Iran Super Thread- Merged

[CougarKing]

More incidents:

Defense News

More Naval Incidents Reported in Persian Gulf
By: Christopher P. Cavas, August 25, 2016
WASHINGTON -- Three more close encounters have been reported between US Navy warships and vessels operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy (IRGCN). In one instance, a US warship fired warning shots at an Iranian vessel.

And in an incident taking place Aug. 15, Guards vessels launched rockets in exercises a few miles away from two US Navy ships.

(...SNIPPED)

In the first incident, as reported by US defense officials, the US patrol coastal ships Tempest and Squall were patrolling in international waters in the northern Gulf. Three IRGCN vessels approached at high speed and crossed the bow of the Tempest at 600 yards on three separate occasions. Tempest sounded five short blasts from the ship’s whistle, indicating the maneuvers were unsafe, and attempted to establish radio communications, apparently without success.

Later that same day Tempest and Squall were harassed by an Iranian Naser-class patrol boat, of a type known to be operated by the Guards. That vessel approached Tempest head-on to within 200 yards, said Cmdr. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Central Command (NAVCENT) in Bahrain.


(...END EXCERPT)

 

[CougarKing]

Why the maritime arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps won't stop coming:

Washington Post (video report)

Why Iran keeps harassing the U.S. Navy
The Washington Post

Duration: 02:04 3 days ago

Recent incidents between the U.S. Navy and Iran are the latest signs of friction between the two country's near Iran’s coast.

 

[CougarKing]

Probably only a matter of time before a nuke accident happens in the Strait of Hormuz then?

The Hill

Iran to build nuclear-powered vessels in response to US "violation"
Iran announced Tuesday that it will instruct its scientists to create nuclear-powered marine vessels in response to what it sees as a U.S. "violation" of a nuclear agreement with the nation.

Following the decision of Congress to extend a portion of U.S. sanctions against the country, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani revealed the orders to build a "nuclear propeller to be used in marine transportation," but would not clarify if the program will be used for producing nuclear-powered submarines, according to Reuters.

It is also unclear if Iran will enrich its uranium above the maximum level set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in order to properly develop such a technology.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CBH99]

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I don't think Israel or Saudi Arabia will let Iran 'formally' destabilize the region any more than it already does, with or without a formal agreement.

In an article I was reading just recently (I think it was on DefenseNews, but I'll source it later) - both Israel & Saudi Arabia seem allied in the sense that they both view Iranian supported groups/extremism as a common enemy.

 

[a_majoor]

Living by the sword means eventually having to face it yourselves:

http://www.the-american-interest.com/2017/02/20/can-iran-hold-together-long-term/

Can Iran Hold Together Long Term?

The New York Times offers a telling snapshot of Ahvaz, a majority Arab Iranian city near the Iraqi border, where a growing protest movement has lately been shut down by security forces:

Days of protests over dust storms, power failures and government mismanagement in one of Iran’s most oil-rich cities subsided on Sunday after security forces declared all demonstrations illegal.

Residents of Ahvaz, a city with a majority Arab population near the border with Iraq, had been protesting for five days in increasingly large gatherings, shown in cellphone video clips shared on social media.

The region around Ahvaz is a center of oil production in Iran, and since economic sanctions were lifted, Iran’s government has been hoping for foreign investment in the area to update refineries and power stations and fix deepening ecological problems.

The cellphone clips show protesters calling for the resignation of the local governor. And as the number of demonstrators grew, the demands started to include a call for top officials from the capital, Tehran, to come to Ahvaz to see the problems for themselves. […]

Locals said they felt ignored and had had enough. “We feel as if we live in a special zone, where the government only makes money from,” said Mobin Ataee, a local student. “It seems they would prefer people to leave so they can turn this whole area into an oil-business-only region.”

These protests may not seem like much, and it is important not to over-interpret the significance of one regional movement. As the Arab Spring most recently taught us, the Western press—not to mention the past two U.S. presidents—have long indulged in premature predictions about the transformative impact of democratic movements in the Middle East, while underestimating the ability of autocratic regimes to clamp down on dissent and cling on to their power.

Still, the Ahvaz story does offer a glimpse of the simmering regional and ethnic tensions that pose long-term problems for the elite in Tehran. The biggest trend in politics for the last 150 years has been the break-up of multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic states into smaller and more homogenous units as people demand more control over their own lives. And Iran is one of the world’s most vulnerable states to this trend, with Azeris, Kurds, Balochs, and many other minority groups under the corrupt, heavy-handed and often not-very-effective rule of the mullahs.

