Iran, in the Throes of a Counter-Revolution

According to Israel News Highlights, the Iranian regime claims to have murdered at least 2,000 protesters in the last 48 hours. Demonstrations have spread throughout all of Iran’s 31 provinces. Streets are ablaze. Hungry to overthrow the suffocating Islamic Republic and desperate for a better life, these protesters have been out for two weeks now.  What began in the marketplace with the immense devaluation of the rial, quickly spread throughout the entire population, as it has taken on a serious, almost desperate, ideological tone.  The Shiite dystopian empire, with its Revolutionary Guard Corps, armed police officers and thugs of the Basij have been firing weapons straight into the crowds of defiant protesters.

The wounded and dead have been taken to overcrowded hospitals. Despite the heavy-handed crackdown, demonstrations have continued to grow in size and intensity. The resilience of the protesters in the face of such brutal repression has drawn international attention and condemnation of the regime’s actions. Somehow, although the internet has been cut off, (which indicates that the regime wants to hide its hideous brutality), many Iranian dissidents are able to get dramatic images out, showing thousands upon thousands of people out on the streets. It is impossible to know the full extent of the Islamic Republic’s coercive repression. Protesters have been chanting, “Death, death to the dictator”; Many have shouted, “Forget Hamas. Forget Hezbollah. My life for a (liberated) Iran”; “Iranians, raise your voice, shout out for your rights.” And we also hear many chants exclaiming, “This is the final battle. Pahlavi will return.”

A few photos showed demonstrators displaying and dancing with an unfurled Israeli flag. One man brings down the flag of the Islamic Republic; another raises the former Persian flag with the sun rising and a lion. Demonstrators have recently been brutally met with live fire and machine guns.

Eyewitness accounts describe chaotic and harrowing scenes, with sirens blaring and smoke rising above city squares as security forces attempt to quell the unrest. There is burning not only in Tehran, the government capital, but throughout the streets, and in particular there is great excitement among the protesters with the toppling and burning of statues of Qassam Soleimani, Khomeini and Khamenei.  Despite the escalating violence, protesters continue to chant slogans demanding freedom and reform, expressing a unified resolve against the regime’s oppressive measures. The atmosphere is tense and uncertain, with many fearing further escalation but refusing to back down in their pursuit of change.

These people are risking everything they have, including their very lives. The people are defiant, scared and intimidated. Yet, they keep pouring onto the streets. Said one protester, “You cannot see the start nor the end of the crowd.”

According to Iranian dissident journalist, Masih Alinejad, “This is the death of the regime.” She said that “the only serious reaction we see toward the killing and the brutality of the regime and uprising is coming from America’s President. Europe is silent. The leftists? Absolutely silent…The language of this regime is bullets, and rape and torture…Iranian people want to see Ali Khameini being captured…I want President Trump to actually take action against this regime.”

When asked if there is a tipping point right now, Ms. Alinejad further said, “It is the end of this regime… Ali Khameini is alone…Israel has eradicated Hezbollah and Hamas. Trump has captured Maduro of Venezuela. I believe this is the time. The time has come that the West should take action for a post-Islamic Republic. This is the Berlin moment for Iranians.”

These powerful displays of defiance highlight the deep-seated frustration and desire for change among the Iranian population. Social media, despite restrictions, has played a crucial role in amplifying the voices of protesters and sharing their message with the world. International observers continue to monitor the situation closely, as calls for solidarity and support for the Iranian people’s struggle grow louder.

President Trump said, “I let them know that if they start killing people, we are going to hit them very hard.” On Saturday, in a post on social media, President Trump said, “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help.”

We have never seen this scale of unprecedented uprising before in Iran. There was a great deception that was perpetrated on the West by the Khomeini Revolution in 1979. It was an intoxicating, utopian, Marxist-Islamist fantasy.

This morning, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larjani, stressed the need for “a more severe crackdown against elements stoking insecurity and damaging people and public property amid riots in the country.” The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini said that his government “Will not back down’.  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed that “the U.S. and Israel are directing ‘rioters’ to destabilize Iran, saying “armed groups linked to foreign forces are killing civilians.”

Accustomed to their usual habits of displacing the Islamic Republic’s blame on others, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf stated on Sunday that both the United States and Israel are fair game, stating that “In the event of a military attack by the United States, both the occupied territory, (i.e. Israel), and centers of US military and shipping will be legitimate targets.”

There are times in history where one must take sides. Now is the time. When this epoch is over, will you be asking yourself, “What have I done to help the people of Iran?”

Sarah N. Stern is Founder and President of EMET, a Middle Eastern Think Tank in Washington, DC.