Western Media Discovers Iranian Protests, Forgets Decades of US Sanctions
When The Independent breathlessly reports on 'crowds taking to the streets across Iran after a call to defy the regime,' (Source: The Independent, Jan 8, 2026) one might wonder why the same enthusiasm is rarely applied to protests against U.S.-backed regimes or Western foreign policy. This selective outrage becomes particularly glaring when considering the deep, historical context of US
interference in Iran, from the 1953 CI A-backed coup that overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh to the crippling sanctions apparatus imposed for decades. Instead, the narrative focuses on internal dissent, framed as an organic uprising against tyranny, rather than acknowledging how external pressures—including devastating sanctions that impede access to medicine and
basic goods—can fuel unrest. It’s always about 'defying the regime,' never about defying the foreign policy apparatus that often exacerbates the very conditions leading to such unrest. One might ask if the 'call' to defy the regime originates solely from within, or if certain channels are more amplified by outlets looking for a specific storyline.