iran in Washington, D.C. and an acknowledgment letter signed by the Charge d'Affaires the Hon. Ali A. Aga was received dated Nov. 4, 1979 the very day Iran captured the American embassy in Iran. In his letter the Hon. Ali A. Aga made this statement "Of course they could not come back after the commercial to talk about a new government in Iran." Could these recent events be provoked by outside sanctions and continued foreign intervention or does Iran have its own Anarchists just like the U.S. does?
2
It is triggered by the fact that the removal of the sanctions after signing the treaty with the UN group of Nations has not lead to a better economy for the people whom had been supporting the government based on trust in their tactics and chosen paths. I suspect they have as much resentment about how Iran is interfering in Yemen and Iraq and Syria as they do about the ongoing harshness of the religious authorities with no economic relief in sight.
8
I'm glad the NYT is increasing its coverage of the protests. It'll be interesting to see if the UN moves as swiftly on this issue as they do those which pertain to Israel.
55
Not going to hold my breath. Trump has been more solicitous of the Saudi's than the UN. Welcome to the new world order.
3
Since this is an Iranian internal affair, the UN or other nations especially the western nations have no right to get involved.