Iran protests rage as Mahsa Amini’s father says authorities lied about her death

CNN — 

The father of an Iranian woman who died in police custody last week has accused authorities of lying about her death, as protests rage nationwide despite the government’s attempt to curb dissent with an internet blackout.

Amjad Amini, whose daughter Mahsa died after being arrested in Tehran by morality police, said doctors had refused to let him see his daughter after her death.

Iranian officials have claimed she died after suffering a “heart attack” and falling into a coma, but her family have said she had no pre-existing heart condition, according to Emtedad news, an Iranian pro-reform media outlet. Public skepticism over the officials’ account of her death has sparked an outpouring of anger that has spilled into deadly protests.

“They’re lying. They’re telling lies. Everything is a lie … no matter how much I begged, they wouldn’t let me see my daughter,” Amjad Amini told BBC Persia on Wednesday.

When he viewed his daughter’s body leading up to her funeral it was entirely wrapped except for her feet and face – though he noticed bruising on her feet. “I have no idea what they did to her,” he said.

CNN could not independently verify his account with hospital officials.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/22/middleeast/iran-protests-mahsa-amini-father-internet-blackout-intl-hnk/index.html

Death toll climbs as Iranian protesters set fire to police stations in wake of Mahsa Amini’s death

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-22/iranian-protesters-set-fire-to-police-station-as-unrest-over-wom/101466898

From little things big things grow,

I wrote to the Iranians once urging them to reconsider executing some lady ( can’t remember what she did , political?). It all went quiet then I never heard anything more about it.

wookiemeister said:

I wrote to the Iranians once urging them to reconsider executing some lady ( can’t remember what she did , political?). It all went quiet then I never heard anything more about it.

ie urging them NOT to kill her

Maybe all the women fleeing Iran and the men fleeing Russia can meet halfway in Azerbaijan.

dv said:

Maybe all the women fleeing Iran and the men fleeing Russia can meet halfway in Azerbaijan.

Did someone say par-tay ?

wookiemeister said:

dv said:

Maybe all the women fleeing Iran and the men fleeing Russia can meet halfway in Azerbaijan.

Did someone say par-tay ?

Nah. They’d immediately fight over religion.

Tamb said:

wookiemeister said:

dv said:

Maybe all the women fleeing Iran and the men fleeing Russia can meet halfway in Azerbaijan.

Did someone say par-tay ?

Nah. They’d immediately fight over religion.

maybe that’s what they want

Tamb said:

wookiemeister said:

dv said:

Maybe all the women fleeing Iran and the men fleeing Russia can meet halfway in Azerbaijan.

Did someone say par-tay ?

Nah. They’d immediately fight over religion.

Because the women won’t subscribe to wookie’s religion of Putin.

dv said:

Tamb said:

wookiemeister said:

Did someone say par-tay ?

Nah. They’d immediately fight over religion.

Because the women won’t subscribe to wookie’s religion of Putin.

The Russians have the wrong hats.

dv said:

Maybe all the women fleeing Iran and the men fleeing Russia can meet halfway in Azerbaijan.

they are launching another war against Armenia.

Maybe some other safer place.

wait

SCIENCE said:

wait

hold on just one moment

https://tokyo3.org/forums/holiday/posts/1938445/

what a time, what a world

https://twitter.com/ShortestBlockB/status/1574750867081003010

Yes, well, see “wunderkind” of Nazi Germany,

And “Red Guards” of China’s cultural revolution.

“The Chinese youth responded to his call with great enthusiasm. They organized themselves into groups known as the Red Guards. They marched through cities and towns attacking anyone they thought was against their leader. Elderly people and scholars were physically assaulted, and many died.”

they say it’s art but actually

go on tell us that’s just food colouring

SCIENCE said:

they say it’s art but actually

go on tell us that’s just food colouring

Where would they get that much blood from?

roughbarked said:

SCIENCE said:

they say it’s art but actually

go on tell us that’s just food colouring

Where would they get that much blood from?

still looks plenty red after you dilute it, just slaughter a few women and you’re good

speaking of slaughter imagine the guts the canadian freedom convoy had and whoops

A man gets shot in the head for honking the horn of his car in support of the #IranProtests!

yeah maybe they meant he had a shot of sedatives injected near his neck or something

wait

content warning, apologies, click to enlarge

SCIENCE said:

speaking of slaughter imagine the guts the canadian freedom convoy had and whoops

A man gets shot in the head for honking the horn of his car in support of the #IranProtests!

yeah maybe they meant he had a shot of sedatives injected near his neck or something

wait

content warning, apologies, click to enlarge

actually don’t worry he’s probably just sleeping, it’s just a paintball game

SCIENCE said:

Sends a strong message.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/11/iran-alarm-raised-over-bloody-crackdown-on-protesters-in-kurdistan

Iranian security forces intensify crackdown in Kurdistan

Reports of indiscriminate violence come as UK ambassador summoned by Tehran over sanctions

Another schoolgirl has reportedly been killed by the Iranian security services after she was beaten in her classroom for refusing to sing a pro-regime song when her school was raided last week, sparking further protests across the country this weekend.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/18/iranian-schoolgirl-beaten-to-death-for-refusing-to-sing-pro-regime-anthem

SCIENCE said:

Another schoolgirl has reportedly been killed by the Iranian security services after she was beaten in her classroom for refusing to sing a pro-regime song when her school was raided last week, sparking further protests across the country this weekend.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/18/iranian-schoolgirl-beaten-to-death-for-refusing-to-sing-pro-regime-anthem

Ah Islam. The religion of peace and love.

Tamb said:

SCIENCE said:

Another schoolgirl has reportedly been killed by the Iranian security services after she was beaten in her classroom for refusing to sing a pro-regime song when her school was raided last week, sparking further protests across the country this weekend.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/18/iranian-schoolgirl-beaten-to-death-for-refusing-to-sing-pro-regime-anthem

Ah Islam. The religion of peace and love.

maybe they meant a different kind of beating and a different kind of death

Amazing bravery by these women and girls.

Tamb said:

SCIENCE said:

Another schoolgirl has reportedly been killed by the Iranian security services after she was beaten in her classroom for refusing to sing a pro-regime song when her school was raided last week, sparking further protests across the country this weekend.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/18/iranian-schoolgirl-beaten-to-death-for-refusing-to-sing-pro-regime-anthem

Ah Islam. The religion of peace and love.

It is for some muslims yes. The peace and love thing. However I doubt that religion and politics will ever mix amiably under any form of religion.

Defenders Of The Republic

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

SCIENCE said:

Another schoolgirl has reportedly been killed by the Iranian security services after she was beaten in her classroom for refusing to sing a pro-regime song when her school was raided last week, sparking further protests across the country this weekend.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/18/iranian-schoolgirl-beaten-to-death-for-refusing-to-sing-pro-regime-anthem

Ah Islam. The religion of peace and love.

It is for some muslims yes. The peace and love thing. However I doubt that religion and politics will ever mix amiably under any form of religion.

seems to mix just fine in the USSA doesn’t it

damn those seatbelts are ineffective

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

Ah Islam. The religion of peace and love.

It is for some muslims yes. The peace and love thing. However I doubt that religion and politics will ever mix amiably under any form of religion.

seems to mix just fine in the USSA doesn’t it

Certainly, anyone with a nodding familiarity of the past couple of hundred years of history, or even of current events, would hardly conclude that Islam is less peaceful than Christianity.

dv said:

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

It is for some muslims yes. The peace and love thing. However I doubt that religion and politics will ever mix amiably under any form of religion.

seems to mix just fine in the USSA doesn’t it

Certainly, anyone with a nodding familiarity of the past couple of hundred years of history, or even of current events, would hardly conclude that Islam is less peaceful than Christianity.

Are you going on about the whole Jew killing schtick? That literally only happened properly just the once after which we made up for it by giving them their own country with absolutely no blowback.

Witty Rejoinder said:

dv said:

SCIENCE said:

seems to mix just fine in the USSA doesn’t it

Certainly, anyone with a nodding familiarity of the past couple of hundred years of history, or even of current events, would hardly conclude that Islam is less peaceful than Christianity.

Are you going on about the whole Jew killing schtick?

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

dv said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

dv said:

Certainly, anyone with a nodding familiarity of the past couple of hundred years of history, or even of current events, would hardly conclude that Islam is less peaceful than Christianity.

Are you going on about the whole Jew killing schtick?

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Crusades and all that.

dv said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

dv said:

Certainly, anyone with a nodding familiarity of the past couple of hundred years of history, or even of current events, would hardly conclude that Islam is less peaceful than Christianity.

Are you going on about the whole Jew killing schtick?

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Don’t make me go all Wookie on your arse!

gestures at something totally irrelevant

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Are you going on about the whole Jew killing schtick?

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Crusades and all that.

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

Witty Rejoinder said:

dv said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Are you going on about the whole Jew killing schtick?

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Don’t make me go all Wookie on your arse!

gestures at something totally irrelevant

oi!

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Are you going on about the whole Jew killing schtick?

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Crusades and all that.

I’m not even counting their excursions. The most brutal military conflict in history occurred between Christian nations. Even now the Orthodox church is backing the Bear’s marauding.

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Crusades and all that.

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

Yeah and they even killed aborigines.

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Crusades and all that.

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

Have a read about the Albigensian Crusade (aka the Cathar Crusade).

Fun for all the family.

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Crusades and all that.

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

don’t forget the Albigensian Crusade.

dv said:

roughbarked said:

dv said:

Nup, I’m talking about the frequent state of total war in the Christian world since about 1280.

Crusades and all that.

I’m not even counting their excursions. The most brutal military conflict in history occurred between Christian nations. Even now the Orthodox church is backing the Bear’s marauding.

Yes.

dv said:

Even now the Orthodox church is backing the Bear’s marauding.

Not surprising, considering that almost all of them are Russian government appointees.

JudgeMental said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

Crusades and all that.

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

don’t forget the Albigensian Crusade.

Apparently we haven’t.

captain_spalding said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

Crusades and all that.

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

Have a read about the Albigensian Crusade (aka the Cathar Crusade).

Fun for all the family.

yes, I have. Massacre at Montsegur: A History of the Albigensian Crusade by Zoe Oldenbourg

JudgeMental said:

captain_spalding said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

Have a read about the Albigensian Crusade (aka the Cathar Crusade).

Fun for all the family.

yes, I have. Massacre at Montsegur: A History of the Albigensian Crusade by Zoe Oldenbourg

Bedtime reading?

Srsly though we can only hope all these arsehole regimes get toppled.

JudgeMental said:

captain_spalding said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Oh far more Christians were killed by other Christians than the relatively small number of Muslims and Jews slaughtered by Crusaders in the holy land. Hell Christians sacked Constaninople for shits and giggles when they got side-tracked on the way to Palestine.

Have a read about the Albigensian Crusade (aka the Cathar Crusade).

Fun for all the family.

yes, I have. Massacre at Montsegur: A History of the Albigensian Crusade by Zoe Oldenbourg

Your reading list need not stop there.

For further pointers, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_wars_of_religion

and that’s just Europe.

dv said:

Srsly though we can only hope all these arsehole regimes get toppled.

Well, maybe they will, but then you wonder what comes next.

The Soviet Union: no-one’s idea of Disneyland, but not as bad as it was sometimes made out.

No-one really foresaw its rapid collapse, and no-one really foresaw that its flirtation with ‘democracy’ would be doomed to such a short span.

