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Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/01/05/iran-paid-dearly-for-its-nuclear-aspirations/
Israeli Intelligence Expert: Iranian Regime Has Sustained a Serious Strategic Blow
(Israel Hayom) Erez Linn - Even if the Iranian regime survives the recent wave of anti-government protests, "it will have sustained a serious strategic blow," says Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of the IDF's intelligence research division. "All of a sudden, it became apparent that there is not a lot of support for...turning Iran into a hegemonic power in the region and for the Islamic idea. It turns out that it is just an empty slogan." The current protests are about the very idea of the Islamic republic. "The protests, in large part, reflect a demand not just for reform but for a revolutionary change," he says. "The blow sustained by the regime as a result of everything that has happened in the last week is massive. Its entire legitimacy was shaken to the core. It obviously won't be able to continue to easily justify the support it provides to all kinds of terrorist organizations in the Arab sphere." "They don't want to be a part of an Islamic republic, first and foremost. This idea of having a religious cleric dictate the conduct in the country is no longer acceptable to them....Islam will always play a key role in the life of Iranians, but it will be a different role, far more restricted to the privacy of people's homes. They are saying, 'We don't want to live in an Islamic republic, we want to live in an Iranian republic.'" "This is a blow that will impact all of Iran's supporters and all its proxies - in the northern front, in Gaza, wherever there is reliance on Iran. Those who thought that Iran was an awakening giant that is progressively expanding its grip on the Middle East, and can become the regional hegemon as a Shiite Iranian axis, understand now that beneath all that power hides a weak system that can't even enlist the support of its own people. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Soviet Union prior to 1989 - inside, everything was rotten, and ultimately, it collapsed."