John Bolton: “These people are calling for the end of the Islamic Revolution” Video . . . “ 'I think the most dramatic change has already occurred. You have President Trump, members of his administration taking the side of the demonstrators; a hundred and eighty degrees the opposite of what Barack Obama did in 2009. We know from former Soviet prisoners that when Ronald Reagan spoke out about their descent from the communist government, it gave them hope. It said the rest of the world was watching and I think the opposition inside Iran and in the vast Iranian diaspora outside of the country can see that this is a very different American Administration.' ”
Iran deploys Revolutionary Guards to quell 'sedition' in protest hotbeds
Iran deploys Revolutionary Guards to quell 'sedition' in protest hotbeds
But, in a sign of official concern about the resilience of the protests, the Revolutionary Guards commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said he had dispatched forces to Isfahan, Lorestan and Hamadan provinces to tackle “the new sedition”.From Lebanon: Three Iranian intelligence agents killed in western city of Piranshahr
Most of the casualties among protesters have occurred in those regions. The Revolutionary Guards, the sword and shield of Iran’s Shi‘ite theocracy, were instrumental in suppressing the 2009 uprising, killing dozens of protesters then. Pro-government rally in Iran
. . . "But, in a sign of official concern about the resilience of the protests, the Revolutionary Guards commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said he had dispatched forces to Isfahan, Lorestan and Hamadan provinces to tackle "the new sedition".Most of the casualties among protesters have occurred in those regions. The Revolutionary Guards, the sword and shield of Iran's Shi'ite theocracy, were instrumental in suppressing the 2009 uprising, killing dozens of protesters then." . . .Trump says Iranian protests will see support from US 'at the appropriate time'
. . . "The president initially posted a tweet that described Iran as a “corrupt and poorly run country,” but then deleted the tweet, changing his statement to “corrupt government,” as opposed to the country as a whole.Michael Ledeen: The Iranian Regime's Days May Be Numbered
"Protests have rocked the Islamic Republic for nearly a week, leaving at least 21 people dead. At least 450 have been arrested in protests that have spread from Tehran to cities throughout the Muslim nation, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported.
"The Iranian regime has moved to squash protests by cutting off communication and moving to block social media platforms, as it did nine years ago during the “Green Movement” of 2009."
"Is it a revolution? Can it succeed? Should we support it, and if so, how?
"Surely this tumult is very different from the protests of 2009. It’s different in at least two ways, geographical and demographical.
"Geographically, whereas the 2009 protests were mainly limited to Tehran, today’s phenomenon covers the whole country, from major cities to smaller towns and even rural villages. That’s significant, because those who do not believe in the prospects of an Iranian revolution invariably argue that opposition to the regime is restricted to the elites of the big cities, and that rural populations are pro-regime. It’s difficult to judge how many rural residents are protesting, but it’s a significant number. That’s new, and I believe it surprised both the regime and the leaders of the uprising.
"The demographic difference is class: the 2009 demonstrators were Tehrani bourgeoisie (bazaaris, for example). Today’s masses are proletarians: workers, unemployed, failing farmers and the like. Notice that trade unionists are being arrested in Tehran, because the tyrants fear they are the real organizers of the uprising, and because workers and the unemployed are not as easy to intimidate as professors and businessmen." . . .
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