And now it’s back to being a revised version of what it was, and probably even less fun than the old version.

captain_spalding said:

dv said:

Srsly though we can only hope all these arsehole regimes get toppled.

Well, maybe they will, but then you wonder what comes next.

The Soviet Union: no-one’s idea of Disneyland, but not as bad as it was sometimes made out.

No-one really foresaw its rapid collapse, and no-one really foresaw that its flirtation with ‘democracy’ would be doomed to such a short span.

And now it’s back to being a revised version of what it was, and probably even less fun than the old version.

Yeah

dv said:

captain_spalding said:

dv said:

Srsly though we can only hope all these arsehole regimes get toppled.

Well, maybe they will, but then you wonder what comes next.

The Soviet Union: no-one’s idea of Disneyland, but not as bad as it was sometimes made out.

No-one really foresaw its rapid collapse, and no-one really foresaw that its flirtation with ‘democracy’ would be doomed to such a short span.

And now it’s back to being a revised version of what it was, and probably even less fun than the old version.

Yeah

I recall that Leunig chap did a cartoon of a new parent hanging their stork’s bundle on the end of a long stick and poking it out into the dark unkown.

captain_spalding said:

dv said:

Srsly though we can only hope all these arsehole regimes get toppled.

Well, maybe they will, but then you wonder what comes next.

The Soviet Union: no-one’s idea of Disneyland, but not as bad as it was sometimes made out.

No-one really foresaw its rapid collapse, and no-one really foresaw that its flirtation with ‘democracy’ would be doomed to such a short span.

And now it’s back to being a revised version of what it was, and probably even less fun than the old version.

Well most of the former USSR is now independent and free to pursue their own future without the yoke of collectivist authoritarianism so there is that. The Baltic states and the Central Asian ‘Stans’ are doing alright to varying degrees and Ukraine is a shining example of what a free people are prepared to defend in the face of tyranny. I think most former Soviet citizens and their descendants who never knew it would conclude that in the face of Soviet collapse they made the right choice towards individual freedoms, the rule of law and a semblance of democracy.

dv said:

Srsly though we can only hope all these arsehole regimes get toppled.

By whomb?

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

Srsly though we can only hope all these arsehole regimes get toppled.

By whomb?

By their own citizenry.

Will Iran’s women win?
Their uprising could be the beginning of the end of Iran’s theocracy

Oct 26th 2022

Dictatorships tend to fall the way Ernest Hemingway said people go bankrupt: gradually, then suddenly. The omens can be obvious with hindsight. In 1978 Iran’s corrupt, brutal, unpopular regime was besieged by protesters and led by a sick old shah. The next year it was swept away. Today Iranian protesters are again calling for the overthrow of a corrupt, brutal regime; this time led by a sick old ayatollah, Ali Khamenei. As Ray Takeyh, a veteran Iran-watcher, put it, “History…is surely rhyming on the streets of Tehran.”

Pessimists caution that mass protests have rocked Iran’s theocracy before, notably in 2009 and 2019, and the regime has always snuffed them out by shooting, torturing and censoring. Yet there are reasons to think that this time may be different; that the foundations of the Islamic Republic really are wobbling.

Iranians have been raging in the streets since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by Mr Khamenei’s “morality police” for the crime of failing to cover every last strand of her hair. Such protests require courage, given the regime’s readiness to lock up and rape protesters. Yet they have lasted for weeks. And whereas the fury of 2009 was largely urban and middle-class, after an election was stolen from a somewhat reformist candidate, and that of 2019 was more working-class, sparked by a sudden leap in petrol prices, today’s protests have erupted all across the country, involving every ethnic group and people from all walks of life.

The protesters’ demands are not for more welfare or a loosening of this or that oppressive regulation; they want an end to the regime. “Death to the dictator!” is an unambiguous slogan. And they are led by women, which lends them an unusual strength. The regime enforces hijab-wearing with whippings. This rule, part of a broader apparatus to subjugate women, is passionately resented. Thus, simply by doffing or burning their headscarves in public, women send a message of defiance that spreads rapidly on social media, inspiring all who chafe at clerical rule. Some also cut off their hair or walk into the men’s sections of segregated student canteens, and are welcomed by their modern-minded male peers.

That the regime feels threatened by such open displays of 21st-century morality is evident from alleged plots to kidnap or murder Masih Alinejad, a New Yorker who urges Iranian women to share hijabless photos of themselves. Yet however much the mullahs may want to crush these unruly women, they cannot be sure that the security forces would obey an order to shoot them in the street, or that the fury that would follow mass femicide could be contained.

Previously, when faced with protests, the regime has called on its supporters to stage counter-demonstrations. This time, hardly any have shown up. And several grandees who might in the past have condemned the protests or voiced support for the regime have conspicuously failed to do so. For now, Iran’s generals say they back Mr Khamenei. But it is unclear how far they will go to support an out-of-touch 83-year-old who wants to install his second-rate son as his successor. When protests in Egypt got out of hand in 2011, the top brass elbowed aside the unpopular president (who was also grooming his son as his heir) and allowed a brief flowering of democracy before eventually seizing power. In Iran, as in Egypt, the top brass have vast, grubby business interests to protect. If they sense the supreme leader is sinking, they have no incentive to go down with him.

Were Mr Khamenei’s regime to fall, few would mourn it. It is an unholy alliance of the pious and the pickpockets. At home, it frowns on fun and on fair elections, while the Iranian economy stagnates and the supposedly righteous ruling class rolls in rials. Abroad, its proxy militias dominate Lebanon, destabilise Iraq, fuel a war in Yemen and prop up a murderous despot in Syria. It is also supplying kamikaze drones to help Russia knock out Ukraine’s power grid.

If the next Iranian regime were more responsive to the wishes of its people, it would bully less at home and meddle less abroad. Both changes would be popular; with the price of bread soaring, Iranians resent the vast sums their rulers spend on terrorising the neighbours. An Iran that no longer exported revolution would make the Middle East less tense, and allow Gulf states to spend less on weapons. The threat of a nuclear arms race might recede. Trade might flourish, as it has between Israel and the Arab states that recently recognised it.

Far worse outcomes are possible, however. A nationalist military regime might ease up on compulsory piety but keep robbing Iranians and arming foreign militias, and dash for a bomb. Or Iran could end up like Syria, where a dictator burned the country to cinders rather than surrender power.

The world should want what the protesters want: an Iranian government that reflects the will of Iranians. Yet there is only so much outsiders can do to help. It is hard to tighten sanctions, for they are already tight. (America recently and rightly added penalties for Iranian firms that sell battle-drones to Russia.) Foreigners can help the protesters communicate with each other, by setting up proxy servers or letting them download vpn software to evade internet controls. The more Iranians see videos of schoolgirls mocking furious mullahs, the less inevitable clerical rule will seem.

For women, life, freedom
The protesters say they want “a normal life”. To win that, they will need not merely to shrug off the regime but also to avoid a civil war. So the counter-revolution, which is currently decentralised and leaderless, must be inclusive. Many pious Iranians fear revenge killings, as have happened after regime change in neighbouring countries. They need reassurance that today’s movement is for all Iranians, not just those who hate clerics.

The world should prepare for the possibility that Iran’s four-decade-long experiment with murderous, liberty-loathing, bedroom-snooping theocracy may not last much longer. And if, against the odds, Iran becomes the normal country its citizens crave, the rest of the world should embrace it.

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/10/26/will-irans-women-win?

I did read the above and agree but at the same time we have for example, other places like Myanmar, where the military have deposed the popular woman and incarcerated her. What should the world do about that and is it possible that tIran’s bedroom snooping police will continue to desire that power after the Ayotallah has died out?

roughbarked said:

I did read the above and agree but at the same time we have for example, other places like Myanmar, where the military have deposed the popular woman and incarcerated her. What should the world do about that and is it possible that tIran’s bedroom snooping police will continue to desire that power after the Ayotallah has died out?

All political development happens in fits and starts and all nations need to find a compromise between emphasising individual liberties and the collective good based on their own cultural and ethnic mores. However a peaceful and prosperous life for all is a persuasive goal which IMO makes political evolution, if not revolution, a necessary catalyst for human social and economic development.

Of course for every successful transition to democracy and the rule of law à la Indonesia there will be the tragic backsliding of Myanmar or the complete failure of the Arab Spring to facilitate meaningful change.

We may not yet be witnessing the end of history but I personally remain optimistic for human kind as we go forwards.

STEMocracy

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

I did read the above and agree but at the same time we have for example, other places like Myanmar, where the military have deposed the popular woman and incarcerated her. What should the world do about that and is it possible that tIran’s bedroom snooping police will continue to desire that power after the Ayotallah has died out?

All political development happens in fits and starts and all nations need to find a compromise between emphasising individual liberties and the collective good based on their own cultural and ethnic mores. However a peaceful and prosperous life for all is a persuasive goal which IMO makes political evolution, if not revolution, a necessary catalyst for human social and economic development.

Of course for every successful transition to democracy and the rule of law à la Indonesia there will be the tragic backsliding of Myanmar or the complete failure of the Arab Spring to facilitate meaningful change.

We may not yet be witnessing the end of history but I personally remain optimistic for human kind as we go forwards.

Well said.

Witty Rejoinder said:

roughbarked said:

I did read the above and agree but at the same time we have for example, other places like Myanmar, where the military have deposed the popular woman and incarcerated her. What should the world do about that and is it possible that tIran’s bedroom snooping police will continue to desire that power after the Ayotallah has died out?

All political development happens in fits and starts and all nations need to find a compromise between emphasising individual liberties and the collective good based on their own cultural and ethnic mores. However a peaceful and prosperous life for all is a persuasive goal which IMO makes political evolution, if not revolution, a necessary catalyst for human social and economic development.

Of course for every successful transition to democracy and the rule of law à la Indonesia there will be the tragic backsliding of Myanmar or the complete failure of the Arab Spring to facilitate meaningful change.

We may not yet be witnessing the end of history but I personally remain optimistic for human kind as we go forwards.

Without some modicum of optimism it would seem that all hope was lost.

Could Iran’s regime fall?
The protests are persisting, as the theocrats dither
Oct 27th 2022

Sitting on a podium before an assembly of sportsmen on September 11th, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, one of the world’s longest-reigning leaders, sounded surprisingly perky. Defying reports of his death, the 83-year-old celebrated the pious female athletes who had been competing abroad, shrouded in veils. One, he enthused, had refused to shake the hand of “a foreign man”. A victorious wrestler had prostrated himself before God, reciting the names of the imams deemed holy by Shia Muslims. The athletes, he said, had scored a “tremendous victory” (irrespective of trophies) against Western efforts to “export their culture and prevail over ours”.

The supreme guide had other reasons to feel jovial. With an eye to his succession, he had purged his regime of the reformists threatening to cast doubt on the Islamic Republic. A year earlier he had replaced President Hassan Rouhani, who earned a doctorate from a Scottish university, with Ebrahim Raisi, a little-travelled, blinkered yes-man. He had fended off Western efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear plans. Despite Western economic sanctions, Iran’s state coffers were being refilled with oil cash. And he had launched a new chastity drive bent on restoring the moral fibre of the Islamic revolution.

Two days after the sporting event, Mr Khamenei’s morality police stopped Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman on a trip to Tehran, Iran’s capital, for not wearing her hijab “properly”. They bundled her into their van and took her away for re-education and a beating. Her death in custody unleashed a decade of pent-up frustration. At the funeral women ripped off their headscarves. Police shot back with tear-gas, sparking protests that quickly spread. In scores of cities across an array of provinces they chanted Amini’s name, crying “Death to the dictator!”—the same cry that had toppled the shah in 1979. Could it happen to the ayatollahs?

