Iran

Sounds like the US is trying to push things around , by getting Iran's military out of Syria.

Also Saudi Arabia has been threatening Iran for some time , claiming that Iran will be attacked "from the inside " !! How can a country like Saudi Arabia

make such daring threats to a country like Iran ?!! They are no match !! So it seems to be some kind of a plot against Iran. Once again, creating a

revolution there as they did in Libya ,Egypt , and Syria !
 
The "Iran protests" are heavily promoted on Twitter right now. It could be just a spontaneous reaction, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone has given orders to brainwash the crowd for...something.
 
LOL, look at this tweet by our ol' friend, John Kerry:

With humility about how little we know about what's happening inside Iran, this much is clear: it's an Iranian moment and not anyone else's. But the rights of people to protest peacefully and voice their aspirations are universal and governments everywhere should respect that.

12:41 PM - 31 Dec 2017

Hypocrisy at its finest.
 
Ant22 said:
I do wonder who those "agitators" mentioned in the bolded section were and where they were from, especially that the article from Sputnik you posted said:

No shots were fired by the police and security forces. We have found evidence of enemies of the revolution, Takfiri groups and foreign agents in this clash," deputy province governor Habibollah Khojastehpour told state television. "Takfiri" is the name that Iranian state media sources usually use to describe Sunni fundamentalists who target Shiites in Syria and elsewhere, such as Daesh (ISIS) and the Al Nusra Front.

Edit: dates added to links.

These events are still developing, so not sure if the demonstrations are the work of one entity or several groups invested in creating unrest in Iran? I'm sure, Israel is behind some of the influences, especially with Iran working closely with Syria and they are now in the Golan Heights.

The demonstrations are also clustered around a Commemorate 2009 Anniversary date when rallies and protests were held to condemn the foreign-orchestrated unrest, which had erupted following the presidential elections earlier that year.

There's also a report on a "Telegram app" which was providing Posts that included times and locations for protests. (See link below.)


Syrian, Iranian backed forces advance in border area near Israel Monday 25 December 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1214206/middle-east

Syrian army forces backed by Iranian-backed militias pushed deeper into the last rebel-held enclave near a strategic border area with Israel and Lebanon in a new expansion of Tehran's influence in the war-torn country.

A western intelligence source confirmed rebel reports that Iranian-backed militias including the powerful Lebanese Hezbollah Shi'ite group were playing a major role in the ongoing battles.

"The Iranian backed militias are trying to consolidate their sphere of influence all the way from southwest of Damascus to the Israeli border," said Suhaib al Ruhail, an official from the Liwa al Furqan rebel group that operates in the area.

Worried by Iran's expanding influence in Syria after the defeat of Daesh, Israel has in the last few weeks stepped up its strikes against suspected Iranian targets inside Syria.

Early this month an Israeli strike on a base near Kiswah, south of Damascus was widely believed to be an Iranian military compound, according to a Western intelligence source Israel has been lobbying both big powers to deny Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other Shi‘ite militias any permanent bases in Syria, and to keep them away from the Golan, as they gain ground while helping Damascus beat back Sunni-led rebels.


As protests over Iran’s faltering economy rapidly spread across the country, a channel on a mobile messaging app run by an exiled journalist helped fan the passions of some of those who took to the street.

Protests in Iran fanned by exiled journalist, messaging app Sunday 31 December 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1217126/middle-east

The Telegram app closed a channel run by Roohallah Zam after Iranian authorities complained that it was inciting violence, just hours before the government shut down the app entirely on Sunday.

Zam, who denies the allegations, meanwhile launched new channels to spread messages about upcoming protests and share videos from demonstrations.

What happens next could influence the future course of the largest protests Iran has seen since 2009.

It’s hard to overstate the power of Telegram in Iran. Of its 80 million people, an estimated 40 million use the free app created by Russian national Pavel Durov. Its clients share videos and photos, subscribing to groups where everyone from politicians to poets broadcast to fellow users.

While authorities ban social media websites like Facebook and Twitter and censor others, Telegram users can say nearly anything. In the last presidential election, the app played a big role in motivating turnout and spreading political screeds.

Telegram touts itself as being highly encrypted and allows users to set their messages to “self-destruct” after a certain period, making it a favorite among activists and others concerned about their privacy. That too has made it a worry of Iranian authorities.

Zam has used the app to share news and information published by his AmadNews website. Posts included times and locations for protests, as well as videos of demonstrators shouting inflammatory chants, including those targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.
Officials have meanwhile targeted Telegram in recent remarks, with prosecutors going as far as filing criminal charges against Durov.


On Saturday, Iran’s Telecommunications Minister Mohammed Javad Azari Jahromi wrote to Durov on Twitter, complaining AmadNews was “encouraging hateful conduct, use (of) Molotov cocktails, armed uprising and social unrest.”

Durov responded by saying Telegram suspended the account.

“A Telegram channel (Amadnews) started to instruct their subscribers to use Molotov cocktails against police and got suspended due to our ‘no calls for violence’ rule. Be careful — there are lines one shouldn’t cross.” Durov tweeted.

Zam, who has said he fled Iran after being falsely accused of working with foreign intelligence services, denied inciting violence on Telegram.

Telegram’s decision drew criticism from free Internet advocates and Iranians. Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who exposed US government surveillance programs in 2013, said Telegram should instead be working on how to make the service accessible after a potential government ban.

“Telegram will face increasing pressure over time to collaborate with the Iranian government’s demands for this or that,” Snowden wrote on Twitter.
He added: “You can’t keep an independent, destabilizing service from being blocked in authoritarian regimes, you can only delay it.”

