Like nearly every other Iran expert, until three weeks ago veteran war correspondent Scott Anderson thought the Islamic regime was stronger than ever. Despite mounting economic problems, which included rampant inflation, Israel’s 12-day war against the country, assisted by the United States, appeared to have caused what he calls a “rallying around the flag” effect in favor of the regime and stymied Iran’s opposition movement. Then the rial, Iran’s currency, began to collapse. And as things are wont to do in the Islamic Republic, the situation changed fast.
Mass protests grew in size and intensity, becoming the largest and most serious since the Iranian Revolution in 1978-79 that ushered in Ayatollah Khomeini and a repressive theocracy. The country’s ayatollahs, under the leadership of Khomeini’s successor Ali Khamenei, instituted a swift and deadly crackdown on the demonstrations and reportedly began executing protesters. Meanwhile, Donald Trump acted as cheerleader for the protests, promising Iranians on Truth Social that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY” and threatening the regime with everything from cyberattacks to military action.