Protests against the regime have erupted before. Big ones have occurred every decade or so, but of late have come faster and more furiously. This one has been on a very different scale. The protesters no longer demand bigger handouts or political reform within the system, but the overthrow of the theocracy. The outrage has lasted longer than before and has spread beyond the middle class.

It has engulfed different religious sects and ethnicities. “From Zahedan to Kurdistan, may my life be sacrificed for Iran,” runs a countrywide cry, referring to a city near the eastern border with Pakistan and an Iranian province in the west. Celebrities, sporting heroes and film stars on government payrolls have cheered on the protesters. Despite hundreds of deaths and over 12,000 arrests, Mr Khamenei’s forces have failed to quell the revolt. “We’re not a movement any more,” says a protester at a university in Tehran. “We’re a revolution that’s giving birth to a nation.”

For the first time in the Middle East, women have been leading the protests. They have had enough of men in turbans controlling how they must dress, travel and even work. By law, they still need male guardians to go between provinces or stay in hotels. If they have no male relative, a local mullah may have them married off.

But they have increasingly seen alternative ways of life on the internet and have read of the social changes sweeping across even conservative places such as Saudi Arabia. They hear their grandparents telling them of a time before the ayatollahs when women could be judges. Their mantra—zan, zindiqi, azadi (women, life, freedom)—encapsulates their demands.

Six weeks on, the Islamic Republic is in retreat. Women walk the streets and ride the Tehran underground without headscarves. Some raise a finger at security forces when they pass. Others offer hugs to male strangers. At Tehran’s Sharif University, male students form a line of defence against the basij, the regime’s militia of vigilantes, as women enter the male canteen.

Detractors and supporters alike speak of a sexual revolution. “For dancing in the alley. For being afraid of kissing one another,” run the lyrics of a song, “Baraye”, meaning “for”, which has become the protesters’ anthem. “For changing brains which have got rotten. For being embarrassed. For yearning for a normal life.” “The future of Iran is a woman,” says Ali Karimi, a football star who fled to the United Arab Emirates and is emerging as a spokesman in exile.

The protesters are mostly young; many are radical. Their vanguard is drawn from university and school students, who make up around a third of Iran’s 86m-odd people. They are fired by ideas racing across social media, including khoshunat-e mashroo, or legitimate violence. They have chased Mr Khamenei’s officials out of their schools, thrown Molotov cocktails at the security forces, burned down billboards with images of the supreme leader, torn down signs of the morality police centres, and mugged lone policemen and clerics.

Some of the chants mock the regime’s hate-speech: “Death to the dictator!” rather than the official “Death to Israel!” The symbolic burning of hijabs has replaced the routine setting fire to the Stars and Stripes. When the shah was the butt of protests, the leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, famously used to intone: “When the people do not want such a servant to serve them, he should step aside.” Now the protesters echo that saying, with Mr Khamenei as their target.

That message may be swaying pious Iranians, who have been the regime’s traditional base. Some of the biggest protests have been in conservative shrine cities, such as Mashhad and Qom, and in female universities, like al-Zahra in Tehran, where the regime once trained youthful Islamic ideologues. Few have answered Mr Khamenei’s calls to mobilise. “They’re just not showing up,” says an Iranian analyst in Dubai. Many religious Iranians are appalled by the corruption as well as the violence perpetrated in the name of their faith. They fume at the sight of ayatollahs’ sons driving Ferraris or Porsches.

So far the protesters have perhaps intentionally eschewed programmes and leaders. Their diversity makes it hard for them to agree on either. They are wary of relying on a leader who could be killed, jailed or put under house arrest, as happened to the Green Movement’s leading lights after the mass protests of 2009.

Cunningly leaderless
Instead the organisation is horizontal, with hundreds of small and disparate social-media networks. They gather along main roads, not at junctions, where the riot police lie in wait. Experience has taught them that ambitious manifestos in so complex a country can be divisive. So their demands, circulated in slogans and on social-media platforms (particularly Telegram), tend be limited to calls for the release of students from jail, the trial of security men responsible for killing protesters, and the sacking of teachers who have snitched on them.

The regime’s prisons may, however, be a font of revolt. “There’s more space to talk there than in cafés,” says an activist who spent five years in a communal cell with 90 other dissidents. “You spend all your time thrashing through ideas with people from across Iran. We were living together and became very close.” Fellow inmates included atheists, Shia reformists, Sunnis, Sufi mystics, Bahais, Christian converts and even jihadists loyal to Islamic State. Much as leftists and Islamists both did under the shah, they have honed their ideas and plans of action inside. They agree on equal rights and an end to discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities. In their separate jail blocks, women have done the same. On their release they have met and plotted.

But this revolt has mostly been of Mr Khamenei’s own making. At its outset, the regime’s leadership was a hybrid of clergy chosen within their own councils and representatives elected by the people, albeit after being vetted for loyalty to Islamic rule. Parliament and a president were elected every four years. But during his reign of 33 years Mr Khamenei has ruled with an increasingly iron fist. His men on the Guardian Council excluded ever more candidates. Last year they fixed the presidential race so that Mr Raisi, an obedient hardliner, would win. The turnout was the republic’s lowest on record. The safety-valve of even controlled elections was discarded. Mr Khamenei purged his theocracy of reformists. The tightening of the morality code and the raising of fines for violations curbed what personal freedom Iranians still enjoyed.

The regime is becoming bloodier, too. In 2009 it may have killed 70 people to suppress protests over a rigged presidential election. In 2019 it killed more than 1,500 in under a week of protests against cuts in subsidies, according to human-rights groups. The security forces have so far been loth to pour fuel on the fire by shooting schoolgirls. But the scale of repression has already exceeded that of 2009. Exhausted and overstretched, the security forces have sometimes failed to give warning shots. The regime is said to be offering the police double pay to enforce order. A massacre could turn the protests into a full-scale revolution.

The regime is also ramping up its surveillance. Its thugs raid protesters’ homes to confiscate phones. “Don’t make a fuss or we’ll take you as well,” they say, ensuring compliance. Newly installed high-resolution cameras match pedestrians to their identity cards and mobile phones. Businessmen who have been caught flashing v-for-victory signs at protesters have been summoned for questioning in mosques. The authorities are also rolling out a countrywide intranet to seal Iran hermetically from the world wide web. vpns that have been used to circumvent the intranet are being closed down. The authorities have reduced street lighting, plunging neighbourhoods into darkness.

The regime’s most effective weapon may be economic. Few can afford to heed calls for an indefinite general strike. Inflation, at over 50%, is at its highest in a decade. The currency’s value has plummeted. Millions have fallen into poverty.

So the protesters’ road is long and uncertain. The largest demonstrations have numbered tens of thousands, not the millions that toppled the shah. If the revolt is to succeed, more middle-class and middle-aged Iranians need to join the fray. The security forces, police and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime’s praetorian body, have so far stood loyal.

There have been no significant defections from the regime. But in its senior echelons a striking silence has prevailed. Despite Mr Khamenei’s call to denounce the protests, none of the former presidents has spoken up. Criticism of Mr Khamenei’s slow and rigid responses is growing in official circles. Seminarians and Islamist reformists have condemned the regime’s recourse to violence. A former long-serving speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, has urged the regime to relax its enforcement of the hijab. The sports minister hosted a female climber who recently competed in Korea without a veil, wearing a hoodie and cap instead. There has been wrangling in the state media.

Mr Khamenei has long feared concessions, seeing them as signs of weakness. “He never budges,” says Mohsen Kadivar, a senior theologian who now lives in America. He notes that regimes in the Middle East, such as Morocco and Jordan, that quickly amended their constitutions in the face of the Arab spring of 2011, emerged the least scathed. From Los Angeles, Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah, has called for a referendum to decide whether Iran should be an Islamic republic, a secular one or a reconstituted monarchy.

Arguments over the succession may weaken the regime from within. Mr Khamenei, who is said to have cancer, may favour his 53-year-old son, Mojtaba, who runs the supreme guide’s office and has lately—on flimsy religious grounds—been named an ayatollah. Some clerics and generals are against a dynastic succession. In June Mr Khamenei sacked Hossein Tayeb, the Revolutionary Guards’ powerful head of intelligence, reportedly for opposing it.

“The irgc are seeing the ground shift and are holding back,” says Sadegh Zibakalam, a political scientist in Tehran. A former diplomat in Iran agrees. “Maybe some of the commanders are supporting the crackdown, but the rank and file sympathise with the protesters,” he says.

The irgc is not monolithic, in any case. Many of its senior people are motivated more by money than religion; the irgc has huge business interests. Some analysts think it might sweep away the supreme guide’s establishment and impose a military rule of its own under a veneer of piety.

What is certain is that Mr Khamenei and the Islamic regime are both in deeper trouble than at any time since the shah was toppled in 1979. They are dithering, unsure whether to repress more brutally or give ground. The protests could yet fizzle out, as they have before. But this time there is at least a chance that they will persist. The beginning of the end of the Islamic regime must surely be in sight.

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/10/27/could-irans-regime-fall?

escalation a bit

“This is how Iranians kicking ass! Last night people of Qazvin thrown a handmade grenade right in the middle of security forces! Must have been painful! 😅😅😅 #MahsaAmini”

SCIENCE said:

Good.

While Iran’s turmoil persists, jitters spread through the region
But the ayatollahs’ foreign friends sound loth to come to their aid

Nov 24th 2022

In most revolutions there comes a point when the regime under threat moves from trying to control the crowd without spilling too much blood to sending in the army to crush the revolt. Iran may be nearing that point. Swathes of the country already look like a war zone. Armoured-car columns of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (irgc), the regime’s praetorian guard, roll into cities including Mahabad and Javanroud in Iran’s Kurdish north-west, firing with machineguns on protesters. Helicopters fly overhead. Circling drones broadcast martial songs.

The death toll across the country is rising sharply. Iran Human Rights, a watchdog based in Norway, reckons its tally of 342 dead in the first two months has jumped to at least 416 in the past week. The true figure could be much higher, it says, because internet blockages have interrupted the flow of information.

Protesters are fighting back. “You can’t ask a brutal dictator for your rights peacefully,” says a Kurd, echoing the intensifying militancy. Street-fighting manuals have begun to circulate. There are increasing reports of security forces being stabbed and shot at. Supporters of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (pjak), based in neighbouring Iraq, say they are smuggling weapons and protective gear across the mountains into Iran. Some 60 Iranian soldiers and police have been killed, according to Iran’s state media and outside monitors.

While turmoil spreads at home, Iran’s rulers are hitting back—and trying to stir up trouble—abroad. The irgc is regularly firing missiles and drones at armed camps manned by Iranian exiles in Iraq’s Kurdish north. Its commanders have threatened a ground invasion. They may be signalling to other governments in the region that, were the regime to totter, it could still lash out against its enemies across the Middle East. Visitors to Kurdistan say its leaders fear that their Western allies are too preoccupied with the economic crisis and the war in Ukraine to come to their rescue.

Elsewhere Iran is trying to show it can still make trouble for those who are taking cheer from its current discomfiture. It has hit an Israeli-owned tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. It has shipped parts for missiles to its Houthi allies in Yemen, who have previously struck the capitals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The irgc has posted a video showing how its drones could attack Saudi oil installations.

