Talk of a ‘Red Line’ Stirs Fears Inside Iran

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In The Media

Talk of a ‘Red Line’ Stirs Fears Inside Iran

The possibility of a military action targeting Iran, along with the current economic sanctions, are creating anxiety inside the country.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Sep 27, 2012

Source: PRI's The World

The heightened tensions between Israel, the United States, and Iran regarding Iran’s nuclear program, along with the devastating economics sanctions, are causing increased anxiety in the country. Speaking on PRI’s The World, Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour noted that when people suffer under economic sanctions, it tends to accentuate their pre-existing political views. In other words, “if you are a supporter of the government you place the onus for personal economic hardship on the U.S. and Western imposed sanctions and if you are an opponent of the government, then you blame it on the regime.” The trend lines in Iran point to a further entrenchment of the dictatorial regime, ruled by Supreme Leader Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard, Sadjadpour continued. Despite strong resentment among a large swath of the Iranian population, there seems to be little movement towards something resembling the Arab spring. The memory of the brutal repression following the contested 2009 elections demonstrated the regimes policy of refusing to bend, he added. Moreover, “In Iran, the term revolution does not have the romantic connotation that it does in the Arab world because much of the population is so disillusioned with the 1979 revolution,” concluded Sadjadpour.

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
What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
Q&A
How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps
- Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Economy Political Reform Nuclear Policy Middle East Iran Gulf

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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