Protests in Iran increase

[Ihatetomatoes]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7y0579lp8o.amp

Just read this brilliant post on X in response to a Piers Morgan interview with Roger Waters:

https://x.com/__Injaneb96/status/2012174949075787971

(…) ”And then, with zero shame, you side with the murderers and say “they don't want regime change”, not because you care about Iranians, but because you are obsessed with hating America and Israel. So any filth is acceptable to you as long as it is “anti-American” and “anti-Israel”?” (…)

I really don't think they do. They are too self righteous.

Fantastic post. Righteous fury.

I doubt very much that they will feel shame. These people believe they are right all the time. Because Israel (and Jews) stand alongside Iranians, as Iranians have stood by Israel since 7 October 2023, they cannot support Iranians now.

Thanks for posting.

Every Iranian I have spoken to wants rid of the theocracy but bear in mind I only mix with western Iranians who live out of Iran. I have no idea what percentage of the actual population in Iran wants them gone but I would guess it is the majority. Having said that, not one of the people I know wants a return to the monarchy either and have no interest in Pahlavi taking over. For all his talk about it only being a 100 day transition to democracy, no one believes him. They believe he would be nothing but a puppet dictator like his father before him.

A lot of people don’t support him (myself included), and some are viewing him through rose-tinted glasses by comparing him to his father. But he is not his father. The Shah lived and breathed for Iran, he lived there, ruled there, and his entire political identity was rooted in the country. This man hasn’t lived in Iran for decades and currently has shown no real political capability on the ground.

So yes, many people are sceptical about whether he could actually perform or lead. But at the same time, across years of protests and repeated unrest, Iran has never had a unified, vocal opposition to counter this regime. People aren’t necessarily putting their faith in him as a saviour, they’re reacting to the absence of any real alternative

Full support to Iranians in search of their freedom with zero no strings attached ❤️

"Iran's supreme leader acknowledges thousands killed during recent protests - BBC News" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckglee733wno

Yes it’s a start that he acknowledges thousands have been killed - but the fault of the US & Israel according to him which is weird when it was his army doing the killings.

Why is it so hard to believe that the US and Mossad are behind the riots. It is a known fact that this is exactly how Mohammed Mosaddegh, Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister, was overthrown to be replaced by a puppet monarchy. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is time for the clerics to relinquish power to the people.

If you have ever met an Iranian then you would know its BS. This is a popular revolution carried out by people sick of 4 decades of oppression by the Islamic Republic who have also destroyed the economy. I have no doubt they have some support but the US and Israel arent 'behind it'. If they had been it would be over by now.

I’m fairly confident that I know a lot more Iranians than you and there’s a reason for that. You are right that the people are sick of the economic hardships and the draconian religious rules, even though these have been relaxing recently. That’s why some are easily manipulated by nefarious influencers. This is nothing new. As I said, see Mohammed Mosaddegh.

Amazing post. People can google Mosaddegh to see quite how long ago, and quite how irrelevant he is to this. That other governments get involved in the internal affairs of other countries, particularly ones that threaten regional and global peace, is not news to anyone with the first clue about how things work. But little equivocations like 'riots', 'draconian religious rules' 'relaxing' and the suggestion that the Iranian people aren't very clear about what they want to get rid of and are susceptible to 'nefarious influencers' tells me we are talking to different Iranians.

I would disagree with you about Mosaddegh. With many Iranians, he is classed as a hero and is what they would like to go back to despite it being a long time ago. A true democracy! There is a vast spectrum of opinions amongst the Iranian people. Some would like to see the return of the Shah, particularly the economically elite families who had it pretty good under him. Some are even happy with the current system, particularly the more religious groups. Even though I have never been back to Iran, there are many who go back regularly to holiday and see family. As long as they have no political beef with the government there is no issue. They tell me that there is no need to cover their hair any more, even in Tehran. Even though the rule is still there, it is not enforced. They will usually take a hijab with them and drape it over their shoulders like a scarf, just in case. That is what I mean about the draconian rules relaxing. Additionally, although ultimate power still lies with the clerics, it seems they have been ceding power more and more to the parliament on decision making. Nevertheless, the reforms are taking too long. I believe, the majority of Iranians want them gone now. If you don’t believe that Mossad has networks embedded in Iranian society, answer me a simple question. When the Israelis struck Iran they did it with precision taking out military leaders and scientists. How did they know where they were?

@SharonEllis , “ones that threaten regional and global peace”? You seriously think that is why they do it. Nothing to do with economic and political self interest then?

You dont think ecomomics and politics are part of regional and global peace? OK.

Why would Mossad NOT have networks in Iran? Of course they do. Whatever you think of Israel they are highly competent.