Iran has also brazenly announced that it is enriching uranium at close to weapons-grade and is spinning more advanced centrifuges. “The more the regime in Tehran is under pressure, the more it’ll lash out,” says Christian Koch of the Gulf Research Centre Foundation in Switzerland. “It will do whatever it takes. It’s a survival game.” Armageddon, some fear, could beckon.

Yet Iranians are also signalling to foreigners the benefits of keeping the regime on their side. The militias they have long sponsored in Iraq used to fire at the American “occupiers”. But now that they are ensconced in the government in Baghdad, the militias are courting them. Iraq’s new prime minister, Muhammad al-Sudani, is said to have had several productive meetings with the American ambassador.

Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hizbullah, has also tacitly engaged with America, which recently mediated an agreement between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime border. “Iran is telling the Americans: don’t miss the opportunity…to reach agreements you could never have dreamt of,” says a former senior Iraqi official. Several of his colleagues think Iran is hoping that America’s deteriorating relations with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, may make it more open to engaging with Iran.

Some hardliners in Iran’s government, including Ali Shamkhani, the national-security chief, have sought to bring reformers back into government. Official media have been quoting Muhammad Khatami, the most moderate of past presidents, after censoring him for almost a decade. A few reformers have proposed a referendum on the future type of government. Others suggest snap elections. A number of analysts think the irgc will waive some Islamist requirements, such as women having to wear the veil, as the price for staying in power. But protesters say the regime must go, hardliners and reformers alike.

Western governments are anyway unlikely to re-engage with Iran while turmoil rages within it. Technical differences between America and Europeans over nuclear negotiations have all but disappeared. Both have tired of Iran’s foot-dragging and are angered by Iran’s supply of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Some also question whether Iran has the ability to make good on its threats to wreak havoc abroad. Since the assassination in 2020 of Qassim Suleimani, the powerful long-serving commander of the irgc’s foreign strike force, many of Iran’s satellites have anyway concentrated on their own affairs rather than act as a cat’s paw for Iran’s ayatollahs. “Even if the regime recovers, Khamenei is no longer the linchpin,” says an Iranian analyst, referring to Iran’s supreme leader.

Hizbullah, too, may be constrained by Lebanon’s deal with Israel. Another Iranian protégé, Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian faction running the Gaza Strip, has been relatively quiescent. The irgc is struggling to maintain its leading position in Syria, where it is often pummelled by Israel. Now that the fighting has subsided, Syria increasingly favours ties with Arab Gulf countries that have deeper pockets. Iran is also struggling to rouse its Shia brethren in Gulf states, such as Bahrain. To the irgc’s ire, they mutter against the normalisation of relations with Israel under the Abraham accords, but rarely take to the streets. “Shias no longer chant ‘Death to America and Israel’ in Friday prayers,” says a Shia Bahraini politician.

In sum, Iran’s ayatollahs are facing an increasingly daring enemy within. Yet their friends in the region are displaying a growing reluctance to come to their aid. The Iranian regime’s struggle to survive may be becoming a lonely affair.

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/11/24/while-irans-turmoil-persists-jitters-spread-through-the-region?

As i’ve mentioned before, it’s funny how many regimes installed by revolution get deposed by revolution.

Witty Rejoinder said:

While Iran’s turmoil persists, jitters spread through the region
But the ayatollahs’ foreign friends sound loth to come to their aid

Nov 24th 2022

In most revolutions there comes a point when the regime under threat moves from trying to control the crowd without spilling too much blood to sending in the army to crush the revolt. Iran may be nearing that point. Swathes of the country already look like a war zone. Armoured-car columns of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (irgc), the regime’s praetorian guard, roll into cities including Mahabad and Javanroud in Iran’s Kurdish north-west, firing with machineguns on protesters. Helicopters fly overhead. Circling drones broadcast martial songs.

The death toll across the country is rising sharply. Iran Human Rights, a watchdog based in Norway, reckons its tally of 342 dead in the first two months has jumped to at least 416 in the past week. The true figure could be much higher, it says, because internet blockages have interrupted the flow of information.

Protesters are fighting back. “You can’t ask a brutal dictator for your rights peacefully,” says a Kurd, echoing the intensifying militancy. Street-fighting manuals have begun to circulate. There are increasing reports of security forces being stabbed and shot at. Supporters of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (pjak), based in neighbouring Iraq, say they are smuggling weapons and protective gear across the mountains into Iran. Some 60 Iranian soldiers and police have been killed, according to Iran’s state media and outside monitors.

While turmoil spreads at home, Iran’s rulers are hitting back—and trying to stir up trouble—abroad. The irgc is regularly firing missiles and drones at armed camps manned by Iranian exiles in Iraq’s Kurdish north. Its commanders have threatened a ground invasion. They may be signalling to other governments in the region that, were the regime to totter, it could still lash out against its enemies across the Middle East. Visitors to Kurdistan say its leaders fear that their Western allies are too preoccupied with the economic crisis and the war in Ukraine to come to their rescue.

Elsewhere Iran is trying to show it can still make trouble for those who are taking cheer from its current discomfiture. It has hit an Israeli-owned tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. It has shipped parts for missiles to its Houthi allies in Yemen, who have previously struck the capitals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The irgc has posted a video showing how its drones could attack Saudi oil installations.

Iran has also brazenly announced that it is enriching uranium at close to weapons-grade and is spinning more advanced centrifuges. “The more the regime in Tehran is under pressure, the more it’ll lash out,” says Christian Koch of the Gulf Research Centre Foundation in Switzerland. “It will do whatever it takes. It’s a survival game.” Armageddon, some fear, could beckon.

Yet Iranians are also signalling to foreigners the benefits of keeping the regime on their side. The militias they have long sponsored in Iraq used to fire at the American “occupiers”. But now that they are ensconced in the government in Baghdad, the militias are courting them. Iraq’s new prime minister, Muhammad al-Sudani, is said to have had several productive meetings with the American ambassador.

Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hizbullah, has also tacitly engaged with America, which recently mediated an agreement between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime border. “Iran is telling the Americans: don’t miss the opportunity…to reach agreements you could never have dreamt of,” says a former senior Iraqi official. Several of his colleagues think Iran is hoping that America’s deteriorating relations with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, may make it more open to engaging with Iran.

Some hardliners in Iran’s government, including Ali Shamkhani, the national-security chief, have sought to bring reformers back into government. Official media have been quoting Muhammad Khatami, the most moderate of past presidents, after censoring him for almost a decade. A few reformers have proposed a referendum on the future type of government. Others suggest snap elections. A number of analysts think the irgc will waive some Islamist requirements, such as women having to wear the veil, as the price for staying in power. But protesters say the regime must go, hardliners and reformers alike.

Western governments are anyway unlikely to re-engage with Iran while turmoil rages within it. Technical differences between America and Europeans over nuclear negotiations have all but disappeared. Both have tired of Iran’s foot-dragging and are angered by Iran’s supply of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Some also question whether Iran has the ability to make good on its threats to wreak havoc abroad. Since the assassination in 2020 of Qassim Suleimani, the powerful long-serving commander of the irgc’s foreign strike force, many of Iran’s satellites have anyway concentrated on their own affairs rather than act as a cat’s paw for Iran’s ayatollahs. “Even if the regime recovers, Khamenei is no longer the linchpin,” says an Iranian analyst, referring to Iran’s supreme leader.

Hizbullah, too, may be constrained by Lebanon’s deal with Israel. Another Iranian protégé, Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian faction running the Gaza Strip, has been relatively quiescent. The irgc is struggling to maintain its leading position in Syria, where it is often pummelled by Israel. Now that the fighting has subsided, Syria increasingly favours ties with Arab Gulf countries that have deeper pockets. Iran is also struggling to rouse its Shia brethren in Gulf states, such as Bahrain. To the irgc’s ire, they mutter against the normalisation of relations with Israel under the Abraham accords, but rarely take to the streets. “Shias no longer chant ‘Death to America and Israel’ in Friday prayers,” says a Shia Bahraini politician.

In sum, Iran’s ayatollahs are facing an increasingly daring enemy within. Yet their friends in the region are displaying a growing reluctance to come to their aid. The Iranian regime’s struggle to survive may be becoming a lonely affair.

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/11/24/while-irans-turmoil-persists-jitters-spread-through-the-region?

Smuggle weapons to the protestors, anti tank/helicopter missiles

captain_spalding said:

As i’ve mentioned before, it’s funny how many regimes installed by revolution get deposed by revolution.

USA will be next, Trump installed as supreme leader

captain_spalding said:

As i’ve mentioned before, it’s funny how many regimes installed by revolution get deposed by revolution.

is it, what does revolution mean

Cymek said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

While Iran’s turmoil persists, jitters spread through the region
But the ayatollahs’ foreign friends sound loth to come to their aid

Nov 24th 2022

In most revolutions there comes a point when the regime under threat moves from trying to control the crowd without spilling too much blood to sending in the army to crush the revolt. Iran may be nearing that point. Swathes of the country already look like a war zone. Armoured-car columns of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (irgc), the regime’s praetorian guard, roll into cities including Mahabad and Javanroud in Iran’s Kurdish north-west, firing with machineguns on protesters. Helicopters fly overhead. Circling drones broadcast martial songs.

The death toll across the country is rising sharply. Iran Human Rights, a watchdog based in Norway, reckons its tally of 342 dead in the first two months has jumped to at least 416 in the past week. The true figure could be much higher, it says, because internet blockages have interrupted the flow of information.

Protesters are fighting back. “You can’t ask a brutal dictator for your rights peacefully,” says a Kurd, echoing the intensifying militancy. Street-fighting manuals have begun to circulate. There are increasing reports of security forces being stabbed and shot at. Supporters of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (pjak), based in neighbouring Iraq, say they are smuggling weapons and protective gear across the mountains into Iran. Some 60 Iranian soldiers and police have been killed, according to Iran’s state media and outside monitors.

While turmoil spreads at home, Iran’s rulers are hitting back—and trying to stir up trouble—abroad. The irgc is regularly firing missiles and drones at armed camps manned by Iranian exiles in Iraq’s Kurdish north. Its commanders have threatened a ground invasion. They may be signalling to other governments in the region that, were the regime to totter, it could still lash out against its enemies across the Middle East. Visitors to Kurdistan say its leaders fear that their Western allies are too preoccupied with the economic crisis and the war in Ukraine to come to their rescue.

Elsewhere Iran is trying to show it can still make trouble for those who are taking cheer from its current discomfiture. It has hit an Israeli-owned tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. It has shipped parts for missiles to its Houthi allies in Yemen, who have previously struck the capitals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The irgc has posted a video showing how its drones could attack Saudi oil installations.

Iran has also brazenly announced that it is enriching uranium at close to weapons-grade and is spinning more advanced centrifuges. “The more the regime in Tehran is under pressure, the more it’ll lash out,” says Christian Koch of the Gulf Research Centre Foundation in Switzerland. “It will do whatever it takes. It’s a survival game.” Armageddon, some fear, could beckon.

Yet Iranians are also signalling to foreigners the benefits of keeping the regime on their side. The militias they have long sponsored in Iraq used to fire at the American “occupiers”. But now that they are ensconced in the government in Baghdad, the militias are courting them. Iraq’s new prime minister, Muhammad al-Sudani, is said to have had several productive meetings with the American ambassador.

Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hizbullah, has also tacitly engaged with America, which recently mediated an agreement between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime border. “Iran is telling the Americans: don’t miss the opportunity…to reach agreements you could never have dreamt of,” says a former senior Iraqi official. Several of his colleagues think Iran is hoping that America’s deteriorating relations with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, may make it more open to engaging with Iran.