Those words proved prophetic Sunday, as Durov himself wrote on Twitter that Iran blocked the app “for the majority of Iranians after our public refusal to shut down ... peacefully protesting channels.” Iranian state television later quoted an anonymous official as saying the app would be temporarily limited as a safety measure.

It also marks a setback for Zam, the son of cleric Mohammad Ali Zam, who once served in a government policy position in the early 1980s. The cleric wrote a letter published by Iranian media in July in which he said he wouldn’t support his son over AmadNews’ reporting and messages on its Telegram channel.

“I found that you crossed the red line,” the cleric wrote, referring to comments the channel circulated about Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Our red line is the supreme leader, but you passed the red line.”

Zam did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday from The Associated Press, though he published a video late on Saturday on the channel being blocked.

“Unfortunately the Amadnews was blocked,” Zam said in a message to his followers. A new channel “will continue its work as hard as before and with the help of God, we will become millions again.”

At least 1.7 million people have viewed the first message on the new channel, according to Telegram. It called for protests on Sunday at sites across Iran before the government ordered the app shut down.


Millions of Iranians across the country are commemorating the anniversary of the 2009 mass rallies that were held in support of the Islamic Republic and put an end to post-election unrest back then

Iranians Commemorate Epic 2009 pro-Islamic Republic Rallies December 30, 2017
http://english.almanar.com.lb/417294

On Saturday, people from all walks of life took part in demonstrations and ceremonies in several Iranian cities to mark the “Dey 9 epic,” which refers to the historic rallies held on the ninth day of the Persian calendar month of Dey.

In the capital, Tehran, people gathered at the the Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Grounds, while other cities were the scene of demonstrations to mark the occasion.

On December 30, 2009, millions of Iranians held nation-wide protests to condemn the foreign-orchestrated unrest, which had erupted following the presidential elections earlier that year.

People were especially angered by incidents that had taken place days earlier in Tehran, where a group of demonstrators offended the sanctities of the nation on the day of Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the third Shia Imam.

The unrest was orchestrated by Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Musavi, two of the candidates who had lost the election, claiming that the results had been rigged. Both remain under house arrest on charges of provoking the public and harming the national security.
 
A Serb in Tehran: "All's normal, life as usual" January 1st, 2018
http://www.fort-russ.com/2018/01/a-serb-in-tehran-alls-normal-life-as.html

An anonymous Serbian activist traveling in Iran, confirms to us: "All's normal, life as usual''.

Meanwhile, western news agencies continue to report on news events that occurred two days ago, continuing to refer to them and cover them from different angles (but using the same framing), in order to 'keep alive' the myth of mass social unrest.


Across the websites of the Associated Press, Reuters, and the U.S establishment's own 'Twitter' and 'Facebook', news stories covering apparent violence in Iran and a radical change in the demands of protests have today sprang up, with a tone of extreme urgency.

IRAN PROTEST CRISIS: Everything you need to know (Photos - Video)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/12/iran-protest-crisis-everything-you-need.html

So what's the problem? And why are Iranians protesting?

Problematic, however, has been any way to independently verify these claims. The Iranian government has generally been clear that there are two unrelated types of protests going on, simultaneously. However, these claims can only be juxtaposed to claims from Iranian 'activists' associated with the radical reformist Green Movement, originally of former Iranian PM Mousavi. But today are themselves divided, and a branch exists today aiding in organizing the smaller protests and 'stunts', which is organized in connection with US support.

But the other branch was actually reeled in, absorbed, tamed, and redirected by Rouhani under the auspices of the Ayatollah Khamenei. At the same time, this had the effect of bringing elements of radical reformism closer to vectors of power than they had been since the mid 1990's.

The elected government's official view, as reported internationally and by Iranian state media, is actually supportive of the legitimate demands of the mainstream protests. They have already announced this to the protesters, and are working at the level of civil society intervention to de-escalate the protests and usher in a series of new policies and programs aimed at ameliorating some of the legitimate concerns. Meanwhile, government supporters have also turned out en mass to counter the international image being projected by Western media.

With official unemployment at 12% and negative economic growth for a number of years until the 2016 GDP boom that saw 12% growth, without these gains properly trickling down, and a whole period of inflation which hasn't been recovered from yet (as sellers saw what price maximums were possible), what we are also seeing in Iran are real people protesting about real problems.

To be clear - the government of Iran is not blaming the legitimate protesters as 'Western agents'. They have said that the protests, correctly, are chiefly related to inflation and other economic related concerns. Rouhani himself has publicly stated that he shares precisely these concerns.

Are Iran's problems its own doing? Or are there global factors at play?

It isn't so easy simply to dismiss these complaints from the mainstream of protesters, and dismissively point instead to the economic encirclement the west has placed upon Iran. Iran is nevertheless still a class society with a wide and growing disparity between income groups. There are Iranian billionaires, private owners of firms and joint stock companies, who while operating within the parameters of Iranian sovereignty, also acquire their economic success on the backs of countless Iranians. Their wealth and stature in Iranian society grew significantly under Rafsanjani's tenure.

That some of these firms themselves are, or had been, the subject of sanctions, is not entirely relevant to the fact that the economic policies of some of the reformists have led to the enrichment of a few at the expense of many. And this is the discourse we are seeing and hearing from Iranians today. What therefore is being presented in Western media, is an inversion of reality.

