{"id":8408,"date":"2026-01-02T07:52:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T13:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=8408"},"modified":"2026-01-07T09:31:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T15:31:31","slug":"8408","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2026\/01\/02\/8408\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

This is just too rich.\u00a0 \u201cKhamenei\u2019s representative says protest videos and chants are AI-made,\u201d<\/a> Iran International, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran protests: Death toll cited at 10 amid reports of unrest spreading to rural provinces,\u201d<\/a> I24, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho Is Leading the Revolt Against Iran\u2019s Crumbling Regime?,\u201d<\/a> Media Line, 1-2-26.\u00a0\u00a0The snarky answer is that the Grand Ayatollah is leading the revolt\u2014he (and his predecessor) and the system created by the Revolution are responsible for the misery that got the people of Iran to this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout the New Iranian Protests,\u201d<\/a> WSJ, 1-2-26.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cRemember the predictions from so many experts that a military strike on Iran\u2019s nuclear sites would cause Iranians to rally behind their regime?\u201d\u00a0 Those same persons say stay away now.<\/p>\n

So there are several stories on this.\u00a0 \u201cTrump warns US will intervene if Iran kills protesters,\u201d<\/a> BBC, 1-2-26.\u00a0\u00a0Trump remembers that Obama did nothing during a major uprising, hoping to draw the Ayatollah into a nuclear agreement.\u00a0 This is probably a warning to the Regime to let peaceful protests continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump and top Iranian officials exchange threats over protests roiling Iran,\u201d<\/a> CBC, 1-2-26.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s be clear about this.\u00a0 The U.S. or Mossad or anyone else who takes the high ground and says that killing protesters is wrong can\u2019t be blamed by the Regime for the Regime\u2019s actions against the protesters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran protests expose a system sliding toward collapse, experts say,\u201d<\/a> Iran International, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran: US troops \u2018legitimate targets\u2019 after Trump threatens to intervene in protests,\u201d<\/a> Iran International, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow will the mass protests that are convulsing Iran unfold?,\u201d<\/a> Economist, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fall Of Iran Could Change Everything,\u201d<\/a> Middle East Forum, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe President has other options to support Iranians. The U.S. can help protesters with strike funds and communications, extending Starlink access or virtual private networks when the regime cuts off the internet. The U.S. can also expose regime thugs and cripple their communications, while encouraging defections. Above all, Mr. Trump can enforce oil sanctions as he now is doing in Venezuela.\u201d\u00a0 See \u201cMiddle Eastern governments are watching Iran’s protests,\u201d<\/a> WSJ, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran accepts cryptocurrency as payment for advanced weapons,\u201d<\/a> Coin Desk, 1-2-26.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cProspective customers could purchase weapons such as missiles, tanks and drones using crypto, according to a government website.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIran: International Community Must Stand with Iranian People, Demand Accountability for Regime\u2019s Escalating Repression,\u201d<\/a> Freedom House, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran\u2019s Refusal to Dial Back Nuclear Program Lit Fuse on Currency Crisis,\u201d<\/a> WSJ, 1-2-26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is just too rich.\u00a0 \u201cKhamenei\u2019s representative says protest videos and chants are AI-made,\u201d Iran International, 1-2-26. \u201cIran protests: Death toll cited at 10 amid reports of unrest spreading to rural provinces,\u201d I24, 1-2-26. \u201cWho Is Leading the Revolt Against Iran\u2019s Crumbling Regime?,\u201d Media Line, 1-2-26.\u00a0\u00a0The snarky answer is that the Grand Ayatollah is leading … <\/p>\n

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