Although the newest unrest in Iran concerning the rising costs of gas began as a purely inner subject, Washington rapidly inserted itself into the dispute, looking for to advance its agenda of toppling the federal government in Tehran.
Gasoline costs doubled and even tripled over the weekend, following a choice by the federal government to chop gas subsidies and redirect these funds into different social applications. Widespread protests throughout Iran have escalated into riots in some locations, with reviews of half a dozen deaths and a number of accidents. The authorities have blamed the US for fueling the unrest and apparently shut down the web in response.
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The official line popping out of Tehran appears to be that protests themselves are authentic, however that the violence was the work of “a gaggle of anarchists and saboteurs” that are “on no account consistent with the conduct and conduct of nearly all of the understanding and insightful Iranian individuals,” within the phrases of Overseas Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi.
One other indication that the federal government acknowledges the protests as authentic was a sarcasm-laden section about gasoline costs and inflation generally, which had no hassle airing on state TV.
"Be it as it could, we should actually thank our authorities: I had purchased a automotive for 11mn Toman, nevertheless it now prices greater than 100mn. I couldn’t have even dreamt about driving a automotive that’s price greater than 100mn!" (On the value of vehicles, see e.g.: https://t.co/pfs0vt1ttx)
— Ali Fathollah-Nejad (@AFathollahNejad) November 16, 2019
Washington isn’t even bothering to cover its glee. Over the weekend, because the protests heated up, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo retweeted a 2018 message to the “individuals of Iran,” telling them that the US “hears you… helps you… is with you.”
On Monday, the State Division tweeted out graphics accusing the federal government in Tehran of spending billions of on “funding terrorism” as an alternative of on social applications at residence.
Iran’s President Rouhani raided $ four.eight billion from the Nationwide Improvement Fund to pay for terrorism. pic.twitter.com/UWBPHZXQIr
— Division of State (@StateDept) November 18, 2019
That’s some irony, contemplating that Iran’s present predicament is sort of totally as a result of US unilaterally shredding the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions on Tehran – whereas threatening different nations to observe go well with, or else. Pompeo himself stated a 12 months in the past that Iran had a option to submit or starve.
Mousavi introduced that up on Sunday, arguing the individuals of Iran are “beneath strain of america’ financial terrorism,” and rejecting Pompeo’s “hypocritical remarks” as missing real sympathy.
Help for the protests by US-backed exiles reminiscent of MEK, who’re angling for regime change in Tehran, will do little to dissuade these in Iran inclined to see Washington behind the violence.
Shiraz, south-central #Iran "Down with dictator!" "Down with Rouhani!" "Down with Khamenei!" Locals are persevering with their protests over the newest gasoline worth hikes & focusing on senior regime figures.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/c11ffSI8Rs
— Individuals's Mojahedin Group of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 16, 2019
It’s no secret that Washington has been against the Islamic Republic ever because it overthrew the pro-US monarchy within the 1979 revolution. Whereas it could have appeared that Trump’s arduous line in the direction of Tehran might have been pushed by MEK fan John Bolton, the truth that nothing modified following Bolton’s dismissal in September suggests in any other case.
When Pompeo says the US “stands with the individuals of Iran,” it’s arduous to not discover that he additionally “stands with Venezuela” – in wanting regime change in Caracas, that’s. Or that the Trump administration hailed the totally undemocratic trampling of electoral ends in Bolivia as a “important second for democracy” and “one step nearer to a totally democratic, affluent, and free Western Hemisphere.”
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Rising gasoline costs have been behind final month’s demonstrations in Ecuador, in addition to the Yellow Vests motion in France that’s been happening for a 12 months now. Chileans have been protesting for weeks over subway fare hikes – with two dozen reported deaths to this point. But the US has not clamored for regime change in any of these locations. Amnesty Worldwide has not been “horrified” or “alarmed” by any of them, as it’s about Iran.
Examine and distinction the quantity of protection given to these protests with locations whose governments Washington disapproves of: Hong Kong, Bolivia, Venezuela, Iran… Might it presumably be that the “who” and the “the place” have much more to do with that than the “why”?
One of many missed however particularly pernicious results of US-backed “shade revolutions” over the previous 20 years has been to poison the properly of real democracy and grassroots protests around the globe. When media, NGOs, avenue protests and even elections are simply weaponized to both advance the reason for regime change, or delegitimize real social actions – relying solely on whether or not the US likes the nation’s authorities or not – how does anybody know what’s authentic anymore?
So no, this isn’t nearly the price of gasoline on the pump.
Nebojsa Malic, senior author at RT
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