Iran's protests are another test of the regime's resolve under mounting pressure. The demonstrations, sparked by rocketing inflation and a plummeting currency, have since evolved into a broader movement with thousands taking to the streets in Tehran, setting fire to vehicles and government buildings.
Opponents of the regime have long predicted its demise, citing past crackdowns on protesters. However, these predictions were largely based on a more limited scope of discontent, whereas this unrest is taking place in parts of society that have traditionally been more supportive of the regime.
The Iranian leadership has responded with brutal force, with dozens of people, including children, already reported dead. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, initially acknowledged legitimate economic demands but has since turned on "saboteurs" who he claims are being backed by Donald Trump. This narrative may have been a ploy to deflect attention from the regime's own failures.
The government faces significant internal and external challenges, including an increasingly limited economic room for manoeuvre and a severely degraded axis of resistance. The recent 12-day war with Israel and US attack on nuclear facilities have eroded the regime's credibility on security. Meanwhile, Trump's threat to intervene has been met with skepticism by many Iranians.
The situation is becoming increasingly precarious, with risks of entrenchment rather than weakening of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's power. Iran's defence council has warned of pre-emptive military action if it perceives a threat from the US and Israel.
As external actors jockey for position, they must avoid contributing to further bloodshed and suffering by exploiting genuine grievances for their own purposes. The easiest exit would be the one that preserves stability rather than exacerbates instability.
Opponents of the regime have long predicted its demise, citing past crackdowns on protesters. However, these predictions were largely based on a more limited scope of discontent, whereas this unrest is taking place in parts of society that have traditionally been more supportive of the regime.
The Iranian leadership has responded with brutal force, with dozens of people, including children, already reported dead. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, initially acknowledged legitimate economic demands but has since turned on "saboteurs" who he claims are being backed by Donald Trump. This narrative may have been a ploy to deflect attention from the regime's own failures.
The government faces significant internal and external challenges, including an increasingly limited economic room for manoeuvre and a severely degraded axis of resistance. The recent 12-day war with Israel and US attack on nuclear facilities have eroded the regime's credibility on security. Meanwhile, Trump's threat to intervene has been met with skepticism by many Iranians.
The situation is becoming increasingly precarious, with risks of entrenchment rather than weakening of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's power. Iran's defence council has warned of pre-emptive military action if it perceives a threat from the US and Israel.
As external actors jockey for position, they must avoid contributing to further bloodshed and suffering by exploiting genuine grievances for their own purposes. The easiest exit would be the one that preserves stability rather than exacerbates instability.
This protest is getting so intense... people are literally setting fire to everything 
! I'm worried about all those innocent lives lost, especially kids 
. It's crazy how this started as just economic issues but now it's a full-blown movement against the regime. The gov't response is super brutal, like they're trying to crush the whole thing 
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! The fact that people are skeptical of Trump's involvement shows how much the US/Israel aren't taken seriously right now 
. And with this war with Israel already, it's like the regime is losing credibility on security issues 
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! We need to be careful not to make things worse by supporting one side over another 
. Can't wait to see how this all plays out 
or risk losing more support from the people. But then again, isn't that just playing into their hands by providing them with an excuse to crack down even harder? 
It's like they're caught in this vicious cycle of violence... 
He's not exactly known for his subtlety, right? But at the same time, doesn't that just validate their narrative and make it harder to find common ground between Iran and its enemies? 
What if this is all just a huge mess and nobody knows what they're doing? 
my heart is breaking thinking about all those innocent people caught in the middle of this chaos ... it's like, they're just trying to make ends meet and provide for their families, but instead they're facing brutal force from their own government 
. it's so hard to watch as a global community, we should be supporting each other and not just talking about 'stability' without actually doing something about it 
but now we got thousands taking to the streets, so yeah, the iranian leadership's move to label the protests as foreign-backed is some serious gaslighting tactics 
think iran's protests are like a can of worms - you cut one thread, another one pops up... it's not just about the economy or Trump's influence (imo). there's some deeper stuff going on here... like, what if the regime's been holding onto power by crushing dissent and now it's finally facing the music? 
. Can't believe how quickly things escalated from just economic issues to full-blown protests with people losing their lives. 
. It's not about being pro or anti-regime, but more like... come on guys 
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. Can't we just have a peaceful resolution to this whole thing for once? 
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. And let's be real, the Iranian people are smart - they won't just rise up without a reason. This isn't some naive protest; it's about systemic change and if you don't understand that, then I feel bad for you 
. It's all about stability now, not exacerbating the situation. Let's just hope for a peaceful resolution 
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I'm totally concerned about what's going on in Iran right now... like, those protests are getting out of control and it's super scary to see so many innocent people losing their lives 
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. Avoiding exploitation of genuine grievances to further destabilize the region would be a prudent course of action 
all these protests and stuff and still they can't manage to control it... 
what if trump was just trying to make them look bad? 
or maybe they're just too scared to change... 
... it's like they want us to waste our time scrolling through endless pages of posts before we can even find the comments section 
... like, come on, dude, you can't even be honest about your own failures for once 
... I'm not saying we should intervene or anything, but can't anyone do anything to help those people? 
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