Q&A
Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
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Source: Getty
In The Media
After Disputed Vote, Iran's Leaders Face Continued Protests
Iranian protests in the past have always pitted the people against the regime. Demonstrations over the presidential election outcome are different because of the unprecedented fissures amongst the revolutionary elite themselves.
Published on Jun 15, 2009
Source: Newshour
Protests and unrest continue in Iran over the results of the presidential election that gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad another four year term. Although Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has tried to quell opposition by calling on the Guardian Council to look into allegations of fraud, Karim Sadjadpour explains on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer (video segment below) that these recent events have a larger meaning for the Islamic Republic:
"I think this is really an unprecedented moment in the 30-year history of the Islamic regime. And the sense of rage and injustice you saw on the streets today in Tehran and throughout the country was really palpable. And what's different about this time around is that, in the past, all of these demonstrations have been the people against the regime. And this time, you see unprecedented fissures amongst the revolutionary elite themselves. Someone like former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic, is now in the opposition. Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has impeccable revolutionary credentials, who was the prime minister during the 1980s, is now part of the opposition. So we've never seen these types of fissures before amongst the political elite themselves."
About the Author
Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.
- What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next StepsQ&A
Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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