Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has built his 37-year rule on uncompromising repression. His answer to the current protests is no different.
Its security forces have brutally defended the Islamic Republic, but the protests show that many Iranians consider it stagnant and ideologically hollow.
Demonstrations that began as outrage at the state of the economy have spread to cities across the country, amid an escalating crackdown by the authorities.
Bazaars were shuttered and demonstrators met with violence from security forces amid rising anger about the country’s dire economic situation.
Officials said that leaders were in survival mode amid anti-government protests and the prospect of again coming into the cross hairs of Israel and the United States.
Galloping inflation, a currency crisis and anger at the regime have fueled demonstrations across the country.
Mr. Trump’s remarks that he was ready to come to the protesters’ “rescue” are a sharp escalation as protests over economic hardship turned deadly.
Iranian leaders face pressure over a currency collapse and threats of possible military strikes from Israel and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear activities.
High inflation and a currency collapse have squeezed Iranians’ budgets, challenging the country’s leaders.
Amid sky-high inflation, water and energy cuts and prospects for a deal with the U. S. dimming, President Masoud Pezeshkian has apparently thrown up his hands.