Iranian protesters 'ready to die' for regime change, thank Trump but want more support
“Here is real hell,” a 31-year-old protest leader in Tehran, who Fox News will identify only as Azi, said in a telephone interview during the early hours of Wednesday morning. “This is a real revolution against the mullahs. Iran is uprising. I thank Mr. Trump for his support, but we need more.”
While the protests - a jolting, collective response to Iran’s receding economy, flagrant corruption and the escalating cost of fuel and goods - sprung up unexpectedly, the turmoil had been brewing for some time. According to one U.S-based intelligence source, the possibility of large-scale demonstrations - or “riots” as described by Iran’s state-owned media – have been on the table for the last two years.
The seeds of protest were sown months after sanctions were lifted by the Obama administration as part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – commonly called “the Iran deal” – when many felt that they had not benefitted from the fiscal boost. Younger Iranians in particular people banded together as advocates for change, largely through social media and apps such as Instagram and Telegram.
Iranian authorities have responded by shutting down social media access, making it more difficult for protesters to organize, but making demonstrators more creative in their quests to circumvent the ban.
“Obama betrayed the Iranian people. He gave the mullahs are ransom and cooperated with (Supreme Leader) Khamenei, he betrayed the Syrian people too. But Trump did not. So we have real expectations,” said Azi. “We want sanctions against the Iranian regime. They plundered our money. The U.S should not pay the mullahs.”
foxnews.com
With younger Iranians better educated than in previous generations, many have grown frustrated by the political and economic constraints that are keeping them from achieving the improved lifestyle they see elsewhere in the world as they interact with peers on social media.
rferl.org
“Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!” Trump tweeted.
foreignpolicy.com
Demonstrations began in the northern city of Mashhad on Dec. 28, largely driven by economic concerns. The country’s unemployment rate for young people, who make up half the population, is at 40%, according to the New York Times. Even basic goods are expensive — eggs saw a 40% increase in price.
fortune.com
Jimmy Carter, the Democrat, lost Iran to the terrorist Khomeini
The soon-to-be Supreme Leader of Iran certainly knew a sucker when he saw one. What Carter did in response to Khomeini’s pledge is not entirely clear from the newly declassified materials, but Khomeini did return; the military either fell into line or was ruthlessly purged; and Iran switched 180 degrees from being a strategic US ally to being one of our most implacable adversaries.
Carter’s unwillingness to back the shah, a staunch American ally, has long been well-known, despite constant protestations of support at the time. Khomeini could not then, however, have relied on that for certain. Within Carter’s administration, hostility to the shah over his human-rights record, a centerpiece of Carter’s policy, was certainly extensive.
nypost.com
Look what our interference has brought us to…
The 1953 CIA Coup in Iran and the Roots of Middle East Terror
informationclearinghouse.info
The Forgotten Interventions
jacobinmag.com
35 countries where the U.S. has supported fascists, drug lords and terrorists
As the situation in Ukraine continues to fester, a handy history guide — from A (Argentina) to Z (Zaire)
salon.com
How the CIA toppled Iranian democracy
theconversation.com
Aftershocks Of Iran's 1953 Coup Still Felt Around The World, 60 Years Later
rferl.org