If it is true that the era of Sykes-Picot is coming to an end in the Middle East and that states like Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq are going to have their boundaries redrawn, it is hard to see how this process can be stopped at the Iran-Iraq border. The Iranian Kurds want independence, and many of Iran’s Arabs would gladly join with their Shi’a Arab brethren (and fellow tribesmen in many cases) across the boundary. Iran’s own meddling has played a major role in the breakdown of order across the region and the enflamed identity politics now plunging country after country into terrible wars. Can the mullahs play with fire and not be burned?

 

[MilEME09]

Irans rolls out new Karrar tank,

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/03/12/514033/Iran-Karrrar-Dehqan

looks like a heavily upgraded T-72

 

[Jed]

Irans rolls out new Karrar tank,

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/03/12/514033/Iran-Karrrar-Dehqan

looks like a heavily upgraded T-72

Looks pretty effective.  I wonder if it is nuclear powered?  [

 

[a_majoor]

Iran, like many other aggressive regimes, discovers that war is expensive, and maintaining their attempt to become regional hegemons could cause their economy to spiral further out of control. Low oil prices certainly won't help:

https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2017/03/14/why-is-iran-wrecking-its-economy-to-fund-war-in-syria/

Why Is Iran Wrecking Its Economy to Fund War in Syria?
By David P. Goldman March 14, 2017

Estimates of Iran’s military expenditure in Syria vary from US$6 billion a year to US$15-US$20 billion a year. That includes US$4 billion of direct costs as well as subsidies for Hezbollah and other Iranian-controlled irregulars.

Assuming that lower estimates are closer to the truth, the cost of the Syrian war to the Tehran regime is roughly in the same range as the country’s total budget deficit, now running at a US$9.3 billion annual rate. The explanation for Tehran’s lopsided commitment to military spending, I believe, is to be found in Russian and Chinese geopolitical ambitions and fears.

The Iranian regime is ready to sacrifice the most urgent needs of its internal economy in favor of its ambitions in Syria. Iran cut development spending to just one-third of the intended level as state income lagged forecasts during the three quarters ending last December, according to the country’s central bank. Iran sold US$29 billion of crude during the period, up from $25 billion the comparable period last year. The government revenues from oil of US$11 billion (655 trillion rials) were just 70% of official forecasts, and tax revenues of US$17.2 billion came in 15% below expectations.

Chaos in Iran’s financial system prevents the Iranian government from carrying a larger budget deficit. The US$9.3 billion deficit reported by the central bank stands at just over 2% of GDP, under normal circumstances a manageable amount. But that number does not take into account the government’s massive unpaid bills. According to a February 27 report by the International Monetary Fund, the government arrears to the country’s banking system amount to 10.2% of GDP. Iran’s delegate to the IMF, Jafar Mojarrad, wrote to the IMF:

Public debt-to-GDP ratio, which increased sharply from 12% to 42% in 2015-16, mainly as a result of recognition of government arrears and their securitization, is estimated to decline to 35% in 2016-17 and to 29% next year. However, it could rise again above 40% of GDP after full recognition of remaining government arrears and their securitization and issuance of securities for bank capitalization.

Iran’s banks have so many bad loans that the government will have to issue additional bonds to recapitalize them, Mojarrad added. Iranian press accounts put toxic assets at 45% of all bank loans.

Iran’s financial system is a black hole, and the government cannot refinance its arrears, recapitalize its bankrupt banks, and finance a substantial budget deficit at the same time. Its infrastructure requirements are not only urgent, but existential. The country’s much-discussed water crisis threatens to empty whole cities and displace millions of Iranians, particularly the farmers who consume more than nine-tenths of the country's shrinking water supply. Despite what the Tehran Times called “a desperate call for action” by Iranian environmental scientists, the government slashed infrastructure spending by two-thirds during the last fiscal year.

The Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps evidently has first claim on the public purse. It is also willing to shed blood. Reported dead among Iranian-led forces in Syria include at least 473 Iranians, 583 Afghans, and 135 Pakistanis, as well as 1,268 Shi’a fighters from Iraq. In addition, perhaps 1,700 members of the Hezbollah militia have died. Other estimates are much higher. The IRGC’s foreign legions include volunteers from Afghanistan and Pakistan, where Shi’ites are an oppressed minority often subject to violent repression by the Sunni majority. IRGC-controlled forces include the Fatemiyoun Militia recruited mainly from Shi’ite Hazara refugees from Afghanistan, with reported manpower of perhaps 12,000 to 14,000 fighters, of whom 3,000 to 4,000 are now in Syria. Iranians also command the Zeinabiyoun militia composed of Pakistani Shi’ites, with perhaps 1,500 fighters in Syria.