Just to be clear, I was not dismissing the importance of Mosaddegh as a political/cultural figurehead. Im just saying the mechanism is not relevant now.

Yes, I recognise what you are saying about some things relaxing a bit (I have contacts that have returned) but I have never heard anyone say that makes any of it ok. They dont need Mossad to tell them to resist the profound horror of the regime.

I have no doubt about Mossad’s competence. That is one of the things I do admire about them.

How can you say the mechanism is not relevant now. It is true democracy. I thought that’s what everyone professes to want.

Actually I disagree with you about they don’t need Mossad to tell them to resist. Mossad, CIA, MI6, DGSE, have been doing this for decades all over the world whenever they sense an opportunity to effect regime change in their favour. It’s about very cleverly pushing the right buttons then organising and controlling the ensuing chaos.

In this particular instance the hopes of a great majority of Iranian people and the objectives of US and Israeli foreign policy coincide. Both want to remove the Iranian dictatorship. Iranians want the freedoms we have in the West , Israel doesn’t want to live next to a country that is funding terrorism against them , the US wants influence and control in the region to further their own interests.

We can be cynical about US intentions but it’s the Iranians themselves who are most desperate for regime change .

The fact that the regime might turn a blind eye to some “illegal” activities ( eg no hijab in public) is just a ruse to help things quieten down. They choose when to imprison and execute people for crimes such as homosexuality, blasphemy, apostasy. Any criticism of the government could come with a very heavy price.

From Wikipedia
n 2023, Iran was responsible for 74% of all recorded executions in the world, with the UN confirming that at least 40 people were executed in one week in 2024.[11][10] According to a report by Amnesty International, Iran was responsible for 64% of all recorded executions worldwide in 2024.[12]

Of course Israel, the US, Great Britain and of course Russia, Iraq, Qatar and countless other foreign powers and secret services have an interest and some influence in what happens in Iran. It’s an incredibly important country. And those interests will not align with each other.
But I’m utterly astonished by the number of commentators glibly stating that this is in some way a manufactured revolution and therefore in some way not real.
How?? How do any of these foreign influencers manufacture young people going out into the street night after night KNOWING what their fate is likely to be but doing it anyway because they are so desperate.
It’s not just about how much hair can be covered FFS it’s about the corruption and terror that is baked into the Islamic Regime. It’s about the Iranian money that funds terror all over the Middle East.
Look, these young people the have more in common with teenagers in the UK or France or Finland than they do with their supreme “leaders”. They share a youth culture and the same hopes and ideals our young people do. They are not pawns of anyone, they just want a different future.
For some mad reason, if the establishment media and pro Islamist commentators over here can brush it off as the Iranian people bring puppets of evil Israel/ US they can somehow turn a blind eye to the absolute horrors being inflicted upon innocent unarmed civilians.
Where is the humanity? And stop calling them rioters. They are resistance fighters and revolutionaries.

Can I ask how you know that the majority of Iranians objectives coincide with the US and Israeli foreign policy. The foreign policy you are describing is not just removing the clerics but installing a puppet leadership which will be “friendly” to both the US and Israel. As much as the majority of Iranians would like to see the clerics gone, they’re not going to want that. As brutal as the clerics are, life wasn’t exactly all rosy under the Shah. Show any political dissent and you would have a knock on your door in the middle of the night by the Savak never to be seen again. As I have said, there is an economically elite group of Iranians living in luxury in the west for whom life under the Shah was great and they’d love to go back to it but you need to ask the question, why was the Shah overthrown in the first place. Communism was on the rise in Iran and the Shah was losing control, even with his crackdowns. That is why the US abandoned the Shah and allowed the clerics to take over. The lesser of two evils in US eyes and they thought they would be able to have influence over them. I agree the clerics should go now and I believe, note I said believe, that the majority of Iranians want the same. Question is what do they want to replace them. I have not met anyone who has declared they want Pahlavi to take over, even if it is supposed to be a temporary transition.

You misunderstand me.
I am not saying there is agreement amongst Iranians about what or who should replace the current dictatorship.
But I believe it is clear that most Iranians do not support the current dictatorship …. Why else would the regime have to employ such draconian methods as frequent executions, terror and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
Some of your posts indicated that you felt the protesters were being manipulated by foreign powers.
I strongly dispute that.

@ RedSongBird I have not met anyone who has declared they want Pahlavi to take over, even if it is supposed to be a temporary transition.

You may not have done but my cousin who has been at the Iranian Embassy supporting the wishes of Iranians wanting rid of the Islamic theocracy, noted that there were two definite groups - one was advocating for Pahlavi, the other not.

All of this. 'Glib' is the word.