If anything, a plurality of protesters would likely want to see a return to the policies of Ahmadinejad. Unemployment, for instance, was lowest under his administration. He also placed price controls, and subsidized other goods, in response to the spiraling inflation caused by western imposed sanctions.

Is there anything more we should say about this?

Indeed, opposition to the privatizing and anti-social policies of Rafsanjani, is where the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran comes from. Rafsanjani, president in the late 80's through mid 90's, was of course not entirely unsuccessful in any number of projects important to Iran, including increasing ties with post-Soviet central Asian countries. But significant to the average Iranian laborer or small shop keeper, were his anti-popular measures. So the economic leftism of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran is a response to this, and Ahmadinejad rose to prominence in large part through this movement, which he leads.

All this leads to only one conclusion - the Western media is manufacturing a story, with little basis in Iran's reality and recent history.

So there is something very clear now we must understand about the legitimate mass protests, however, which is that they have nothing substantively to do with the solution set proposed by the Green Movement or, for example, the National Trust party of Karroubi (another prominent reformist). Western media would have you believe that all of this, what you are seeing, is homogeneous in its message, and reformist or even Green, in nature.

Now, understanding the political composition of the mass protests is not so easy - some of course are critical of Rouhani for not being reformist enough, and not open enough. They may parallel some of the demands and concerns of both wings of the Green Movement, or of Karroubi's National Trust.

What's the history here?

The Green's spiritual leader, who was also a leader of the 1979 Revolution, but later fell out of favor in the mid 80's for reasons we will mention now, is Montazeri. Montazeri himself was demoted and finally pushed out of leadership circles for having liberal criticisms of the Iranian Revolution, and also opposed the regionalization or exporting of the revolution.

So these are themes from the 80's, which still in some prominent ways are dominating the internal debate within Iranian society today.

So who is protesting?

The vast majority of protesters are either not particularly partisan, or they are - contrary to how the western media blitzkrieg over the last 48 hours has painted it - sympathetic to Ahmadinejad's criticisms of reformist economic and foreign policy, insofar as this is a policy which has favored an increased polarization of the distribution of wealth and opportunities in the Islamic Republic. So their chief issues are economic concerns, corruption, and distribution of wealth and human services. There is enough sophistication in Iran to understand that in terms of regional politics, everything Iran does in Syria and Iraq is an important move to counter and contain Israel. This is a 'popular militancy' that is carried on from the revolution of 1979 itself.

So to understand Rouhani, he has pursued a very similar foreign policy - in effect - as the conservatives and 'revolution exporters', as seen in the way that Iran today supports Shiite brigades in Iraq and Syria, and also has their own special forces fighting there in Syria and Iraq, as well as very close support and funding for Hezbollah in Lebanon. Again, these are contrary to what both the Green movement reformists, National Trust reformists, and run-of-the-mill moderate reformists want.

But the economic policy pursued by Rouhani - with a following proviso - has been that of the reformists. That policy has been to have warm economic relations with the west. While there are some divisions there about whether Europe or the US would be a better partner, nevertheless this has been pursued, and for that we saw the government of Rouhani enter into the anti-nuclear agreement that was supposed to be the pathway out of sanctions - one that has, with mixed results, generally worked.

And internally, that policy, again, favors the individual rights of owners and bosses against the middling and lower classes.

Yet the proviso we must insert here, is that the economic policy of the reformists, in their eyes, isn't responsible for the economic crisis - they view and criticize Rouhani for not in fact succeeding in opening up ties as much as they could be.

Sanctions is a somewhat misleading framework to understand an underlying fact, which is that there is no mechanism or impetus to force seller and buyers in two countries to come to terms, and there are plenty of mechanisms within a country hostile to Iran to nudge its firms not to trade with Iran, even if 'sanctions' are not in place. In this way, we can understand the significance of sanctions, but also understand all of the more complex realities that may fall under that general concept, while not being in fact 'sanctions' per se.

Membership in the WTO, for example, would work to overcome the problem of this de facto category of sanctions, but the US has blocked Iran's entrance since reformists pushed for its application in 1996. But just a few months back in September 2017, Iran announced it was officially withdrawing its application. This was a major turning point, and a very 'anti-reformist' move by the ostensibly reformist Rouhani.

Two unrelated protest movements happening

In other words, there are at least two sets of protests going on, and while they are mirroring some similar talking points and general descriptions of grievances, their solutions are wildly at odds. We should note that in the north-west of the country, where there have been numerous but small protests, among the demands are a mixture of populist and left economic demands, with greater autonomy demands which mirror the reformists - the later of which the US would very much support as it creates opportunities and pretexts, the likes we have seen in places as far and away from each other as the former Yugoslavia and Syria re the Kurdish question.

To understand this: imagine genuine socialists and genuine libertarians both protesting in the U.S about the failures of the public education system, with socialists urging greatly more funding, and libertarians urging that the system be abolished -- literally opposite solutions to the same identified problem.

That's how we might better understand what we are seeing today with the various protests in Iran.

CIA and Soros stunts, and Astroturfing

With the more radical wing of the Green Movement (et al, and similar), we see them pulling off various stunts. These are stunts, and not protests as such, because they involve at most several dozen 'activists' using camera angles, and unpopular chants, to simulate a larger protest with, what we are told are, popular radical chants.

This simulation of reality is only possible using a combination of western media hyperventilated coverage surrounding demonstrably isolated events carried out by less than a dozen individuals. A 'twitter storm', is being used - this is a centrally planned weaponized information method - and is essentially what one would conceive it to be, by its designation.

