Clerical rule meets public wrath in Iran

Widespread popular dissent in the Islamic Republic of Iran is often rooted in opposition to its clerical dictatorship and discontent with its draconian religious edicts.

- John J. Metzler

Notably, the latest outrage has been triggered by the country’s economic free fall.For two weeks, large demonstrations have filled the streets of the capital, Tehran, and elsewhere across this varied land of 92 million people. What is occurring now is the biggest jolt to the regime since September 2022, when mass protests followed the arrest and death of Masha Amina from the “morality police” for not wearing the Islamic hijab veil correctly.

A powerful movement shook the country for months, protesting decades of female inequality. The hardline regime cracked down, killing hundreds and arresting thousands. Despite international outcry, the Ayatollahs got away with it.

These tectonic changes to Iran’s political order are rooted in growing resistance to the atrophied theological regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as much as the daily indignities, such as the female dress code, runaway inflation, and a near-worthless currency. The problems are widened by a natural drought which rations water supply. Subsequently, protests have rocked over 100 cities in 26 of the country’s 31 provinces.