Al-Monitor Finds Iranians Defiant, Misses US Meddling for Decades
Al-Monitor highlights Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's 'defiance' against protests over the 'rising cost of living,' with slogans like 'death to the dictator.' This framing neatly sidesteps the consistent pattern of foreign intervention that has fueled Iranian instability for decades. From the 1953 CIA-backed coup against democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh (because he dared to
nationalize oil) to the crippling sanctions apparatus imposed by successive US administrations, external forces have played a central role in Iran’s economic woes. One might wonder if any Western leader would 'back down' under constant economic warfare and overt calls for regime change from external actors. The West’s outrage at Khamenei’s 'defiance' often seems proportional to their own efforts
to instigate internal dissent, conveniently forgetting their own historical role in creating these very conditions while championing 'democracy' selectively. How much 'defiance' is simply self-preservation in the face of ongoing geopolitical pressure?