Some hardliners in Iran’s government, including Ali Shamkhani, the national-security chief, have sought to bring reformers back into government. Official media have been quoting Muhammad Khatami, the most moderate of past presidents, after censoring him for almost a decade. A few reformers have proposed a referendum on the future type of government. Others suggest snap elections. A number of analysts think the irgc will waive some Islamist requirements, such as women having to wear the veil, as the price for staying in power. But protesters say the regime must go, hardliners and reformers alike.

Western governments are anyway unlikely to re-engage with Iran while turmoil rages within it. Technical differences between America and Europeans over nuclear negotiations have all but disappeared. Both have tired of Iran’s foot-dragging and are angered by Iran’s supply of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Some also question whether Iran has the ability to make good on its threats to wreak havoc abroad. Since the assassination in 2020 of Qassim Suleimani, the powerful long-serving commander of the irgc’s foreign strike force, many of Iran’s satellites have anyway concentrated on their own affairs rather than act as a cat’s paw for Iran’s ayatollahs. “Even if the regime recovers, Khamenei is no longer the linchpin,” says an Iranian analyst, referring to Iran’s supreme leader.

Hizbullah, too, may be constrained by Lebanon’s deal with Israel. Another Iranian protégé, Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian faction running the Gaza Strip, has been relatively quiescent. The irgc is struggling to maintain its leading position in Syria, where it is often pummelled by Israel. Now that the fighting has subsided, Syria increasingly favours ties with Arab Gulf countries that have deeper pockets. Iran is also struggling to rouse its Shia brethren in Gulf states, such as Bahrain. To the irgc’s ire, they mutter against the normalisation of relations with Israel under the Abraham accords, but rarely take to the streets. “Shias no longer chant ‘Death to America and Israel’ in Friday prayers,” says a Shia Bahraini politician.

In sum, Iran’s ayatollahs are facing an increasingly daring enemy within. Yet their friends in the region are displaying a growing reluctance to come to their aid. The Iranian regime’s struggle to survive may be becoming a lonely affair.

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/11/24/while-irans-turmoil-persists-jitters-spread-through-the-region?

Smuggle weapons to the protestors, anti tank/helicopter missiles

worked for south Belarus, didn’t it

who knows

https://www.change.org/p/release-and-reinstate-political-detainee-mahdi-jannatdoost-slipp-og-gjeninnsetting-av-den-politiske-arrestanten-mehdi-jannatdoost-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%88-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF

Mahdi Jannatdoost is an Iranian student at Østfold University College who was arrested by East police district on October 10, 2022. He is currently being held in detention at Fredrikstad police station.

The police have opened a criminal case against Mehdi on the basis of an inquiry from Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen, informs section leader Geir Aa. Willadsen for investigation in East police district in an email to Khrono. Over the weekend, the college received several messages of concern from unknown sources about posts that the Iranian student has posted on social media and took matters in its own hands to retaliate against Mehdi.

Willadsen writes that “the person concerned is currently charged under Section 185 of the Criminal Code; for having deliberately or grossly negligently publicly presented a discriminatory or hateful expression, including also through the use of symbols”

–Mehdi believes he has done nothing criminal and does not recognize himself in the charge, says the man’s Norwegian defender, lawyer Torgeir Røinås Pedersen.

Mehdi is an exemplary student and a Men’s rights activist who has made significant contributions to the society and men. Mehdi is a leader of global Men’s rights movement and has thousands of followers and supporters in Iran, Norway, and across the globe. Mehdi has been detained for practicing his protected right to free speech and for expressing his political beliefs on social media.

Mehdi’s case is particularly egregious because he has been discriminated against based on his gender (male), nationality (Iran), and religion, his right freed speech have been violated, false accusations have been made against, he has been falsely arrested, he has been publicly defamed and his student status and future immigration status is uncertain. His family members have also not been able to visit him since he was detained despite having legal authorization to do so (his father lives in Iran). The unknown conditions that Mehdi faces while being detained are also extremely concerning because he does not speak Norwegian language and he is not aware of his rights under Norwegian laws.

Mehdi’s American lawyer has not been able to reach him, and the police has denied his request to contact his American lawyer. Mehdi has been interrogated without presence of and knowledge of his lawyer.

We condemn Norwegian government and police for their discriminatory misandristic, Iranophobic, and Islamophic practices and falsely arresting Mehdi.

We condemn Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen for violation of Mehdi’s rights, filing a false report with the police, and publicly defaming him.

We demand immediate release of Mehdi with no conditions set, providing Mehdi to his Norwegian and American lawyer and to free legal assistance, and remedy the situation with reinstating his student status and keeping his immigration status unchanged.

We also demand Norwegian prosecutors look into violation of Mehdi’s rights by the police and Østfold University College and bring charges against the guilty.

SCIENCE said:

who knows

https://www.change.org/p/release-and-reinstate-political-detainee-mahdi-jannatdoost-slipp-og-gjeninnsetting-av-den-politiske-arrestanten-mehdi-jannatdoost-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%88-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF

Mahdi Jannatdoost is an Iranian student at Østfold University College who was arrested by East police district on October 10, 2022. He is currently being held in detention at Fredrikstad police station.

The police have opened a criminal case against Mehdi on the basis of an inquiry from Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen, informs section leader Geir Aa. Willadsen for investigation in East police district in an email to Khrono. Over the weekend, the college received several messages of concern from unknown sources about posts that the Iranian student has posted on social media and took matters in its own hands to retaliate against Mehdi.

Willadsen writes that “the person concerned is currently charged under Section 185 of the Criminal Code; for having deliberately or grossly negligently publicly presented a discriminatory or hateful expression, including also through the use of symbols”

–Mehdi believes he has done nothing criminal and does not recognize himself in the charge, says the man’s Norwegian defender, lawyer Torgeir Røinås Pedersen.

Mehdi is an exemplary student and a Men’s rights activist who has made significant contributions to the society and men. Mehdi is a leader of global Men’s rights movement and has thousands of followers and supporters in Iran, Norway, and across the globe. Mehdi has been detained for practicing his protected right to free speech and for expressing his political beliefs on social media.

Mehdi’s case is particularly egregious because he has been discriminated against based on his gender (male), nationality (Iran), and religion, his right freed speech have been violated, false accusations have been made against, he has been falsely arrested, he has been publicly defamed and his student status and future immigration status is uncertain. His family members have also not been able to visit him since he was detained despite having legal authorization to do so (his father lives in Iran). The unknown conditions that Mehdi faces while being detained are also extremely concerning because he does not speak Norwegian language and he is not aware of his rights under Norwegian laws.

Mehdi’s American lawyer has not been able to reach him, and the police has denied his request to contact his American lawyer. Mehdi has been interrogated without presence of and knowledge of his lawyer.

We condemn Norwegian government and police for their discriminatory misandristic, Iranophobic, and Islamophic practices and falsely arresting Mehdi.

We condemn Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen for violation of Mehdi’s rights, filing a false report with the police, and publicly defaming him.

We demand immediate release of Mehdi with no conditions set, providing Mehdi to his Norwegian and American lawyer and to free legal assistance, and remedy the situation with reinstating his student status and keeping his immigration status unchanged.

We also demand Norwegian prosecutors look into violation of Mehdi’s rights by the police and Østfold University College and bring charges against the guilty.

This guy is an exemplary student at a Norwegian university, but doesn’t speak Norwegian?

The Rev Dodgson said:

SCIENCE said:

who knows

https://www.change.org/p/release-and-reinstate-political-detainee-mahdi-jannatdoost-slipp-og-gjeninnsetting-av-den-politiske-arrestanten-mehdi-jannatdoost-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%88-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF

Mahdi Jannatdoost is an Iranian student at Østfold University College who was arrested by East police district on October 10, 2022. He is currently being held in detention at Fredrikstad police station.

The police have opened a criminal case against Mehdi on the basis of an inquiry from Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen, informs section leader Geir Aa. Willadsen for investigation in East police district in an email to Khrono. Over the weekend, the college received several messages of concern from unknown sources about posts that the Iranian student has posted on social media and took matters in its own hands to retaliate against Mehdi.

Willadsen writes that “the person concerned is currently charged under Section 185 of the Criminal Code; for having deliberately or grossly negligently publicly presented a discriminatory or hateful expression, including also through the use of symbols”

–Mehdi believes he has done nothing criminal and does not recognize himself in the charge, says the man’s Norwegian defender, lawyer Torgeir Røinås Pedersen.

Mehdi is an exemplary student and a Men’s rights activist who has made significant contributions to the society and men. Mehdi is a leader of global Men’s rights movement and has thousands of followers and supporters in Iran, Norway, and across the globe. Mehdi has been detained for practicing his protected right to free speech and for expressing his political beliefs on social media.

Mehdi’s case is particularly egregious because he has been discriminated against based on his gender (male), nationality (Iran), and religion, his right freed speech have been violated, false accusations have been made against, he has been falsely arrested, he has been publicly defamed and his student status and future immigration status is uncertain. His family members have also not been able to visit him since he was detained despite having legal authorization to do so (his father lives in Iran). The unknown conditions that Mehdi faces while being detained are also extremely concerning because he does not speak Norwegian language and he is not aware of his rights under Norwegian laws.

Mehdi’s American lawyer has not been able to reach him, and the police has denied his request to contact his American lawyer. Mehdi has been interrogated without presence of and knowledge of his lawyer.

We condemn Norwegian government and police for their discriminatory misandristic, Iranophobic, and Islamophic practices and falsely arresting Mehdi.

We condemn Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen for violation of Mehdi’s rights, filing a false report with the police, and publicly defaming him.

We demand immediate release of Mehdi with no conditions set, providing Mehdi to his Norwegian and American lawyer and to free legal assistance, and remedy the situation with reinstating his student status and keeping his immigration status unchanged.

We also demand Norwegian prosecutors look into violation of Mehdi’s rights by the police and Østfold University College and bring charges against the guilty.

This guy is an exemplary student at a Norwegian university, but doesn’t speak Norwegian?

There’s a fair chance that they hold lectures in English.

The Rev Dodgson said:

SCIENCE said:

who knows

https://www.change.org/p/release-and-reinstate-political-detainee-mahdi-jannatdoost-slipp-og-gjeninnsetting-av-den-politiske-arrestanten-mehdi-jannatdoost-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%88-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF

Mahdi Jannatdoost is an Iranian student at Østfold University College who was arrested by East police district on October 10, 2022. He is currently being held in detention at Fredrikstad police station.

The police have opened a criminal case against Mehdi on the basis of an inquiry from Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen, informs section leader Geir Aa. Willadsen for investigation in East police district in an email to Khrono. Over the weekend, the college received several messages of concern from unknown sources about posts that the Iranian student has posted on social media and took matters in its own hands to retaliate against Mehdi.

Willadsen writes that “the person concerned is currently charged under Section 185 of the Criminal Code; for having deliberately or grossly negligently publicly presented a discriminatory or hateful expression, including also through the use of symbols”

–Mehdi believes he has done nothing criminal and does not recognize himself in the charge, says the man’s Norwegian defender, lawyer Torgeir Røinås Pedersen.

Mehdi is an exemplary student and a Men’s rights activist who has made significant contributions to the society and men. Mehdi is a leader of global Men’s rights movement and has thousands of followers and supporters in Iran, Norway, and across the globe. Mehdi has been detained for practicing his protected right to free speech and for expressing his political beliefs on social media.

