Iran: protests and cracks in the regime, but the end is still open
The protests that have broken out in Iran in recent days are not an isolated incident.
Starting from the electronics bazaar in Tehran, they quickly spread to other bazaars in the capital, to other cities, to university students and finally to the common population.
It is a dynamic already seen in 2017, 2019 and 2023, but today with one major difference: the Islamic regime in Iran appears more fragile than then.
As on the eve of 1979, economic claims are turning into direct political contestation.
The repressive forces – IRGC and Basij militias – seem reduced in number and less prepared, while the protesters appear more organised and determined. In many cities the regime forces withdraw; in others they shoot and arrest, a sign of uneven control.
Central to this is the symbolic role of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah, openly recalled by the square slogans as an alternative to the ambiguous faces promoted by the regime and part of the diaspora.
The resignations of the Central Bank governor and Pezeshkian’s political vice-president confirm the internal cracks.
Nothing seems accidental: the protests erupt while Netanyahu is Trump’s guest at Mar-a-Lago.
Italy and Europe can no longer remain ambiguous: it is time for clear and visible support for the Iranian people.