This compares to an estimated 28 Russian casualties in Syria. Moscow has a very good bargain with Tehran. Despite the high casualty rate, the IRGC “has more volunteers for the Syrian War than it knows what to do with,” Kristin Dailey reported last year in Foreign Policy.

Why is Iran willing to shed so much blood and divert so much money away from urgent domestic needs? The fanatical character of the Iranian regime and the fragility of a society with 40% youth unemployment explain part of it. But a deeper motivation for Iran’s profligacy and militancy lies in Iran’s dependence on China and Russia.

Since 2010, China’s total oil imports have nearly doubled. It has shifted its oil purchases away from Saudi Arabia to Russia, which rose from 5% to 15% of the Chinese total, and to what might be called the Shi’ite bloc: Iran, Iraq, and Oman. Iran’s share has fallen, but the Iran-allied total has risen sharply. Iran’s oil exports to China will rise sharply as Chinese investments come online. Reuters reported earlier this year:

Chinese firms were expected to lift between 3 million to 4 million barrels more Iranian oil each quarter in 2017 than last year, four sources with knowledge of the matter estimated. That would be about 5% to 7% higher than the 620,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude the country has imported during the first 11 months of 2016, according to the customs data.

China, meanwhile, provides a quarter of Iran’s imports.

Iran stands to benefit, moreover, from its geographic position in the midpoint of China’s One Belt, One Road infrastructure drive across Central Asia. China will spend an estimated US$46 billion to create an economic corridor through Pakistan, and Iran is eager to latch on to China’s expansion.

Both Moscow and Beijing fear the rise of Sunni militancy out of the ruins of Iraq, Syria, and Libya. As Dr. Christina Lin reported in this publication as early as 2015, Russian and Chinese strategists viewed the American approach to regime change in Syria as an effort to destabilize Russia and China. Several thousand Chinese Uyghurs, an ethnically Turkish people in Western China, have joined U.S.-supported Sunni jihadists in Syria. Uyghur members of the Turkistan Islamic Party have acquired anti-tank missiles and probably shoulder-fired anti-aircraft rockets as well as drones used to record suicide attacks against the Syrian army. At the same time, Saudi-financed Islamists threaten to destabilize Southeast Asia.

In several visits to Beijing during 2014 and 2015, I spoke to senior Chinese strategists who expressed extreme concern about the dangers of returning Uyghur fighters and the spread of Islamism to China’s periphery in Southeast Asia. A Russian-Chinese axis is emerging in Asia stretching from Thailand to Turkey. As a counterweight to the Sunni jihad, Russia and China have encouraged the militarization of the Shi’ite belt that stretches from Lebanon through Syria and Iran to Afghanistan. Virtually all of China’s Muslims and 90% of Russia’s Muslims are Sunnis. Iran well may be the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, as both the Obama administration and the Trump administration claim, but it is not a sponsor of the specific sort of terrorism that Russia and China fear.

That helps explain Iran’s seemingly irrational decision to divert desperately needed resources to the Revolutionary Guards. The IRGC is not merely the dominant political and economic force in Iran. It is Iran’s main bargaining chip with its arms suppliers and oil buyers in Moscow and Beijing. China’s economic influence in Asia is a geopolitical Death Star, a magnet for political influence unlike anything we have seen since America’s economic dominance in Europe during the 1950s. Iran and its Shi’ite surrogates in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan. and Pakistan have a nearly inexhaustible supply of cannon fodder to advance Russian and Chinese interests on the ground in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. With Chinese economic support, Iran can sustain its military campaigns far longer than its neglected, bankrupt and dehydrated internal economy might suggest.

This leaves American policy in a quandary. The Obama administration --  as Lieutenant General Michael Flynn warned in this and numerous other statements -- inadvertently stood godfather to the birth of ISIS by blundering into the milieu of Syrian Sunni rebels. It is discouraging that the Trump administration lost the services of Gen. Flynn less than a month into his tenure at National Security Council.

More broadly, Sunni radicalism in the region is the result of the George W. Bush administration’s insistence on majority (that is, Shi’ite) rule in Iraq. As Lieutenant General Daniel P. Bolger observed in his superb 2014 book Why We Lost:

The stark facts on the ground still sat there, oozing pus and bile. With Saddam gone, any voting would install a Shi’ite majority. The Sunni wouldn’t run Iraq again. That, at the bottom, caused the insurgency. Absent the genocide of Sunni Arabs, it would keep it going.