Mehdi’s case is particularly egregious because he has been discriminated against based on his gender (male), nationality (Iran), and religion, his right freed speech have been violated, false accusations have been made against, he has been falsely arrested, he has been publicly defamed and his student status and future immigration status is uncertain. His family members have also not been able to visit him since he was detained despite having legal authorization to do so (his father lives in Iran). The unknown conditions that Mehdi faces while being detained are also extremely concerning because he does not speak Norwegian language and he is not aware of his rights under Norwegian laws.

Mehdi’s American lawyer has not been able to reach him, and the police has denied his request to contact his American lawyer. Mehdi has been interrogated without presence of and knowledge of his lawyer.

We condemn Norwegian government and police for their discriminatory misandristic, Iranophobic, and Islamophic practices and falsely arresting Mehdi.

We condemn Østfold University College and its Dean Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen for violation of Mehdi’s rights, filing a false report with the police, and publicly defaming him.

We demand immediate release of Mehdi with no conditions set, providing Mehdi to his Norwegian and American lawyer and to free legal assistance, and remedy the situation with reinstating his student status and keeping his immigration status unchanged.

We also demand Norwegian prosecutors look into violation of Mehdi’s rights by the police and Østfold University College and bring charges against the guilty.

This guy is an exemplary student at a Norwegian university, but doesn’t speak Norwegian?

It gets weirder and weirder.

sibeen said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

This guy is an exemplary student at a Norwegian university, but doesn’t speak Norwegian?

There’s a fair chance that they hold lectures in English.

mutters: s’pose so. Just surprising they’d do that in Norway, but I guess they chase overseas students as much as anybody else.

The Rev Dodgson said:

sibeen said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

This guy is an exemplary student at a Norwegian university, but doesn’t speak Norwegian?

There’s a fair chance that they hold lectures in English.

mutters: s’pose so. Just surprising they’d do that in Norway, but I guess they chase overseas students as much as anybody else.

I asked:
Do Norwegian Universities teach in English

and the answer was

Yes
According to 6 sources

Protests have subsided in Iran, but clerics cannot yet proclaim victory
The regime has quelled the protests but Iranians are still seething

Jan 12th 2023

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may be sighing with relief. After the death in September of Mahsa Amini, a young woman arrested for not wearing a “proper” headscarf, the country saw daily protests, many led by women. Four months on, the cries of “Women, life, freedom” have all but petered out. University campuses, where demonstrations continued longest, resemble citadels, policed by security guards and cameras. Banners praising the Islamic Republic abound. And yet Iranians are still seething.

The regime has sentenced over a hundred protesters to death after cursory trials for the all-encompassing crime of “corruption on Earth”. Four have been hanged. It has locked up nearly 20,000 people, including top footballers, film stars, journalists and students. Digital communication is more restricted than ever. “Ever more people are disappointed and getting back to their lives,” says one Iranian journalist.

Mr Khamenei was slow to respond to the protests at first, but the 83-year-old cancer survivor now looks energised. He gives regular sermons to the faithful, addressing vast gatherings of women swathed in black chadors one day, and turbaned clerics the next. The rioters are “treasonous”, he thunders, dangling the threat of execution over anyone questioning his rule.

His opponents, by contrast, have mostly fallen quiet. The slogans formed of rhyming couplets are no longer heard. Their graffiti have been painted over. After previous crackdowns, Iranians vowed to stay put. Now many are planning to leave.

Mr Khamenei would, however, be wrong to conclude that he has won. Iranians are still defiant. “Be off or I’ll take off my trousers, too,” an elderly woman was recently heard shouting at police who demanded she put on a headscarf in a women-only carriage on Tehran’s metro. Segregation by sex is back in university canteens, so male and female students eat packed lunches together outside.

Nor have the protests died away entirely. The commemoration of a passenger jet accidentally shot down by the regime in 2020 reignited them for the first time in a month. On January 9th hundreds marched on a prison in Karaj, near Tehran, where two more protesters were to be hanged. “I will kill the killer of my brother,” they chanted as security forces fired on them. The executions have yet to take place.

Mr Khamenei may also worry about divisions among his allies. Some, including stalwarts with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime’s praetorian guard, have called for more compromise with protesters and a relaxation of the requirement for women to wear the veil. Former presidents have cautioned against responding to the unrest with an iron fist. On the streets, police look nervy. “I felt the fear in his eyes,” says one driver, who confronted a policeman. “It’s as if he was tormented by choosing between his duty to his leader and his country.”

Worse still for Mr Khamenei, his state is a mess. Organised strikes have subsided. But Iranians wanting to travel around the country struggle to find tickets for planes, trains and buses. The rial has lost 50% of its value against the dollar since August 2021. As inflation spirals, many are turning to barter. On smartphone apps you can get a formal shirt in exchange for some chicken. For now, the regime continues to subsidise petrol prices at the rial rate, meaning a litre costs the equivalent of five American cents. But given biting sanctions few expect that to last. Hikes in petrol prices have sparked unrest before. When the next one comes, Mr Khamenei may find it harder to tamp down his people’s anger.

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/01/12/protests-have-subsided-in-iran-but-clerics-cannot-yet-proclaim-victory?

oh c’m‘on, really

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/27/iranian-authorities-investigate-the-poisoning-of-schoolgirls-said-to-be-revenge-for-hijab-protests

Speaking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, a doctor who specialises in the treatment of poisoning victims said: “With the data that’s available, the most probable cause of this poisoning could be a weak organophosphate agent. Even if some of the poisoned pupils show a sign of severe sweating, excess salivation, vomiting, intestinal hypermotility and diarrhoea, then the attack was done using this agent.”

surely they were just eating normal food, you know, supply has been low so they needed to use some more pesticide to keep supply going

He added: “It has been revealed that the chemical compounds used to poison students are not war chemicals … the poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment and a large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable.”

well that’s all right then

SCIENCE said:

oh c’m‘on, really

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/27/iranian-authorities-investigate-the-poisoning-of-schoolgirls-said-to-be-revenge-for-hijab-protests

Speaking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, a doctor who specialises in the treatment of poisoning victims said: “With the data that’s available, the most probable cause of this poisoning could be a weak organophosphate agent. Even if some of the poisoned pupils show a sign of severe sweating, excess salivation, vomiting, intestinal hypermotility and diarrhoea, then the attack was done using this agent.”

surely they were just eating normal food, you know, supply has been low so they needed to use some more pesticide to keep supply going

He added: “It has been revealed that the chemical compounds used to poison students are not war chemicals … the poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment and a large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable.”

well that’s all right then

oh weren’t they just meant to go and have a shower or something

captain_spalding said:

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

sarahs mum said:

SCIENCE said:

SCIENCE said:

oh c’m‘on, really

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/27/iranian-authorities-investigate-the-poisoning-of-schoolgirls-said-to-be-revenge-for-hijab-protests

Speaking to the Guardian on condition of anonymity, a doctor who specialises in the treatment of poisoning victims said: “With the data that’s available, the most probable cause of this poisoning could be a weak organophosphate agent. Even if some of the poisoned pupils show a sign of severe sweating, excess salivation, vomiting, intestinal hypermotility and diarrhoea, then the attack was done using this agent.”

surely they were just eating normal food, you know, supply has been low so they needed to use some more pesticide to keep supply going

He added: “It has been revealed that the chemical compounds used to poison students are not war chemicals … the poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment and a large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable.”

well that’s all right then

oh weren’t they just meant to go and have a shower or something

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-05/protests-break-out-in-iran-as-schoolgirls-hospitalised/102055500

:(

Universal Declaration on the Rights of Incarcerated Girls and Women

Click on the pdf for the Declaration:

https://theinigw.wixsite.com/inigw/declaration

Yeah, but the Ayatollah says different. Or doesn’t say anything. Which amounts to the same thing.

luckily in Afghanistan they’ve excluded females from study again, that should prevent the murder of female students

> a weak organophosphate agent

Insecticide. Pretty deadly, though.

> not a war agent

More than a few war agents are organophosphates. Stronger ones.

SCIENCE said:

captain_spalding said:

Bubblecar said:

Universal Declaration on the Rights of Incarcerated Girls and Women

Click on the pdf for the Declaration:

https://theinigw.wixsite.com/inigw/declaration

Yeah, but the Ayatollah says different. Or doesn’t say anything. Which amounts to the same thing.

luckily in Afghanistan they’ve excluded females from study again, that should prevent the murder of female students

fuck lockdowns

fuck masks

Masoud Pezeshkian has won the Iranian presidential election. He is a former heart surgeon and is a Reformist.

The presidential election was held early due to the death of president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Raisi was with the Combatant Clergy alliance and was relatively conservative.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-26/several-dead-in-a-massive-explosion-in-southern-iran/105220018

Since it’s a hot topic now…

The President of Iran is Masoud Pezeshkian. He won the presidential election July 2024, as a Moderate, versus the Principlist Saeed Jalili. Iran uses a two round election, with a runoff if no one gets 50%. In the runoff, Pezeshkian won 55-45.

Pezeshkian, 69, was formerly a field doctor in the Iran-Iraq war and later a heart surgeon. He is part of the Azerbaijani ethnic minority. His wife, also a doctor, was killed in an accident in 1994 along with one of his sons, and he raised the remaining three children as a single father. His daughter Zahra is a chemical engineer, and his sons Youssef and Mehdi are a physicist and electrical engineer respectively. Zahra joined Masoud as a near constant presence on the campaign trail.

During his 20+ years in politics he has been Health Minister as well as leading bodies in support of ethnic minorities. After being sworn in as President, he promoted Zahra Behrouz Azar to Vice-President level cabinet position, VP for Women and Family Affairs. Azar has been an outspoken critic of Iran’s Morality Police. (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-10/iran-s-pezeshkian-names-morality-police-critic-as-vice-president)

In all, Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed four women to cabinet positions. He has appointed an usually ethnically diverse cabinet and governor list, including making a Sunni the VP for Rural Development, and with Kurds, Balochs, Azerbaijanis in other positions.

Pezeshkian’s priority was to restart negotiations with the West on nuclear program inspections with a view to an easing of sanctions. The JCPOA agreement supported by Obama in 2015 was scuttled by Trump in 2018.

Pezeshkian has been vociferous in his criticism of Israel’s activities in Gaza, labelling them “genocide”. The pagerbomb attacks by Israel in September 2024 that injured 4000 civilians also injured a number of Iranian officials. In October, Pezeshkian ordered hundreds of missiles fired at Israel in retaliation. These resulted in 3 Israeli casualties so you’d have to say the Israeli defences held up very well.

In April and May, Pezeshkian’s Foreign Minister held negotiations with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The final position of the Trump administration was that all uranium enrichment should cease. Iran regarded this as a non-starter, as enrichment is needed for its civilian power industry, though Iran denies it has a nuclear weapons program. The Trump admin set a deadline for an agreement on June 12.
No agreement was reached by the deadline. Between June 13 and June 18, Israel launched operation Rising Lion, consisting of missile strikes against government buildings, military facilities, oil refineries and universities. Approximately 400 deaths have resulted, including approximately 200 civilians, and some 1400 wounded. Several key military and technical personnel have been killed.

Iran’s military response (Operation True Promise) has consisted of barrages of missiles and drones. It appears most of the drones have been intersepted by the Jordanian air force. Roughly 30 Israelis have been killed and some 600 wounded.

Over the last couple of days the rate of attacks has declined.

