Iran's illegitimate government bitterly clings to power and is willing to commit mass murder to stay in power

Amil Imani:

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After the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or Iran nuclear deal on May 18, 2018, the US almost immediately imposed several new sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI).

The U.S. followed up with further sanctions on the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his office, and those who were closely tied to him with access to major financial resources. In July 2019, the United States placed sanctions on the regime’s Foreign Minister Mohammad, Javad Zarif.

The U.S. also placed sanctions on eight senior commanders of the navy, aerospace, and ground forces components of the IRGC. In April of 2019, President Donald Trump designated Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a foreign "terrorist” organization.

Within a few months, Iran’s crude oil exports were slashed by almost 80%. Despite massive propaganda from President Rouhani’s office claiming these sanctions did not phase them and they had gotten used to them. However, this dosage of reality hit the regime hard. The regime is out of money and unable to pay the salaries of their military apparatus as well as its terrorist proxies such as Hezb’allah, Hamas, the Houthi insurgency in Yemen, Bashar al-Assad of Syria and other hired thugs. By November 2019, the regime was completely broke and needed to come up with a solution to save itself.

Out of desperation, the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei took a gamble and raised the price of gasoline by 50% (some say by 300%) in order to consolidate the budget deficit. That was precisely what prompted protests in at least five cities almost simultaneously and brought millions of people into the streets. Almost all the slogans were against the Ayatollah Khamenei himself.

On November 15, 2019, over 100 protesters were killed and over a 1000 arrested in just one day. The exact total of casualties since the protests began are unknown, but unofficial reports from inside Iran indicate that around 1000 people died and close to 10,000 were injured or arrested. Out of fear, the regime immediately cut off all communications, including the internet, to the outside world. They feared of the watchful eyes of the people around the world witnessing yet again the mullahs’ atrocities against the Iranian people, who are barely surviving in a country that spends 80% of its oil revenue on terrorism worldwide.

Without any question, the civilized world is aware that the Islamic Republic is immensely despised by its people. Yet they ignore this and continue doing business as usual. Political analysts and pundits know that neither the mullahs nor the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are going away peacefully. They have no intention of handing over the country to the people anytime soon. Why? Three reasons. First, Iran is a rich country and the mullahs are naturally greedy thieves. They cannot be reconciled with allowing it to slip away. Second, they know that Shia Islam would most likely cease to exist. Third, they are mortally afraid that if they let Iran become free, the Iranian people would take their revenge without any mercy upon them. After all, for the past forty years they have committed every crime and atrocity known to man against the Iranian people. The late Ayatollah Khomeini warned them about this before his death.

The regime is aware that it can neither go back nor forward. It is stuck between a rock and hard place. The only reason they are still in power is because there are greedy and money hungry politicians who will do anything for cheap oil and bribery. I remember the Ayatollah Khamenei’s words on his Friday sermons during the Green Revolution in 2009. He directly ordered his Bassij, plainclothes thugs and IRGC forces to shoot and kill indiscriminately anyone who challenged his Ummah (community of Shia Islam).
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There is more.

I also blame the Europeans for keeping this terrorist regime alive.  They are making the same mistake Obama made in the Green Revolution.  They should join the Trump administration in imposing additional sanctions on this evil regime of religious bigots.

NY Times:

With Brutal Crackdown, Iran Convulsed by Worst Unrest in 40 Years

What started as a protest over a surprise increase in gasoline prices turned into widespread demonstrations met with a systematic repression that left at least 180 people dead.

The US needs to make it clear that it sides with the people and not the murderous religious bigots in charge of the government.