Iran Confronts 3rd Day of Protests, With Calls for Khamenei to Quit

What's going on in the most perfect theocracy ever?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/world/middleeast/iran-protests-rouhani.html

I cannot believe this ...

Now, irony apart, Iran is facing a very bad economical moment and the population begins to be a bit annoyed by the theocratic system [until things go well, any system is good, but at least things go wrong ...].

Iranians chant ‘death to dictator’ in biggest unrest since crushing of protests in 2009

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/30/iran-protests-trump-tweets

Are there problems at the horizons for the Ayatollahs?

 

Could be....it may do the region some good to see the current govt get overthrown....I can envision howls of protests that the US had a hand in it..

 

What concerns me is with Hezbollah dealing billions in drugs and the IRG's ability to fund itself, the Ultra conservative Iranian Revolutionary Guard are in a very strong position and what may happen (as these things have a tendency to backfire) Iran is more likely to end up deeper in the hands of the Ultra conservatives.

Either way the US can no longer sit around doing nothing, it's in their best interest to destabilise Iran for as long as Iran continues with it's terror and narco terrorism activities. Having said that the protesters are 100% correct in their assertion the Iranian government does not invest in it's own people.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...r-is-irans-revolutionary-guard-a-terror-group

 

Yes of course, more destabilization in the Middle East is always red meat to the patron.

 

Good gawd the mighty!! When has the US sat around doing nothing. The WHOLE ****ING contemporary problem in that region of the world is America’s presence. Btw, since you claim not to be an American, why the **** are you constantly proclaiming what America should be doing, hmm?

 

I think you need to cut the hysterics... you're screaming like a girl. Sit down and do some reading....this is getting really tiresome

The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook
An ambitious U.S. task force targeting Hezbollah's billion-dollar criminal enterprise ran headlong into the White House's desire for a nuclear deal with Iran.
https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/

Op-Ed: Hezbollah's Global Criminal Empire
Today, Hezbollah sits astride a worldwide criminal syndicate that generates upwards of a billion dollars a year in income for the group.

Hezbollah's criminal income is generated from four main areas of activity: narcotics, money laundering and currency counterfeiting, widespread low-level crime centered primarily on financial fraud, and extortion.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/12/29/op-ed-hezbollahs-global-criminal-empire.html

 

You think a bit much of yourself. I think that I quit caring what you think about America.

 

Thank you

 

The more the American government is seen to be encouraging the opposition in Iran, the more support its enemies will get. It may be very hard for the average American to understand, but there are a lot of countries where a large part of the population actually sees the USA as a bad influence. It doesn't matter whether or not, or to what extent, this is now, or has been, true. What matters is what people think.

There are many ways to support the growth of liberal democracy around the world without overt interference in another country's internal politics. The most important factor in an illiberal country's politics is the lack of a mass base for liberal democracy: don't believe that the educated urban middle class in these countries necessarily represents the majority, no matter how much we might want it to.

The growth of a mass base for a democratic government that operates under the rule of law is a slow process, basically an economic one. We have a paradox: bringing countries like Iran into the world economy initially strengthens their autocratic rulers, who can now afford to buy weapons. But in the long run, it undermines them, because it swells the ranks of the educated middle class, upon whom must rest a state apparatus committed to democracy and the rule of law.

 

It’s not that it’s hard for Americans to understand, seemingly they can’t.

 

Americans are like any other people. All ordinary people think their country is basically a good one, despite what a few whiny intellectuals may say. They look around and see that they, and their neighbors, are pretty decent people ... and generalize to the government of their country. All the well-known biases that affect our thinking, especially Confirmation Bias, apply as much to Americans as to anyone else.

Further, to understand the American role in the world, you need to be happy with the idea of Contradiction. In fact, to understand history and social change in general, you need to frequently apply this idea, or let it be the substrate of your analysis. However, from childhood we tend to be taught binaries: Good/Evil, Right/Wrong, True/False. It's hard to try to analyze political developments without unconsciously invoking this sort of childlike moralistic thinking. Americans do it, and so do 'anti-Americans'.