Congressional Republicans have been adamant that Trump not agree to a deal that does not include any uranium refining. It does not seem likely that any agreement will be reached during this administration but it is not clear yet whether the US will engage in hostilities directly.

dv said:

Since it’s a hot topic now…

The President of Iran is Masoud Pezeshkian. He won the presidential election July 2024, as a Moderate, versus the Principlist Saeed Jalili. Iran uses a two round election, with a runoff if no one gets 50%. In the runoff, Pezeshkian won 55-45.

Pezeshkian, 69, was formerly a field doctor in the Iran-Iraq war and later a heart surgeon. He is part of the Azerbaijani ethnic minority. His wife, also a doctor, was killed in an accident in 1994 along with one of his sons, and he raised the remaining three children as a single father. His daughter Zahra is a chemical engineer, and his sons Youssef and Mehdi are a physicist and electrical engineer respectively. Zahra joined Masoud as a near constant presence on the campaign trail.

During his 20+ years in politics he has been Health Minister as well as leading bodies in support of ethnic minorities. After being sworn in as President, he promoted Zahra Behrouz Azar to Vice-President level cabinet position, VP for Women and Family Affairs. Azar has been an outspoken critic of Iran’s Morality Police. (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-10/iran-s-pezeshkian-names-morality-police-critic-as-vice-president)

In all, Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed four women to cabinet positions. He has appointed an usually ethnically diverse cabinet and governor list, including making a Sunni the VP for Rural Development, and with Kurds, Balochs, Azerbaijanis in other positions.

Pezeshkian’s priority was to restart negotiations with the West on nuclear program inspections with a view to an easing of sanctions. The JCPOA agreement supported by Obama in 2015 was scuttled by Trump in 2018.

Pezeshkian has been vociferous in his criticism of Israel’s activities in Gaza, labelling them “genocide”. The pagerbomb attacks by Israel in September 2024 that injured 4000 civilians also injured a number of Iranian officials. In October, Pezeshkian ordered hundreds of missiles fired at Israel in retaliation. These resulted in 3 Israeli casualties so you’d have to say the Israeli defences held up very well.

In April and May, Pezeshkian’s Foreign Minister held negotiations with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The final position of the Trump administration was that all uranium enrichment should cease. Iran regarded this as a non-starter, as enrichment is needed for its civilian power industry, though Iran denies it has a nuclear weapons program. The Trump admin set a deadline for an agreement on June 12.
No agreement was reached by the deadline. Between June 13 and June 18, Israel launched operation Rising Lion, consisting of missile strikes against government buildings, military facilities, oil refineries and universities. Approximately 400 deaths have resulted, including approximately 200 civilians, and some 1400 wounded. Several key military and technical personnel have been killed.

Iran’s military response (Operation True Promise) has consisted of barrages of missiles and drones. It appears most of the drones have been intersepted by the Jordanian air force. Roughly 30 Israelis have been killed and some 600 wounded.

Over the last couple of days the rate of attacks has declined.

Congressional Republicans have been adamant that Trump not agree to a deal that does not include any uranium refining. It does not seem likely that any agreement will be reached during this administration but it is not clear yet whether the US will engage in hostilities directly.

Worthwhile reviewing the Iranian political system.

There is universal suffrage for citizens at least 18 years of age. Parliamentary elections are held every four years. Parliament consists of representatives of a combination of single-member and multi-member districts. There’s a two-round voting system: if no candidate reaches a threshold in the first round, the top two go on to the second round. There are reserved seats for particular minorities (Jews, Armenian Christians, Zoroastrians).
At the same time, there are popular elections to the Assembly of Experts: a panel of clerics serving 8 year terms, that select the Supreme Leader, can overrule him or dismiss him.

Presidential elections are held every four years in a two-round, French style system, a few months after the legislative elections. Turnout is typically around 50%.

So those are the three entities elected by the populace: the President, the Parliament and the Assembly of Experts.

The President selects his Cabinet but Parliamentary approval is required for most key positions.

The Council of Guardians consists of twelve members: half elected by parliament from a list of jurists, the other half directly appointed by the Supreme Leader.

Iran is considered a flawed democracy. The democratic elements are constrained by the theocratic elements in the following ways.

Although the President, Parliament and Cabinet do have some freedom of operation, all legislation has to get past the Council of Guardians.

The Council of Guardians has to approve all candidates for Parliament, the Presidency and the Assembly of Experts.

The six CoG members that parliament elects are from a list of jurists controlled by the Supreme Leader.

Although the Assembly of Experts in theory supervises and can dismiss the Supreme Leader, they don’t do that. The SL is almost certainly in that position for life.

Despite women dominating the education statistics in Iran (making up for instance 70% of STEM graduates), few of them are approved by the CoG and they make up less than 5% of Parliament.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/12/nobel-peace-prize-laureate-narges-mohammadi-arrested-iran

dv said:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/12/nobel-peace-prize-laureate-narges-mohammadi-arrested-iran

Iranian logic: ‘he’s got one, Trump wants one, so Narges Mohammadi = Donald Trump. Slap trhe ‘cuffs on him!”.

oooh nice nice regime change go go do it

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-03/trump-says-us-will-come-to-their-rescue-if-iran-kills-protesters/106195678

well that’s ironic

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insisted the Islamic republic would “not back down” and accused protesters of trying to “please” Donald Trump. Chanting slogans including “death to the dictator” and setting fire to official buildings, crowds of people opposed to the clerical establishment marched through major cities late on Thursday, local time.

does being offered death please kkk

I’m seeing a lot of posts on socmed saying the Iran regime has fallen and asking why the western media isn’t covering it.

This seems to be getting ahead of things somewhat. The current protests do seem to have stepped things up a notch but the theocrats may well be able to ride it out.

dv said:

I’m seeing a lot of posts on socmed saying the Iran regime has fallen and asking why the western media isn’t covering it.

This seems to be getting ahead of things somewhat. The current protests do seem to have stepped things up a notch but the theocrats may well be able to ride it out.

Why the next hours in Iran are critical, and why silence is not an option

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I’m seeing a lot of posts on socmed saying the Iran regime has fallen and asking why the western media isn’t covering it.

This seems to be getting ahead of things somewhat. The current protests do seem to have stepped things up a notch but the theocrats may well be able to ride it out.

Why the next hours in Iran are critical, and why silence is not an option

I don’t know much about … anything, but I would assume this isn’t going to succeed without some parts of the military or police siding with the protesters. The Revolutionary Guard would probably ride-or-die for the Islamic Republic: maybe some parts of the Army.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I’m seeing a lot of posts on socmed saying the Iran regime has fallen and asking why the western media isn’t covering it.

This seems to be getting ahead of things somewhat. The current protests do seem to have stepped things up a notch but the theocrats may well be able to ride it out.

Why the next hours in Iran are critical, and why silence is not an option

I don’t know much about … anything, but I would assume this isn’t going to succeed without some parts of the military or police siding with the protesters. The Revolutionary Guard would probably ride-or-die for the Islamic Republic: maybe some parts of the Army.

we’re pretty sure the social media noise is just more political propaganda manipulators trying to instigate something but we don’t know jack either

for example there’s cohorts going on about the media silence about massacres, there’s cohorts complaining that mainstream media are silent about the abuses in Iran because they’re just antisemitic shit and focusing only on abuse of Palestinians by poor misunderstood Israel, there’s cohorts begging Mr President Trump too help Iranians and bomb the shit out of them because the regime are killing protesters

in fact who cares about the truth anyway, there’s enough noise about atrocities being done in Iran that kkk may as well just drop the bomb, there’s more noise than there was about WMDs in Iraq back in the day

is this foreign

The US president warned Iranian leaders against using force against demonstrators and said the US stood “ready to help”.

interference

SCIENCE said:

is this foreign

The US president warned Iranian leaders against using force against demonstrators and said the US stood “ready to help”.

interference

I think he’s worried about violent insurrection and so is Ali Khamenei.

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

is this foreign

The US president warned Iranian leaders against using force against demonstrators and said the US stood “ready to help”.

interference

I think he’s worried about violent insurrection and so is Ali Khamenei.

is bombing places a kind of violence, we’re hearing that it’s a form of love

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

is this foreign

The US president warned Iranian leaders against using force against demonstrators and said the US stood “ready to help”.

interference

I think he’s worried about violent insurrection and so is Ali Khamenei.

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

is this foreign

The US president warned Iranian leaders against using force against demonstrators and said the US stood “ready to help”.

interference

I think he’s worried about violent insurrection and so is Ali Khamenei.

agree but we were left speechless by the hypocrisy for too long

wait so should we willingly coalition and bomb them or not

interesting, could this also apply to other religions slash racial identities slash ideologies

SCIENCE said:

interesting, could this also apply to other religions slash racial identities slash ideologies

how

convenient

always good to have some honest players on the scene who agree about things

An Iranian official has told Reuters about 2,000 people had so far been killed, a figure significantly higher than previous tallies of around 600. US-based rights group HRANA also released a revised toll, stating it had verified the deaths of 2,003 people.

SCIENCE said:

always good to have some honest players on the scene who agree about things

An Iranian official has told Reuters about 2,000 people had so far been killed, a figure significantly higher than previous tallies of around 600. US-based rights group HRANA also released a revised toll, stating it had verified the deaths of 2,003 people.

The peace activists will be up in armes, Greta will be organizing a flotilla of boats as we speak.

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

always good to have some honest players on the scene who agree about things

An Iranian official has told Reuters about 2,000 people had so far been killed, a figure significantly higher than previous tallies of around 600. US-based rights group HRANA also released a revised toll, stating it had verified the deaths of 2,003 people.

The peace activists will be up in armes, Greta will be organizing a flotilla of boats as we speak.

Iranians Killing Iranians Is Genocide

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

always good to have some honest players on the scene who agree about things

An Iranian official has told Reuters about 2,000 people had so far been killed, a figure significantly higher than previous tallies of around 600. US-based rights group HRANA also released a revised toll, stating it had verified the deaths of 2,003 people.

The peace activists will be up in armes, Greta will be organizing a flotilla of boats as we speak.

sad when a grown man is triggered by a young woman.

JudgeMental said:

Peak Warming Man said:

SCIENCE said:

always good to have some honest players on the scene who agree about things

An Iranian official has told Reuters about 2,000 people had so far been killed, a figure significantly higher than previous tallies of around 600. US-based rights group HRANA also released a revised toll, stating it had verified the deaths of 2,003 people.

The peace activists will be up in armes, Greta will be organizing a flotilla of boats as we speak.

sad when a grown man is triggered by a young woman.

It’s women in general I’m afraid.

Got to marvel of the bravery and commitment of these activists. I hope there’s a good outcome at the end of this tunnel.

dv said:

Got to marvel of the bravery and commitment of these activists. I hope there’s a good outcome at the end of this tunnel.