These are astroturf, not grass-roots type demonstrations.

For example, in this stunt, above, we see just a handful of individuals, yet this is among the very popular tweets that went viral, and helped to create a perception of a nation wide crisis and total melt-down of social order (there has not been).

Here, above, we see a 'protest' calling for regime change. Seems like serious stuff, until your eyes adjust to the way the camera is framed, and realize that all the people doing this stunt are in fact just those in the frame.

In this one, above, we see a US state department shill interpreting events in the standard way that the Color-Spring tactic attempts to. They want to goad, to provoke the police into making a kind of public attack, a sort of realized crack down - the sort they are already saying is happening, but don't have any real proof yet to show.

Would any sane person, who didn't want to antagonize or inflame the situation, frame what we are seeing here, in this way? Are the security forces being 'chased off'? They are armed, the protesters are not. We see them moving. Are they moving in somewhere, or moving out of it? We do not know from the actual footage. Are they being attacked? We counted three to four, of what look like, toilet paper rolls, or similar light white objects, being lobbed by what can't be more than one or two provocateurs.

Is Daragahi suggesting that the security forces should avoid this imaginary 'humiliation', and instead repress the demonstrators? Orders from central government have been clear - treat all of these with as light a hand as possible. If protesters seem to be irrationally targeting local police, there to generally maintain order, then its better to relocate or withdraw those police rather than have them actually employ their obviously superior force potential, and give reality and proof to, what are until now, imaginary accusations of a serious crack-down going on in Iran (there isn't one).

In this final example, we have another case of the text of a tweet making 'news', but the content of the actual video is telling another story. Far from a 'government office' being burned, it appears to be an out-door bonfire, in a plaza or on the street, perhaps in front of a government office, and perhaps simply in that proximity, or perhaps nowhere near that.

Therefore, similar reports of government buildings being 'occupied' should be treated with skepticism, even if they are accompanied by 'video'. We must remember to use our own brains, when we use our own eyes, to look at purported events.

Other video clips circulating on twitter, are remixes and image inversions, of cell phone recorded events from 2009.

Astro-turfed demonstrations, placed explosives elsewhere, and perhaps next snipers creating chaos in one of the seven countries on the Pentagon's regime change list of 2001, have one thing in common: it's signature most likely being "CIA".

On the other hand, at least an equal number of people have turned out in today and yesterday's pro-government demonstrations, photo below.

Finally to contextualize the reality of any Western media purported 'crackdown' - what we are seeing in Iran today is only a fraction of what we saw in terms of seriousness or size, in 2009. In 2009, about 200 protesters were ultimately arrested. We might compare this to the 'open' and 'pluralist' United States, were Occupy Wall Street protests saw a police-state figure of over 8,000 arrested.
 
Twitter is flooded with #IranProtests. Most of them asking West to intervene.
angelburst29 said:
Protests in Iran fanned by exiled journalist, messaging app Sunday 31 December 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1217126/middle-east

The Telegram app closed a channel run by Roohallah Zam after Iranian authorities complained that it was inciting violence, just hours before the government shut down the app entirely on Sunday.

Zam, who denies the allegations, meanwhile launched new channels to spread messages about upcoming protests and share videos from demonstrations.

What happens next could influence the future course of the largest protests Iran has seen since 2009.

It’s hard to overstate the power of Telegram in Iran. Of its 80 million people, an estimated 40 million use the free app created by Russian national Pavel Durov. Its clients share videos and photos, subscribing to groups where everyone from politicians to poets broadcast to fellow users.

While authorities ban social media websites like Facebook and Twitter and censor others, Telegram users can say nearly anything. In the last presidential election, the app played a big role in motivating turnout and spreading political screeds.

Telegram touts itself as being highly encrypted and allows users to set their messages to “self-destruct” after a certain period, making it a favorite among activists and others concerned about their privacy. That too has made it a worry of Iranian authorities.
...

At least 1.7 million people have viewed the first message on the new channel, according to Telegram. It called for protests on Sunday at sites across Iran before the government ordered the app shut down.
In Asia lot of people use Telegram app. I think 1.7 million people watching the first message is strange. May be he is journalist and they watched it unsuspecting. Similar type of news came from Turkey during the recent coup, Gulen gang used some app. It is surprising how it all erupted and spread so fast.
 

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I find this account version more realistic.
_https://twitter.com/SayedMousavi7/status/947645826548998144
The protests have been going on for three days. It started in Mashhad in a protest by people who had lost their savings due to the closing & bankruptcy of some financial institutions, known as the “Caspian Affair”.
...
As a few similar protests took place in other cities & in a quick turn of events, some groups started slogans & protests about other issues, such as regime change, monarchy etc
...
Seeing opportunity & with the help of social media apps like Telegram, these marginal groups started organizing. This was almost done solely by one single Telegram channel, a foreign based & suspicious “AmadNews”.
...
This channel was taken off network twice after violating Telegram’s non-violence code, openly encouraging people 2 take up arms, attack police with homemade bombs.It now operates with another name,literally giving out protest directions every night, for the next day
...
Imho,based on the videos & images, a maximum of no more than 500 ppl have rallied in the recent protests in Tehran. I seriously don’t get why Western regime change hawks are so optimistic & happy.I couldn't find a video showing more than 500.See the 2009 report again if u need 2!
...
The #Iranprotests are a peculiar thing.History shows big protests usually happen in Iran when a clear & specific issue lays the basis for a common view of injustice taking place (ex. 2009 election protests)this time round,no specific unifying issue/clear objective has been cited.
...
But we still have to wait & see.In the streets however there were at least three different camps out in recent days: -
- Against gov’s economy/corruption
- Green camp (2009 election protest nostalgia)
- Pro-regime change/monarchy camp (face of the riots, marginal yet much noise)
...
Because of all the different camps,the dynamics are very vague. These protests don't even have a non-official personality as a leader. The protest directions are sent through Telegram app,a crowd shows up,no manifesto,no clear message...riots emerge & then everyone's back home...
 
