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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran Protests Heat Up |
| 2010-07-08 |
| The death spiral of the Islamic Republic seems to be gathering momentum. That big fire at a major oil well I told you about last week continues unabated, with big flames and clouds of noxious black smoke pouring out. And these are the people who offered to clean up the much larger catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. But mere physical disaster is trivial compared to the events that are taking place in Iran. In the past week, the regime has been confronted with two direct challenges: a strike in the grand bazaar of Tehran, and the very public battle between conflicting elements of the regime for control over the Free University. The strike in the bazaar-- protesting a dramatic 70% increase in their taxes -- was taken very seriously by the regime, because the supreme leader and his cronies know that if the merchants turned against them it could prove fatal. Khamenei capitulated within a few hours, just as he had two years ago when the bazaar shut down for an entire week. This sudden about-face from the supreme leader did not bring order to the countrys markets; the strike continues, which is big news indeed. Lots more at site |
| Posted by:Frozen Al |
| #2 Ledeen alluded to corruption in the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC); Mousavi said it outright. Given that the IRGC controls a large share of the Iranian economy by owning corporations( a share larger than the mullahs, btw) and the Iranian love of making a quick-buck however-whenever, I'm not surprised. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-07-08 22:26 |
| #1 Ledeen's opinion is always worth reading even if I find he is a bit more optimistic than I on Iran. The news of the bazaar is really interesting, however, it is more of an anti tax thing (tea party??) than an anti mullah thing. This is the first I have heard about the fire at a Persian oil well. When I looked up this on the internet, it seems the fire was mostly stopped on July 7. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-07-08 17:44 |