How Fragile Is The Iranian Regime?

Brave protesters overcoming fears and standing up to regime's security forces.

Richard C. Baffa, The Hill: Regime appears fragile as Iranians turn much of their ire inward

Mounting economic hardship is fueling persistent unrest in Iran, now characterized by labor strikes across the country and anti-regime sentiment. New sanctions stemming from President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal may well exacerbate already difficult economic conditions.

Now may be the right time to exert maximum pressure on the regime in an effort to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table.

Last December and January, demonstrations flared across Iran. It began in Mashhad over rising prices and the overall poor state of the economy, but quickly spread across the country with demonstrators increasingly focusing their wrath on the clerical regime.

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WNU Editor: The religious authorities that rule Iran and the Revolutionary Guards who provide the military muscle to protect the regime are not going to give up power anytime soon. But it is true that in the past year a wave of major strikes have hit Iran. And the weakening of the economy .... because of corruption, poor policies, a horrible banking system, and now sanctions .... can only further weaken the legitimacy of the regime. University students protesting is something that the Iranian government can handle .... but when your core supporters n critical industries are striking because they cannot make ends meet .... that becomes a different story. This reminds me of the first strikes that hit the Soviet Union in the mid 1980s. They first started in the Donbas region among the coal miners (yes .... where the Ukraine war is now being fought), and the Kremlin's response was to send in KGB thugs .... but they failed. After that .... strikes started to spread and a few years later the Soviet Union disbanded. I can easily see the same thing happening in Iran. Not a disintegration of the country, but reforms that would lessen the power and influence of the clergy .... and this will happen with or without sanctions. Unfortunately for the Iranian people .... this will also take time.