_https://twitter.com/Zolfegar12/status/947236369990070278
in the last 24 Hours of #IranianProtests ,
72,200 tweets , tweeted w/ this hashtag " #تظاهرات_سراسرى "
that invited Iranian to protest ,
-74% of them were out of #Iran
-35% of them were in Arabic Language
-Saudis tweets were more than Iranian themselves
-UK in 3rd place pic.twitter.com/vlIu5HmnQr
5:42 PM - Dec 30, 2017

Seymour hersh's 2012 article. Iranian terrorist organization M.E.K trained in nevada in 2007 , linked to MOSSAD responsible for the assasination of Iranian nuclear scientists etc.
_https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/our-men-in-iran
 
Iran's Intelligence Ministry has identified and detained a number of individuals over the involvement in provoking unrest in the country's major cities, local media reported on Monday, citing the ministry.

Iran Authorities Claim Protest Organizers Detained - Reports (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801021060467320-iran-protests-detentions-unrest-inciting/

Some of the peaceful gatherings that took place in Iran recently to express public demands over the economic situation in the country turned violent "due to the presence of suspicious and aggressive elements," who caused casualties and damaged public property, the Press TV broadcaster reported.

The ministry continued to make efforts to arrest as soon as possible other individuals, potentially involved in inciting unrest, according to the broadcaster.


A shooting has allegedly occurred during a rally in the Iranian city of Najafabad, as the protests against poverty and unemployment in Iran have entered the fifth day.

One Killed, Three Injured as Protester Opens Fire on Police in Iran - Reports (Video) 01.01.2018
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801011060466226-police-officer-killed-iran-protests/

One of the protesters participating in anti-government unrest in Iran has opened fire against police officers in the country's Najafabad city, leaving one person killed and wounding three others, local media reported on Monday.

The protester used a sporting gun during the incident, the IRIB TV channel reported on its Telegram messenger account.

Several major cities in Iran, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, and Rasht, were first hit by protests on December 28, 2017. Since then, people have repeatedly taken to the streets to protest against unemployment, poverty, and the rising cost of living. Media reported that the number of people killed during protests reached 12.

US Will Not Ignore Mass Protests in Iran

US President Donald Trump said Monday amid ongoing anti-government protests in the Islamic republic that it was high time for changes in Iran as its people were striving for freedom and end of "repressions" in the country.

"Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with them by the [former US President Barack] Obama Administration. The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR CHANGE!" Trump wrote on his official Twitter account.

Meantime, US Vice President Mike Pence said that the United States would not ignore the ongoing mass protests taking place in Iran.

“As long as @RealDonaldTrump is POTUS [US president] and I am VP, the United States of America will not repeat the shameful mistake of our past when others stood by and ignored the heroic resistance of the Iranian people as they fought against their brutal regime. The bold and growing resistance of the Iranian people today gives hope and faith to all who struggle for freedom and against tyranny. We must not and we will not let them down,” Pence wrote on his Twitter page on Monday.

Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised to intensity efforts in order to resolve existing economic problems, unemployment, inflation as well as air pollution in the country.


The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed hope that protests in Iran will not turn violent, will not result in bloodshed.

External Interference in Iran's Internal Affairs Unacceptable - Russian MFA 01.01.2018
https://sputniknews.com/world/201801011060462904-russia-iran-protests-reaction/

Commenting on the current situation in Tehran, where the mass protests have entered their fifth day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that interference from abroad in the situation in Iran is unacceptable.

"External interference [in Iran's internal affairs] which may destabilize the situation is unacceptable," the statement said.

Several major cities in Iran, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Rasht, have been engulfed by protests since December 28, 2017. The people have taken to the streets to protest against unemployment, poverty, and the rising cost of living, as well as policies of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to media reports, the number of people killed in protests in the country has grown to 12.

A deputy governor of the Lorestan province in an interview on state TV aired on December 31 blamed "foreign agents" for the deaths of two demonstrators during the protests a day before.

"No shots were fired by the police and security forces. We have found evidence of enemies of the revolution, Takfiri groups and foreign agents in this clash," he said.

On Sunday, media reported that Tehran had temporarily restricted access to social media apps Instagram and Telegram, used by activists to exchange messages about the rallies.

On Monday, Iranian Information and Communications Technology Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi said that the restricted access to social networks in Iran amid ongoing protests against the government's economic and social policy is a temporary measure.


The people of Israel and Iran will once again be "great friends" after the change of the current authorities in Tehran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday amid ongoing anti-government protests in major Iranian cities.

Netanyahu: Israelis, Iranians to Be Friends After Fall of Gov't in Tehran
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801011060466467-netanyahu-israelis-iranians-friends/

Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that the country's "enemies" were "angry with the glory, success, and the progress of the Iranian nation and they have vowed to get the regional troubles into Iran."

"This regime tries desperately to sow hate between us. But they will not succeed. And when this regime finally falls, and one day it will, Iranians and Israelis will be great friends once again. I wish the Iranian people success in their noble quest for freedom," Netanyahu said in a video message, posted on the Israeli prime minister office's official Twitter account.

