Iran Leadership Under Social Pressure
Mass protests against the theocratic government in Tehran have put the leadership of Iran under significant pressure to demonstrate order and control.
The scenes on the streets are not unlike 1979, and there are rumors that the supreme leader may need to seek refuge abroad (possibly in Russia) if things do not calm down in the immediate future. The last time this happened, a new government and constitution were established.
Iran’s ruling media has insisted that all of the dissent is manufactured abroad and imported through the internet, and they’ve even gone so far as to suggest that the United Kingdom is the primary organizer and supporter of the protesters. From an online perspective, it is always hard to tell who is really saying what due to the cloak of anonymity that modern broadcasting technology seems to provide. While the governments can strong arm some ISPs to acquire personal data about particular users, those on the web must remain skeptical of what they hear others claim.
The government in Iran is theocratic and authoritarian in nature – so regardless of who is actually organizing the resistance, its hard for me to sympathize with the clerical leadership and the winners of questionable elections.