Though the latest unrest in Iran about the rising prices of fuel started as a purely internal issue, Washington quickly inserted itself into the dispute, seeking to advance its agenda of toppling the government in Tehran.<\/p>\n
Gas prices doubled or even tripled over the weekend, following a decision by the government to cut fuel subsidies and redirect those funds into other social programs. Widespread protests across Iran have escalated into riots in some places, with reports of half a dozen deaths and multiple injuries. The authorities have blamed the US for fueling the unrest and apparently shut down the internet in response.<\/p>\n
The official line coming out of Tehran seems to be that protests themselves are legitimate, but that the violence was the work of \u201ca group of anarchists and saboteurs\u201d which are \u201cby no means in line with the conduct and behavior of the majority of the understanding and insightful Iranian people,\u201d in the words of Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Another indication that the government recognizes the protests as legitimate was a sarcasm-laden segment about gas prices and inflation in general, which had no trouble airing on state TV.<\/p>\n
“Our authorities make other really nice comparisons: Comparing our taxi fare w\/ that of #NewYork, price of fuel w\/ #London, price of rent w\/ #Paris, price of gas w\/ #Turkey but when it comes to wages they make a comparison w\/ #Ethiopia. Otherwise, their comparisons are really gd.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Ali Fathollah-Nejad (@AFathollahNejad) November 16, 2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Washington is not even bothering to hide its glee. Over the weekend, as the protests heated up, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo retweeted a 2018 message to the \u201cpeople of Iran,\u201d telling them that the US \u201chears you\u2026 supports you\u2026 is with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Monday, the State Department tweeted out graphics accusing the government in Tehran of spending billions of dollars on \u201cfunding terrorism\u201d instead of on social programs at home.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s President Rouhani raided $4.8 billion from the National Development Fund to pay for terrorism. pic.twitter.com\/UWBPHZXQIr<\/p>\n
\u2014 Department of State (@StateDept) November 18, 2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That\u2019s some irony, considering that Iran\u2019s current predicament is almost entirely due to the US unilaterally shredding the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions on Tehran \u2013 while threatening other countries to follow suit, or else. Pompeo himself said a year ago that Iran had a choice to submit or starve.<\/p>\n
Mousavi brought that up on Sunday, arguing the people of Iran are \u201cunder pressure of the United States\u2019 economic terrorism,\u201d and rejecting Pompeo\u2019s \u201chypocritical remarks\u201d as lacking genuine sympathy.<\/p>\n
Support for the protests by US-backed exiles such as MEK, who are angling for regime change in Tehran, will do little to dissuade those in Iran inclined to see Washington behind the violence.<\/p>\n
Shiraz, south-central #Iran
\n“Down with dictator!”
\nLocals are continuing their protests over the latest gas price hikes & targeting senior regime figures.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com\/c11ffSI8Rs<\/p>\n\u2014 People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 16, 2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It is no secret that Washington has been opposed to the Islamic Republic ever since it overthrew the pro-US monarchy in the 1979 revolution. While it may have seemed that Trump\u2019s hard line towards Tehran may have been driven by MEK fan John Bolton, the fact that nothing changed following Bolton\u2019s dismissal in September suggests otherwise.<\/p>\n
When Pompeo says the US \u201cstands with the people of Iran,\u201d it is hard to not notice that he also\u201cstands with Venezuela\u201d \u2013 in wanting regime change in Caracas, that is. Or that the Trump administration hailed the entirely undemocratic trampling of electoral results in Bolivia as a \u201csignificant moment for democracy\u201d and \u201cone step closer to a completely democratic, prosperous, and free Western Hemisphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rising gas prices were behind last month\u2019s demonstrations in Ecuador, as well as the Yellow Vests movement in France that\u2019s been going on for a year now. Chileans have been protesting for weeks over subway fare hikes \u2013 with two dozen reported deaths so far. Yet the US has not clamored for regime change in any of those places. Amnesty International has not been \u201chorrified\u201d or \u201calarmed\u201d by any of them, as it is about Iran.<\/p>\n
Compare and contrast the amount of coverage given to those protests with places whose governments Washington disapproves of: Hong Kong, Bolivia, Venezuela, Iran\u2026 Could it possibly be that the \u201cwho\u201d and the \u201cwhere\u201d have a lot more to do with that than the \u201cwhy\u201d?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
One of the overlooked but especially pernicious effects of US-backed \u201ccolor revolutions\u201d over the past 20 years has been to poison the well of genuine democracy and grassroots protests around the world. When media, NGOs, street protests and even elections are easily weaponized to either advance the cause of regime change, or delegitimize genuine social movements \u2013 depending solely on whether the US likes the country\u2019s government or not \u2013 how does anyone know what is legitimate anymore?<\/p>\n
So no, this is not just about the cost of gas at the pump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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