Netanyahu described Tehran's claims that Israel was among those inciting unrest in Iran as "laughable."

"I heard today Iran President Rouhani's claim that Israel is behind the protests in Iran. It is not only false. It is laughable… Brave Iranians are pouring into the streets. They seek freedom. They seek justice. They seek the basic liberties that have been denied to them for decades," the Israeli prime minister stressed.
 
Aragorn said:
The "Iran protests" are heavily promoted on Twitter right now. It could be just a spontaneous reaction, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone has given orders to brainwash the crowd for...something.


It was exactly my thinking, especially seeing how the "fire" had spread on Twitter. Let's wait and see what is that something.
 
:headbash: Just heard it twice on the news during the Holidays and won't believe it! Are they beginning the new year with a new load of colored warmongering propaganda?
Geez, let's see...
 
Iran is claiming that the ongoing protests inside the country are as part of a “hybrid war” being waged by several foreign countries against it, Iranian media has reported, citing the deputy head of the country’s Supreme National Security Council.

Iran Says US, Britain, Saudis Behind Current Unrest
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201801021060473321-iran-protests-accusations/

Ali Shamkhani has blamed the United States, Britain, and Saudi Arabia for being behind the protests and orchestrating anti-government campaigns on social media, to stoke tensions.

“Based on our analysis, almost 27 percent of the new hashtags, directed against Iran have been generated by the Saudi government,” Shamkhani said, adding that the interference was aimed at halting Iran’s progress.

The protests will end “in several days,” Shamkhani was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency.

According to media reports, at least 20 people have been killed and many more injured in the mass street protests taking place in Tehran, Isfahan, Rasht, Masshad and several other major cities since December 28, 2017.


In his first comments since the outbreak of unrest in some Iranian cities, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei warned on Tuesday that the enemies have mobilized all efforts to harm the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Khamenei: Enemies Mobilized to Harm Iran January, 02, 2018
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2018/01/02/1617945/ayatollah-khamenei-enemies-mobilized-to-harm-iran

In a meeting with families of the Iranian martyrs on Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the fact is that the enemy has been always seeking to find an opportunity to infiltrate into Iran and harm the Iranian nation.

“In the recent days’ events, the enemies of Iran allied with each other by employing various tools at their disposal, including money, weapon, politics and security organizations, in order to cause problem for the Islamic Establishment,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the Iranian nation’s courage, devotion and faith as the main factors in warding off the hostile moves.

The Leader then noted that he has more to say about the recent developments in Iran that will be told in proper time.

Some cities of Iran have witnessed rallies in the past few days in protest at price hikes and economic woes.

Police have arrested a number of demonstrators who were trying to damage public property in the gatherings.

According to Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution, “public gatherings and marches are allowed so long as the participants do not carry arms and are not in violation of the fundamental principles of Islam.”

In the recent demonstrations in Iran, 10 people have been pronounced dead, while unconfirmed reports suggest that the death toll has risen to 21 on Tuesday morning.

In Najafabad, a city in the central province of Isfahan, a rioter opened fire to police forces on Monday night, killing one and injuring three others with a hunting rifle.

President Hassan Rouhani has stressed that the united Iranian nation will stand firm against a small group of foreign-induced rioters that have tried to hijack recent peaceful protests in the country, saying any protest should be organized in compliance with the regulations.

The Intelligence Ministry has announced that its forces have identified and detained a number of elements behind the unrest, saying other agents will be arrested in coming days


Head of Tehran’s Revolutionary Tribunal cautioned those insisting on participation in violent unrest against the consequences of their disorderly conduct, saying rioters arrested from the third day of the unrest on will receive harsher punishment.

Tehran Court Chief Warns Rioters of Heavy Penalties
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2018/01/02/1617707/tehran-court-chief-warns-rioters-of-heavy-penalties

Speaking to Tasnim on Tuesday, Hojjatoleslam Mousa Qazanfarabadi said individuals arrested after the third day of unrest in Iran will have to face more severe punishment because they have consciously taken to the streets and resorted to violence despite the Interior Ministry’s ban on such gatherings.

Every day that passes by, those arrested in riots will face heavier penalties, as they are not deemed to be protestors any more, but rioters seeking to harm the core of the Establishment, he added.

According to the court chief, individuals already detained in Tehran and other cities on charges of leading the riots and having links with foreign espionage services will appear in court very soon.

Qazanfarabadi went on to say that a number of the most wanted mercenaries have been captured by the security forces amid the recent riots.

His comments came after Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani ordered the country’s prosecutors to take serious measures in dealing with the rioters vandalizing public properties amid the recent civil protests.

The top Iranian judge called on the prosecutors to monitor the situation closely, steer those pursuing legitimate demands towards lawful methods, and get tough with vandals and arsonists destroying public and private properties and violating the rights of others.
 
The Political situation is starting to get really ugly? This report, if true, is insane!

Concerned military, intelligence and diplomatic figures within the United States have reportedly given Israel permission to assassinate a top Iranian special forces commander according to the Israeli Haaretz newspaper, in turn claiming to have received the information form exclusive sources in Kuwait.

US approves Israel’s wish to kill top Iranian commander: Kuwaiti sources 02/01/2018
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-approves-israels-wish-kill-top-iranian-commander-kuwaiti-sources/

On Monday, the Haaretz – claiming to cite exclusive sources within Kuwait’s Al-Jardia news group – reported that the United States has given Israel permission to assassinate Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Furthermore, the Haaretz went on to claim that several years ago, Israeli forces had Soleimani in their cross-hairs and were ‘on the verge’ of assassinating the Iranian commander only to be called off by US.

