Viewpoints: What Next for Iran

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In The Media

Viewpoints: What Next for Iran

The Iranian opposition is entering a new phase. Instead of mass rallies they are now focusing on civil disobedience, including strikes among merchants, labourers, and key industries of the Iranian economy.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Jun 23, 2009

Source: BBC News

Viewpoints: What Next for Iran There is an uneasy stand-off in Iran after a deadly weekend of clashes, and skirmishes on Monday between police and protestors. Karim Sadjadpour explains that although the protests may be decreasing in size, the force of the opposition is unlikely to calm down; "the demonstrations may decrease in scale, given the regime's ability to limit people's movements in Tehran (which as a city is large and spread out, like Los Angeles) and prevent large masses of people from gathering in the same place. There are already signs that the opposition is entering a new phase. Instead of mass rallies they are now focusing on civil disobedience, including strikes among merchants (bazaris), labourers, and key arteries of the Iranian economy (like the petroleum industry and oil ministry). So while the crowds may not be as large as before, the conflict is certainly far from being resolved."

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.

Recent Work

Q&A
Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?
- Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour
Q&A
What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

Political Reform Middle East Iran

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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