{"id":8329,"date":"2025-12-18T08:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T14:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=8329"},"modified":"2026-01-01T22:02:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T04:02:48","slug":"8329","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2025\/12\/18\/8329\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIran\u2019s Supreme Leader Shakes Up Air Force,\u201d<\/a> Newsweek, 12-18-25.<\/p>\n

\u201c32 of the world\u2019s 50 most overpumped aquifers are in Iran.\u201d\u00a0 That alone tells you a lot.\u00a0 And a great, informative article.\u00a0 See \u201cAfter Ruining a Treasured Water Resource, Iran Is Drying Up,\u201d<\/a> Yale Environment 360, 12-18-25.<\/p>\n

\u201cThousands of Israelis receive text messages from Iranian Intelligence,\u201d<\/a> Israel Hayom, 12-18-25.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho Can Solve Iran\u2019s Many Problems? Not I, Says the President,\u201d<\/a> NYT, 12-18-25.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAmid sky-high inflation, water and energy cuts and prospects for a deal with the U. S. dimming, President Masoud Pezeshkian has apparently thrown up his hands. \u2026\u00a0 He has gone as far as to say that Iran\u2019s problems are self-made \u2014 a result of corruption, factional infighting and decades of government spending practices that he described as \u201cwhat crazy people do\u201d \u2014 and not the fault of the United States or Israel. \u201cThe problem is us,\u201d he has said in several meetings, including the one with students. This month, Mr. Pezeshkian told provincial governors and local officials to imagine the central government \u201cdid not exist\u201d and \u201csolve your problems yourselves.\u201d \u201cWhy should I solve them?\u201d he said. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t think that the president can make miracles happen.\u201d \u2026 In Iran\u2019s political structure, the president can influence foreign and domestic policies somewhat, but the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has the final say in all major state matters. Former presidents seldom admitted to being hampered by the system. Not Mr. Pezeshkian. He appears to have no qualms about saying out loud that he is subservient to Mr. Khamenei on contentious foreign policy issues such as resolving the nuclear standoff with the United States. He has also said publicly that he hasn\u2019t been allowed to lift restrictions on popular social media applications such as Instagram, which Iranians now can get access to through virtual private networks, as he promised to do. \u2026 For now, Mr. Khamenei has thrown his support behind the president, who has three years left in his term.\u201d\u00a0 If the president can’t solve Iran\u2019s problems, he can look to the Supreme Leader to actually take responsibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIran\u2019s Supreme Leader Shakes Up Air Force,\u201d Newsweek, 12-18-25. \u201c32 of the world\u2019s 50 most overpumped aquifers are in Iran.\u201d\u00a0 That alone tells you a lot.\u00a0 And a great, informative article.\u00a0 See \u201cAfter Ruining a Treasured Water Resource, Iran Is Drying Up,\u201d Yale Environment 360, 12-18-25. \u201cThousands of Israelis receive text messages from Iranian Intelligence,\u201d … <\/p>\n

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