Qasem Soleimani, as leader of the IRGC’s Quds Force, has in recent years played a key role in leading Iranian, Iraqi and Syrian paramilitary forces against the ISIS terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

In particular, Soleimani’s leadership of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units in 2014 and early 2015 prevented the fall of Iraq’s democratic government to ISIS terrorists.

In any case, the Iranian general is now considered to be a mutual threat to both American and Israeli interests in the Middle East according to Haaretz.


Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force and mastermind of Iran's clandestine foreign military exploits, is a target of Israel, say reports.

US gives nod to Israel targeting of Iranian military chief in Syria: Report Tuesday 2 January 2018
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-allows-israel-target-mastermind-irans-war-syria-reports-991708348

The US has given Israel the green light to assassinate General Qassem Soleimani, commander of an elite Iranian military unit and mastermind behind Tehran's military operations across the Middle East, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Monday.

Al-Jarida quoted an unnamed source in Jerusalem who said that the two allies have made a quiet agreement after deciding that Soleimani is a “threat to the two countries’ interests in the region".

According to the same source, the Americans thwarted an Israeli attempt to kill Soleimani three years ago near Damascus, warning the Iranians about the plan.

That incident "sparked a sharp disagreement between the Israeli and American security and intelligence apparatuses".

Israeli daily Haaretz has described Al-Jarida as an Israeli mouthpiece.

Mahan Abedin, an analyst of Iranian politics, told MEE that the "deal appears to make sense" if seen within a context of increased American aggression toward Iran and Israel's willingness "to go after Iranian assets".

"Even before Trump’s arrival, the CIA has become a lot more aggressive towards Iran and have gone as far as to appoint Mike D'Andrea - dubbed 'Ayatollah Mike' - who has form in having an aggressive attitude toward Iran, to head their Iran department.

"The problem they have is that they don’t have a good record at penetrating Iranian state structures," Abedin added.

"The Israelis, on the other hand, are prepared to do things Americans aren't prepared to do," Abedin said, referring to the assassinations of a number of Iranian nuclear scientists in Iran, and Iranian military figures abroad, allegedly by Israel.

"It doesn’t surprise me the Israelis planned to assassinate Soleimani three years ago and are prepared to do so now."

The Al-Jarida report also claimed to identify, for the first time, Iran's number two in Syria after Soleimani, as Mohammad Reza Falahzadeh, nicknamed "Abu Bakr".

Falahzadeh, a military commander, has been given wide powers to operate in Syria and also joined the Iranian delegation at the Astana conference aimed at settling the Syrian conflict, according to the report.

The revelation of Falahzadeh's identity will present a breakthrough for Syrian opposition forces which are interested in targeting Iran's chain of command in Syria.

Since 2015, there have been several reports that Soleimani was wounded in Syria, though these have never been confirmed by Iran.

He is thought to be behind the Syrian government's resurgence during the siege of Aleppo and had been a point man for the Russian-Iranian axis that has turned the war in Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s favor.

Several weeks ago, CIA chief Mike Pompeo said that he had written to Soleimani over fears that Iranian forces might attack American troops in Iraq. He didn't specify when he sent the letter.

“What we were communicating to him in that letter was that we will hold he and Iran accountable for any attacks on American interests in Iraq by forces that are under their control,” Pompeo said during a discussion at the annual Reagan National Defence Forum in southern California.

Al-Jarida's report comes days after Israeli Channel 10 news reported that Israel and the US had signed a cooperation agreement on how to deal with Iran.

US national security adviser HR McMaster and his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat, reportedly led negotiations that ended in the 12 December agreement signed at the White House.

According to Channel 10, the agreement will translate Trump's decertification of the Iranian nuclear deal into action by appointing three working groups.

One group will be responsible for countering Iran's nuclear programme, another will aim to check Tehran's influence in the region - most notably its links with Hezbollah - and the third will focus on Tehran's expanding ballistic missile programme.

Trump, who has repeatedly voiced his disapproval of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, fell short of scrapping it in October, leaving its fate for Congress to decide. But he warned that he was launching a new strategy to deal with Iran’s “fanatical regime".

“We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout,” Trump said in October.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been an opponent of the deal even before it was ratified and had unsuccessfully lobbied then US president Barack Obama to stop it being passed.

The Israeli ministry of foreign affairs and the US State Department have not responded to questions at the time of publication.


"External interference destabilizing the situation is inadmissible," Russia’s Foreign Ministry stressed.

Russia considers events in Iran as an internal affair - Foreign Ministry
http://tass.com/politics/983886

Russia considers mass unrest in Iran as the Islamic Republic’s internal affair and hopes that the situation will develop without any bloodshed, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"This is Iran’s internal affair," Russia’s Foreign Ministry pointed out. "We express the hope that the situation won’t develop under the scenario of bloodshed and violence."

"External interference destabilizing the situation is inadmissible," Russia’s Foreign Ministry stressed.

As Al Jazeera TV Channel reported, protests in Iran started in Iran’s second largest city of Meshed on Thursday. The protesters took to the streets protesting against price hikes. The protests also spread to other Iranian cities.

As the Associated Press reported, at least 12 people were killed in protests.
 
WSJ Said It 6 Months ago: CIA Working to Turn up Heat on Iran January 2, 2018
http://english.almanar.com.lb/419153

American daily Wall Street Journal had said it clear six months ago: The Central Intelligence Agency has established an organization in Iran aimed at spying on the Islamic Republic.

