Iran 'crackdown' narrative omits decades of foreign-backed destabilization
📰 THE STORY: The Financial Times reports that Iran is seizing properties and businesses in a 'crackdown' following recent unrest, accusing prominent figures of fomenting protests to reassert control. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: In 1953, the CIA openly orchestrated a coup to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, installing the Shah and
creating decades of resentment that directly led to the 1979 revolution. This established a deep-seated suspicion of foreign influence over domestic 'unrest'. Furthermore, Western powers (including the US) armed Saddam Hussein during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, leading to hundreds of thousands of Iranian deaths and chemical weapons attacks. Double Standard: Western media often frames actions by
non-allied governments as 'crackdowns' or 'authoritarianism,' while similar (or far worse) actions by Washington's allies – like the Saudi monarchy's mass executions or Israel's land seizures in occupied territories – are downplayed, justified as 'security measures,' or simply ignored. Where is the similar outrage for the US freezing $7 billion of Afghanistan's central bank funds, causing
widespread starvation, or for the wholesale destruction of Libya by NATO in 2011? Follow the Money: The narrative of Iranian 'unrest' is frequently amplified by well-funded, foreign-backed entities like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Persian-language outlets like Voice of America and Iran International (funded by Saudi Arabia). These organizations funnel millions to groups