 

The theocratic Iranian governments are not that interested in the interests [curious game of words] of the common people. They have to run their military programs [may be some secret nuclear activity included], they have to finance terrorist organizations abroad ... and so on ...

The IRG is a relative problem in case of destabilization: if things get really worse, the IRG will concentrate its forces in the main cities to keep the control of the country, but this will mean wide areas out of control where rebels could organize [and where they could receive aids from abroad as well].

I have noted that last days the authorities in Tehran have declared that there will be no more prison for who doesn't follow the precepts about what to wear ... only a "religious re-education". A moderate policy ... I wonder if this is not connected with the fact that they beging to be aware that the situation can become out of control ... better to be good ... with the sinners!

[https://www.chron.com/news/nation-w...ice-No-more-arrests-of-women-for-12462811.php]

 

Hey zoom copter, your wish is my command:

From The Cato Institute, October 2017

But don't worry, this option was dropped.

Apparently.

The best explanation - that I can see anyway - is that the story is overhyped as part of an Israeli propaganda campaign.

Having said that "I can envision howls of protests that..." Israeli's didn't have... "a hand in it."

 

Iran is one of or the big agitator in the ME, supporting terrorism and exporting it to Lebanon, west bank, Gaza, Syria, Yemen...maybe it's time to focus on the issue of stopping Iran!?!

 

Not really, unless Israel and the US use it as a pretext to attack, which is possible.

There are two versions of what's going on, the fake one where infiltrated parties have their cameras angled in ways that will give a false impression in the West, and then there is reality. The Iranians were upset with the 40% rise in eggs and poultry because of bird flu, and want economic reform.

The economy has been doing well these past two years, but it hasn't trickled down to the people. Most want a return to the policies of Ahmadinijad, and Rouhani said he understand's their concerns and will be working with them.

Of course we can't ignore the opportunism of certain nations when it comes to fomenting trouble for their own self serving reasons, and turning it into a civil war. There is a comparison with the Syrian uprisings in 2011, where peaceful protests were infiltrated by extremists who began firing at police, and turned it into a civil war. The two killed in Iran were not by police, but by infiltrators.

Anyway a spokesperson in Iran blames Saudi Arabia for any violence. It comes as Ansar al-Furqan, a radical Sunni Islamist group has called for a violent uprising against the Iranian government. Iranian media claims that radical terrorists are infiltrating Iranian cities to try and turn peaceful protests into an armed uprising. Oh well, so what else is knew? No doubt the terrorists will be armed by Washington, that is if it ever turns into a civil war... and it is possible considering Ukraine and Syria.

 

Now is a very good time for Trump to shut up.. If he supports the protesters, he will taint whatever is going on.. and whatever leadership emerges will be considered a US stooge.

 

Banal counter information. If Iranian authorities can prove that "infiltrators" killed the "two" [actually there are sources talking about more than a dozen] protesters ... Iranian authorities should show to the international communities the evidences.

 

Look how Iran is positioned. Tearing up the country makes no sense to me.

 

So is Saudi Arabia and Israel. In fact the US was attacked on 9/11 by Saudi Nationals and Saudi money. Israel assasinates Iranian scientists on the streets of Tehran. There are no good guys dude. Everybody is pursuing their interests as they see fit. Stop patronizing.

 

But how can he do that lmao.

 

Do you know why the hijackers got their US visas from the US consulate in Arabia?

Muhammed Atta was an Egyptian follower of Muslim Brotherhood living in Hamburg.

MB has been outlawed in Arabia since the early 1970s.

KSA revoked OBL's citizenship and declared AQ a terrorist outfit in 1994... They didn't fund the attack. It cost less than $500,000.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/www.inde...ks-lawsuit-cockpit-security-a7938791.html?amp

 

People make all sort of stupid claims..

Remember when the Saudi prince tried to give Guliani $10 million? I was packing to go to NYC to help because there were 9 other Saudi princes with $10 million each to give to the people of NYC.

Do you know WHY the hijackers got US visas in KSA?

OBL wanted the attack to have a Saudi face.

 

I'm sure they have, but does it matter? You know the Western press will never reveal anything that goes against Washington's agenda.

 

This was true under Obama administration. Honestly I don't know if Trump has got an agenda.