“The Central Intelligence Agency has established an organization focused exclusively on gathering and analyzing intelligence about Iran, reflecting the Trump administration’s decision to make that country a higher priority target for American spies,” the WSJ reported last June, citing US officials.

The report said that the mission center “will bring together analysts, operations personnel and specialists from across the CIA to bring to bear the range of the agency’s capabilities, including covert action.”

The CIA did not announce at that time the Iran Mission Center, but it likened it Korea Mission Center that the CIA announced earlier in May to address North Korea’s efforts to develop long-range nuclear missiles.

Talking more about the move, the report described CIA Director Mike Pompeo as a longtime Iran hawk, citing his first public remarks since taking the helm at the spy agency, when he warned that Iran was “on the march.”

“Whether its enormous increased capacity to deliver missile systems into Israel from Hezbollah, their increased strength in and around Mosul with the Shia militias, the work that they’ve done to support the Houthis to fire missiles against the Saudis—the list of Iranian transgressions has increased dramatically since the date that the JCPOA was signed,” WSJ quoted Pompeo as saying then, referring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 agreement that Iran struck with the US and other world powers to limit its nuclear program.

“We’re actively engaged in a lot of work to assist the president, making sure he has an understanding of where the Iranians are complying and where they might not be,” the reported quoted Pompeo as saying at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington in April.

The report also quoted Mark Lowenthal, a former senior CIA official as saying that the center in Iran was an effort by the agency to bring all its experts together in one place, from the spies who gather information to the analysts who make sense of it.

“We know that combining [intelligence] collectors and analysts together you end up with better analysis and better operations,” Lowenthal said, noting that the center model has been used successfully in other areas.


Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani said what is happening on the Internet about Iran is a ‘proxy war’ against the country.

Shamkhani: Saudi Launching Proxy War against Iran
http://english.almanar.com.lb/419131

“Saudis are part of a network who have launched a war against Iran on the Internet,” he said.

He added the Saudi crown prince is conducting these anti-Iran activities, while the Zionist entity and some Western countries are the agents in the moves.

The Saudis will receive proper response from Iran, the official stressed, adding: “They’re well aware of the danger of our response.”


Tens of thousands of Iranians took to streets on Wednesday to voice their support to the Islamic establishment in the Islamic Republic and condemn recent wave of violence in some areas in Iran.

Mass Rallies in Iran to Condemn Violence, Back Establishment
http://english.almanar.com.lb/419582

Iranian media reported that mass rallies took place in different towns and cities across Iran, including Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Bushehr, Abadan, Gorgan and Qom. The demonstrators held banners and national flags as they chanted pro-government slogans.

The participants further shouted slogans against the United States and the Israeli regime, which welcomed the turmoil and voiced support for the riots.

Iran has witnessed rallies in the past few days over price hikes and economic woes in some cities, but some rioters have taken the protest so far by damaging public property and attacking police forces.

Commenting on the recent events, President Hasan Rouhani said the government will deal with the issue of price hikes, noting that the Iranians have the right to protest in compliance with the regulations.

Meanwhile, he vowed that the united Iranian nation will stand firm against a small group of foreign-induced rioters that have tried to hijack recent peaceful protests in the country.
 
Things are definitely getting more and more interesting as fake images of ‘Iran’ are being shared on social media:

https://www.rt.com/news/414915-iran-protest-fake-news-videos/

With more than 20 people dead following anti-government protests across Iran, footage of mass demonstrations and violent clashes involving police and protesters have been shared liberally across social media in recent weeks.

First among these is a post from conservative media contributor Kambree Kawahine Koa who published a video to her Twitter feed that purported to show a mass anti-government demonstration in Iran. Kawahine Koa told her more than 83,000 followers: “Whoa! 300,000 March for democracy in Iran! Incredible!”

However, Twitter users were quick to debunk the claim, pointing out that the video is actually of protests in Bahrain in 2011. In a series of tweets posted on New Year’s Day, the Bahrain-based Twitter user who re-posted the video said that she had been surprised to find that it was viewed 50,000 times in just two hours. Up to then, it had been viewed a mere 18,000 times in seven years.

“I wanted to know what was causing this sudden interest & I discovered that US press & American activists had picked it up & republished it as depicting protests in Iran even though my original Arabic tweet clearly stated the protest was in 2011 [in] Bahrain,” the user’s post read.

The video has now been viewed more than 1.25 million times on YouTube. The user believes that the popularity of the video is indicative of the American media’s double standards, saying: “No one was interested in the video when it was about the Bahraini people but within minutes it spreads across the US & the world when the video was claimed to be of the current Iranian protests.”

In another misleading post, journalist Emran Feroz published a picture of a woman in a headscarf launching herself at police in protective riot gear. The picture, which was posted on New Year’s Eve, was simply captioned “Iran.”

Later it emerged the picture was taken from an Iranian movie called Gold Collars. Responding to his critics Tuesday, Feroz was unapologetic, saying the picture was “symbolic.” Some commentators, however, were quick to mock Feroz’s claim.

There have also been reports of pictures of pro-regime demonstrations being passed off as anti-government protests, with another popular post purporting to be an aerial shot of a demonstration in Kermanshah in western Iran. In fact it’s a protest in Buenos Aires.

This week, too, Twitter suspended a fake account on behalf of Al Jazeera after the company complained that @Aljazeerairan was being used to spread “misleading and false news content” on the ongoing protests.
 
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