The revolutionary guard is full of murderers, I hope they clean up that mob.

where there’s smoke

there’s mirrors

chickens all around

The White House says Iran has halted 800 planned executions of protesters after pressure from US President Donald Trump. Mr Trump appears to have pulled back from his threat of military action in Iran.

sorry was it ever in doubt

Hopefully, Trump’s messages that “help was on its way” didn’t filter through the internet blackout imposed in Tehran. If it did, events would prove once again show people in the region that they could not rely on the US, as the Kurds found out in Iraq in 1991.

hey look the big boys are about

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-29/us-donald-trump-threatens-iran-with-major-destruction/106280948

to start a fight in the playground

so we guess they’re arranging their domino ducks to be ready

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-30/eu-designates-iran-revolutionary-guard-a-terror-organisation/106285596

to fall into line and start the war in the region

disclaimer we don’t like massacres and they could be organising terror, we’re saying that multiple things can be simultaneously true

see people make this out to be funny and all and think they’re humiliating kkk but

joke’s on them because all it proves is that kkk is a genius who

• made obama irrelevant
• was able to justify starting a war to cover up paedo files
• and suddenly it was all Iran’s fault

wait

we mean joke’s on everyone else in the world who upholds an international rules-based order

wise man with simple solution

“If you eliminate the regime, you eliminate at once all the problems we’ve been facing, including the nuclear threat,” Mr Pahlavi said. “Radicalism, terrorism, nuclear threat, regional instability … will be evaporating instantly the minute this regime is no longer there.

legit’ yeah, worked pretty much every other time so why not

SCIENCE said:

wise man with simple solution

“If you eliminate the regime, you eliminate at once all the problems we’ve been facing, including the nuclear threat,” Mr Pahlavi said. “Radicalism, terrorism, nuclear threat, regional instability … will be evaporating instantly the minute this regime is no longer there.

legit’ yeah, worked pretty much every other time so why not

I’m pretty confident that Mr Pahlavi just wants to restore the dynasty that he feels he’s entitled to.

Bump

Witty Rejoinder said:

Bump

Ta. It’s not on the index.

Carrick Ryan

We don’t know if the USA or Israel are communicating with opposition groups in Iran, but it’s important to understand that there is no clear alternative for the Iranian people to suddenly rally around.

There has been some talk that Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran who has spent his life in the USA, could somehow be parachuted in, but there is no evidence of widespread support and his father’s rule was anything but democratic.

There are armed insurgencies within Iran, but they are almost all ethnic or regional separatist movements focused on local grievances. These are Kurdish, Baloch, and Ahwazi Arab groups, that have been fighting for independence since long before the Islamic revolution.

It’s certainly possible that one or more of these groups might seize the moment to launch some kind of offensive, however this is not going to replace the regime, merely wriggle free from them. The Kurds in particular would be well aware of just how unreliable any promises of US support is, with their counterparts in Syria now tasting a similar brand of betrayal that Iraqi kurds experiences in the 90s.

As someone who has travelled through Iran and maintained friendships with people in the country, I know there is widespread contempt for the regime. But only weeks ago this regime had free range to systematically slaughter anyone suspected of involvement in meaningful political opposition. Doctors spoke about soldiers entering hospitals and executing wounded protesters, with estimates of the killed ranging from 5,000 to 30,000.

Expecting the public to somehow regroup and topple the remnants of the regime, without the internet, without weapons, and without clear instructions or any guarantee of sustained support from the US, is an expectation seemingly based on blind optimism. I will happily stand corrected if the coming days reveals a network of organised opposition cells coordinating with the US and Israel to focus the energy of popular discontent.

More realistically, the only ones with the power to topple the regime’s hierarchy will be members of the hierarchy itself. Generals or senior figures who see the chaos as an opportunity to take control for themselves while preserving their own corrupt privileges.

To this end, Trump might embrace his off-ramp; a compliant authoritarian replacement willing to play by Trump’s rules. It’s possible we see a coup, but it would require the removal of an imperfectly elected Prime Minister and installation of a hand-picked US puppet… a scene the Iranians have seen before. Just as we’ve seen in Venezuela, this is about the White House’s interests, not those who have been “liberated”. There is no indication that democracy and civil liberties are non-negotiables for this White House.

I should make it clear, I really hope I’m wrong. I hope that Trump and Netanyahu only pulled this trigger because they believed there was a clear and viable path towards secular civilian rule in Iran, but there is nothing I have seen in their rhetoric or actions to give cause for this hope.

This seems to be an attempt at decapitation with little concern what happens to the rest of the body, or even if the head is completely removed.

JudgeMental said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Bump

Ta. It’s not on the index.

Yeah, it is. Just click on the link at the bottom of that section.

Spiny Norman said:

JudgeMental said:

Witty Rejoinder said:

Bump

Ta. It’s not on the index.

Yeah, it is. Just click on the link at the bottom of that section.

I meant under politics

JudgeMental said:

Spiny Norman said:

JudgeMental said:

Ta. It’s not on the index.

Yeah, it is. Just click on the link at the bottom of that section.

I meant under politics

It is there. Click “Full List” at the bottom of Politics.

JudgeMental said:

Spiny Norman said:

JudgeMental said:

Ta. It’s not on the index.

Yeah, it is. Just click on the link at the bottom of that section.

I meant under politics

So did I.
http://dazvoz.com/Holiday-Forum-National-Politics.html

Satellite imagery released by China shows at least 4 impacts at American Ali Al-Salem Airbase in Kuwait as a result of Iranian ballistic missile.

This is not going to end well. :(

Bubblecar said:

JudgeMental said:

Spiny Norman said:

Yeah, it is. Just click on the link at the bottom of that section.

I meant under politics

It is there. Click “Full List” at the bottom of Politics.

didn’t even see that.

Spiny Norman said:

Satellite imagery released by China shows at least 4 impacts at American Ali Al-Salem Airbase in Kuwait as a result of Iranian ballistic missile.

This is not going to end well. :(

They look like pretty accurate hits.

The fuel dump bottom right, a direct hit on the main terminal, some important looking buildings at top left, and the living quarters top right.

pretty sure the world leaders can just parachute some shayatollah and like magic the place will become a peaceful prosperous united country of happiness

SCIENCE said:

pretty sure the world leaders can just parachute some shayatollah and like magic the place will become a peaceful prosperous united country of happiness

There’s posts popping up around the internet with pictures of what a relaxed and progressive place Iran was before the 1979 ‘revolution’.

But, no pictures of the SAVAK torture chambers.

captain_spalding said:

SCIENCE said:

pretty sure the world leaders can just parachute some shayatollah and like magic the place will become a peaceful prosperous united country of happiness

There’s posts popping up around the internet with pictures of what a relaxed and progressive place Iran was before the 1979 ‘revolution’.

But, no pictures of the SAVAK torture chambers.

did they allow clients to take photographs of that

captain_spalding said:

SCIENCE said:

pretty sure the world leaders can just parachute some shayatollah and like magic the place will become a peaceful prosperous united country of happiness

There’s posts popping up around the internet with pictures of what a relaxed and progressive place Iran was before the 1979 ‘revolution’.

But, no pictures of the SAVAK torture chambers.

There are quite a few pairs of rose tinted glasses about at the moment, looking at the time of the Shah.

buffy said:

captain_spalding said:

SCIENCE said:

pretty sure the world leaders can just parachute some shayatollah and like magic the place will become a peaceful prosperous united country of happiness

There’s posts popping up around the internet with pictures of what a relaxed and progressive place Iran was before the 1979 ‘revolution’.

But, no pictures of the SAVAK torture chambers.

There are quite a few pairs of rose tinted glasses about at the moment, looking at the time of the Shah.

yeah but remember how bad things were under Biden, damn

buffy said:

captain_spalding said:

SCIENCE said:

pretty sure the world leaders can just parachute some shayatollah and like magic the place will become a peaceful prosperous united country of happiness

There’s posts popping up around the internet with pictures of what a relaxed and progressive place Iran was before the 1979 ‘revolution’.

But, no pictures of the SAVAK torture chambers.

There are quite a few pairs of rose tinted glasses about at the moment, looking at the time of the Shah.

Yes he was no nice guy either.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

captain_spalding said:

There’s posts popping up around the internet with pictures of what a relaxed and progressive place Iran was before the 1979 ‘revolution’.

But, no pictures of the SAVAK torture chambers.

There are quite a few pairs of rose tinted glasses about at the moment, looking at the time of the Shah.

Yes he was no nice guy either.

oh did you know him

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

There are quite a few pairs of rose tinted glasses about at the moment, looking at the time of the Shah.

Yes he was no nice guy either.

oh did you know him

No more than I know you.

roughbarked said:

SCIENCE said:

roughbarked said:

Yes he was no nice guy either.

oh did you know him

No more than I know you.

And he knows you’re an absolute arsehole!

Where’s Peter Arnett and Bobbie Battista when ya need ‘em, hey what but!!

Woodie said:

Where’s Peter Arnett and Bobbie Battista when ya need ‘em, hey what but!!

They’re all resting down in Cornwall writing up their memoirs for the paperback edition of the boy scout manual.

Woodie said:

Where’s Peter Arnett and Bobbie Battista when ya need ‘em, hey what but!!

Bobbie Battista reporting on the Gulf War 45 secs

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed interim Supreme leader. Commentators are describing him as close to Khamenei but without any base of support, which I guess makes him a good choice for interim leader.

Meanwhile two days ago

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/02/28/mediator-oman-hails-breakthrough-in-us-iran-nuclear-talks_6750947_4.html

Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly been assassinated. He was president from 2005 to 2013.

dv said:

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed interim Supreme leader. Commentators are describing him as close to Khamenei but without any base of support, which I guess makes him a good choice for interim leader.

Trump told them to lead themselves.

Iran International is reporting that Mojtaba Khamenei has been made Supreme Leader. He is the second son of the previous SL, and a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war.

Other reports suggest he was killed two days ago so I guess we’ll see.

dv said:

Iran International is reporting that Mojtaba Khamenei has been made Supreme Leader. He is the second son of the previous SL, and a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war.

Other reports suggest he was killed two days ago so I guess we’ll see.

Titular?

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

Iran International is reporting that Mojtaba Khamenei has been made Supreme Leader. He is the second son of the previous SL, and a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war.

Other reports suggest he was killed two days ago so I guess we’ll see.

Titular?

we mean it’s not like other countries don’t already put zombie and practically corpses in charge

SCIENCE said:

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

Iran International is reporting that Mojtaba Khamenei has been made Supreme Leader. He is the second son of the previous SL, and a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war.

Other reports suggest he was killed two days ago so I guess we’ll see.

Titular?

we mean it’s not like other countries don’t already put zombie and practically corpses in charge

Call Bernies I believe

look at all these terrorist-paid actors pretending to be upset at a murdered spiritual leader

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-05/why-are-some-shia-muslims-mourning-ayatollah-khamenei/106408702

SCIENCE said:

look at all these terrorist-paid actors pretending to be upset at a murdered spiritual leader

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-05/why-are-some-shia-muslims-mourning-ayatollah-khamenei/106408702

What would you pay terrorists in, Virgin vouchers

only just realised that iran looks like snapchat

SCIENCE said:

only just realised that iran looks like snapchat

elucidate

dv said:

SCIENCE said:

only just realised that iran looks like snapchat

elucidate

SCIENCE said:

dv said:

SCIENCE said:

only just realised that iran looks like snapchat

elucidate

Kind of looks more like a snail

dv said:

SCIENCE said:

dv said:

elucidate

Kind of looks more like a snail

true we did think that first but it wasn’t as silly

dv said:

SCIENCE said:

dv said:

elucidate

Kind of looks more like a snail

^

complexity

Iran’s judiciary says it has executed two men for being members of the banned MEK opposition group and trying to overthrow the Iranian government. “Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian … were hanged after trial and their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website says. The two men were also found guilty of carrying out acts of sabotage, and of attempting “rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist acts”, according to the AFP news agency. Four other alleged members of the MEK (Mojahedin-e-Khalq), sometimes referred to as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI), were executed early last week.

The MEK, a leftist group which initially supported the 1979 revolution before falling out with its leaders, has since been in exile and is designated a terrorist organisation by Tehran. Often cast by Western backers as a viable opposition group, it is in fact deeply unpopular with Iranians, in part because of its support for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s.