Iran Is Yet Again the Target of US Aggression |
The ongoing protests in Iran raise the risk of external intervention by the United States, which could potentially trigger renewed tensions in the Middle East and the South Caucasus.
What are the reasons behind the protest sentiments in Iran, and what are their internal and external dynamics?
The unrest, which began on December 28 at the Tehran city market due to public dissatisfaction with the devaluation of the rial (largely a result of the financial-economic crisis triggered by strict US and European sanctions against Iran), has gradually been used as a trigger for demonstrative threats of external intervention (primarily by the United States and Israel).
With the acquiescence of the administration of President Donald Trump and the involvement of U.S. intelligence agencies, it appears that Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last Shah, has intensified his political activities in the United States. While he does not have significant authority within Iran itself, this has not prevented him from calling on Iranians to overthrow the current regime in Tehran by force, appealing to the US administration to intervene in Iran’s crisis and strike vital infrastructure of the Islamic Republic. He has also declared his readiness to return to Iran as Shah.
Iranian protesters are not only demanding the resolution of economic problems and the stabilization of the financial situation, but are also engaging in mass riots, attacking administrative structures and law enforcement agencies. Numerous instances of vandalism against mosques, holy sites, hospitals, as well as the killing of police officers and civilians have been reported. These provocations appear aimed at creating a pretext for US military intervention in Iran’s crisis.
In Iran, no socio-political organization, movement, or party has yet been legalized to take responsibility for the ongoing protests. The initiators’ reliance on modern information technologies (online resources) for organizing what they termed “spontaneous uprisings” has proven ineffective, as the security forces in the Islamic Republic have resorted to a total internet shutdown. Meanwhile, within Iran’s ruling elite, there are conflicting assessments regarding the causes of the recent........