Protests over gasoline prices have swept across some 100 cities and towns in Iran, turning violent faster than widespread economic protests in 2017 and rallies over the country’s disputed 2009 presidential election.
The scale of the unrest that began on Friday remains unclear as authorities have shut down the internet across this nation of 80 million people.
Gas prices on top of corruption and now renewed sanctions triggered this rather unexpected explosion of anger.
Iran's government said that riots had been reduced by Monday:
Iran said it still faces "riots" even though the situation was calmer Monday after days of violent protests sparked by a shock decision to hike petrol prices in the sanctions-hit country.
Major roads have been blocked, banks torched and shops looted in the nationwide unrest that has left at least two dead -- a civilian and a policeman.
Footage of the violence showing masked young men on debris-strewn streets s
setting buildings ablaze has been aired on state television, which rarely shows any signs of dissent.
The government ordered effective rationing of gasoline with tiered price increases. You may recall news that Iran had captured vessels smuggling gasoline out of Iran. With the distortions caused by heavily subsidized gasoline, smugglers had the incentive to take that cheap domestically sold gasoline and sell it abroad--as the first article notes.
The situation is unclear because the government shut down much of the Internet in Iran in response. Organizing without communications apps is more difficult. Or is the Internet just cut off to the outside world?
We shall see if the government unleashes their goons:
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a point to refer to “thugs” in comments he made Sunday to try to calm the public.
Iranian authorities have had much experience in dealing with public unrest, whether in student protests that swept Iran in 1999, the Green Movement demonstrations that followed widespread allegations of vote rigging in Iran’s 2009 presidential election or the economic protests that began at the end of 2017.
The battle against Iran is being fought inside Iraq, as I've noted and have advocated we fight ever since the Iraq War. And that resistance to Iranian influence is raging:
Anti-government demonstrators in southern Iraq blocked roads leading to the country’s main port on Monday, while the country’s central bank reduced working hours because of ongoing demonstrations, security officials said. ...
Protesters also cut roads to the airport with burning tires in the holy city of Najaf.
This article doesn't mention it, but the protests over corruption and lack of government services in Shia areas so long after the fall of Saddam's minority Sunni regime is outrageous. And the protesters see Iran's hand in Iraq which keeps the corruption rolling to Iran's advantage.
Iran's efforts are extensive:
They say the unprecedented leak of 700 pages of Iranian intelligence cables shows Tehran’s efforts to embed itself in Iraq, including paying Iraqi agents working for the United States to switch sides.
Iran's efforts go back a long time, and were part of Iraq's reasoning for invading revolution-wracked Iran in 1980. Iraq's Shias abused by the Sunni-minority government naturally looked to Shia Iran to help them.
Since the American-led Coalition destroyed the Saddam regime that appeal has been lessened and Arab Iraqi Shias are far more suspicious of Persian Shias. Suspicious enough to riot. And much of the (Most? All?) killing of protesters has been done by Iranian-paid militias.
We--as expressed by a Canadian general--are not happy with the scale of the killings:
The violence surrounding waves of anti-government protests across Iraq has been "an absolute tragedy", NATO's Iraq chief told AFP on Sunday at the close of his year-long mandate.
More than 330 people have died since October 1 in rallies in Baghdad and cities across the south calling for an overhaul of the current government, making them Iraq's deadliest demonstrations in decades.
But we aren't doing much other than condemning the violence. We need to promote rule of law in Iraq, which will help with services and help with legitimacy and help with reducing Iranian influence.
Indeed, I have called for fighting this battle before even the Surge/Awakening. I wanted a post-war surge of experts to clean up corruption in the government, legislature, and judiciary. Until we do that we are fighting Iran there with a grave handicap.
America can battle Iranian influence in Iraq if we remain there and if we continue to squeeze Iranian financial resources. And if we actively promote Iraqi rule of law.
Who knows? Perhaps the Battle for Iran will solve the battles for Iran in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere--and the nuclear problem, of course.
A lot of problems would be easier to solve without mullah-run Iran spreading mayhem and Iranian influence.
