Iran’s Leaders Fear Another Uprising and the Return of the ‘Suppression Sheikh’ Proves It

Iran’s leaders fear another uprising and the return of the ‘Suppression Sheikh’ proves it

Even as the Islamic Republic fights an external war, its leadership appears to be preparing for another battle at home: one against a population it increasingly views as the main source of existential instability. By Saeid Golkar, Kasra Aarabi, Middle East Forum This month, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, made six new appointments to the regime’s military command. Yet the most glaring of these had little to do with the war with the …

Iran’s Regime Fears the Return of Nationwide Uprisings

Growing warnings from within the regime reveal a deeper fear: that economic hardship and accumulated public anger could turn recurring protests into a sustained process beyond the authorities’ control. For years, Iran’s rulers have portrayed foreign pressure and alleged external conspiracies as the principal causes of unrest. Whenever people took to the streets to protest poverty, corruption, repression, or economic mismanagement, the regime sou…