The recent protests in Iran have offered a sort of déjà vu for those who remember the last days of the Shah and the massive protests against him. Does this mean that the end of the Iranian Regime is in sight?
Well, there are some stark differences between the 1978-9 protests and today’s but it does look like the Regime is on its last legs.
The earlier protests were organised by the political opposition in Iran, something the mullahs were quick to outlaw once they got into power. These ones are organised by the ordinary Iranian people, who have suffered under the Regime for nearly 40 years. No matter your political ideology, widespread corruption, a failing economy, and a government massively out of touch with the needs of its people will always cause upsets.
These protests also took the mullahs by surprise, meaning that they were ill-prepared to react and are firmly on the defence.
Thankfully, some of the world’s most powerful politicians, including Donald Trump, have voiced support for the Iranian people and their protest.
The US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley even called for a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation.
She said: “Let there be no doubt whatsoever: the United States stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet.”
She continued: “Once again, the people of Iran are rising up. They are asking for something that no government can legitimately deny them: their human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Others echoed her concerns about human rights, including British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft.
He said: “The United Kingdom’s concerns about the human rights situation in Iran extend beyond the recent treatment of protesters.”
He highlighted that the Iranian Regime has an expansionist mandate that causes them to support terrorism and destabilise the Middle East in order to gain more power. This is one of the causes of the failing economy.
However, most of the world was content to express “concern” over human rights without criticising the Regime outright in order to keep friendly trading relations.
Then the Iranian delegate complained of “US bullying” whilst blaming the US for the protests; content to blame anyone but themselves.
John J. Metzler, a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defence issues, wrote: “Indeed the Islamic Republic of Iran ruined a reformist, modernizing and secular Iran creating an authoritarian theocracy which rules to this day… in the Islamic Republic’s case we see a potentially prosperous country marinated in corruption and mismanagement.”
He cited that many in the West focus on the false narrative of hardliners versus moderates and explained that the crises in Iran cannot be boiled down to a choice between evil and more evil.
He wrote: “Alas, the crisis goes much deeper and to the core of Iran’s expensive waste of blood and treasure in supporting terrorist surrogates such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s rebels, and Iranian militias fighting in Syria’s civil war. The Islamic Republic of Iran remains a regressive and repressive regime rooted in clerical incompetence and civic corruption.”
So far, at least 50 people have been killed and over 8,000 imprisoned (some who weren’t even taking part in the protests) and the Regime have claimed that the protests are all but over.
The Regime is wrong; this is just the beginning.
Source » ncr-iran