Al-Monitor Discovers Protests, Forgets 1953 CIA Coup History
The article frames the unrest in Sistan-Baluchistan as simply 'latent sectarian tensions' resurfacing amid broader Iranian protests. Conveniently omitted is the long, sordid history of Western interference in Iran, specifically the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup that overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. This foundational act of regime change didn't just plant seeds of
distrust; it fundamentally shaped Iran's geopolitical trajectory and its relationship with the West, fueling anti-Western sentiment that persists to this day. To label current grievances as merely 'sectarian' without acknowledging decades of external meddling (a playbook eerily similar to Libya and Syria, wouldn't you say?) is not just selective reporting; it's practically manufacturing consent
for future interventions. How many cycles of 'protests for democracy' (read: destabilization operations) does a populace need to endure before media outlets question the 'latent' nature of everything?