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Iran's Slow Boil

(Hoover Institution) Reuel Marc Gerecht - In response to nationwide demonstrations that erupted in September, widespread arrests, which often include torture, have been constant, with the Iranian regime deploying high-tech and more old-fashioned methods of coercion to collect information on those protesting. Violence against the regime's security forces appears to be petering out, at least in the big, majority-Persian cities. Tactically, the regime has, at least temporarily, given up on forcing women to wear the hijab, hoping to take some wind out of what is clearly a revolutionary movement. It's crystal clear, however, to many in the Iranian religious and political elite that for Iranians under 40 (60% of the population), there is zero chance that they will re-embrace the Islamic Republic. Even for those older, it's doubtful they have much affection for the theocracy left, especially given its conduct towards their children and grandchildren. The writer, a former Iranian targets officer in the CIA, is a resident scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2023-03-16 00:00:00
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