Ten years ago, America might have persuaded Moscow to throw Iran under the bus in return for some kind of settlement in Ukraine. That train left the station some time ago. At low cost in the form of air support in Syria, and at a profit in the case of the sale of the Russian S-300 air defense system, Russia has a partner in Iran willing to shed large amounts of blood (especially if it is Iraqi, Afghan, or Pakistani) in the service of its interests in Syria. China has an oil-rich neighbor engaged in a war of attrition against Sunni Muslims, and a captive market for its industrial exports. China and Russia have little to fear from an unleashed Iran. In 30 years the rootless, childless generation that now provides unlimited cannon fodder will turn grey, and Iran will have an elderly dependent ratio like Western Europe’s, but with a tenth of the per capita income. Iran faces a democratic implosion like no other in history.

There has been a good deal of talk in Washington about fostering a bloc of Sunni states to oppose Iranian influence. The trouble is that the only two Sunni states with real armies, Egypt and Turkey, have indicated that they prefer the Assad regime to a Sunni alternative. Turkey shifted towards Russia after the July 2016 coup attempt, which Ankara believes enjoyed American sympathy if not outright support. Egypt is more worried about Sunni jihadists than it is about Iran, and has moved closer to Russia in arms procurement and other areas. America is left with Jordan and the Gulf states, whose military capability is doubtful.

We are confronted with a war that feeds on itself. The destruction of civil society by war leaves young men with little to do but go to war, until war exhausts the manpower pool. That typically occurs after 30% of the military-age men are dead. I warned in 2010 that the Petraeus surge would culminate in a new Thirty Years' War. Syria’s half-million dead are just a down payment. Four years ago I raised the prospect of a Pax Sinica in the Middle East. Today that seems whimsical. The emergence of ISIS and other Sunni jihad movements in the intervening years has persuaded Beijing to fight Sunni fire with Shi’ite fire.

The facts on the ground have shifted in favor of China and Russia, and diplomacy ultimately will reflect this shift. The best that can come out of this ugly situation is something like Sykes-Picot restored: a patchwork partition of the Levant and Mesopotamia with the creation of a Sunni state to oppose the non-state actors, kept in uneasy peace with Shi’ite satrapies of Iran by the agreement of Washington, China, and Moscow. That is not a good solution, and certainly not a palatable solution from an American point of view, but it is the resolution suggested by the current state of the chessboard.

A new Thirty Years’ War will end sooner or later in a new Peace of Westphalia, the 1648 treaty that left Catholics and Protestants in more or less the positions they had occupied before the war began in 1618, minus roughly two-fifths of their respective populations. That the war would lead to stalemate was obvious by its midpoint in 1634, but France and Spain chose to fight on for another 15 devastating years. When peace came it pleased no one. That is the sort of peace we will have one way or another, and we might as well have it sooner rather than later.

 

[Rifleman62]

This happen again two days ago, and has happened with some regularity.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/25/navy-destroyer-has-close-encounter-with-iran-vessel-in-persian-gulf.html

Navy destroyer has close encounter with Iran vessel in Persian Gulf - 25 Apr 17

How do the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (Colregs) or whatever laws/rules are utilized, function WRT two different countries warships in International waters? Is the USN obligated by law to give way, change course when, in this case, a Iranian Revolutionary Guard "fast attack craft" deliberately comes too close? In law, what is the separation required? Does it matter if approaching from the stern, head on, port or starboard?

With the Trump Administration, sooner or later, probably sooner, the USN will be given new ROE's for these encounters and it would be helpful to have a understanding what the USN could do. i.e repeatedly warn, not change course and hit the smaller vessel. Or is there a law saying the larger vessel (less maneuverable) must change course?

Remember this humorous video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brNX4xqlXJE

 

[Rifleman62]

Any of you Navy pers got answers?

 

[Lumber]

Any of you Navy pers got answers?

Warships are actually exempt form the COLREGS (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea). I know that sounds shocking, because Jr. MARS Officers spend literally 3 years studying, practicing and employing COLREGS. From a practical standpoint, we follow the regulations to a T, and we literally have half of them memorized verbatim. However, form a legal standpoint, we are under no obligation to follow them, but gone would be the command of a CO who blatantly ignored them.

So, in this case, who had the "right of way"? Legally speaking: no one.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The term "right of way" no longer exists, it's the stand on vessel and give way vessel. To many accidents due to people thinking "right of way" was a power from the gods.

 

[Rifleman62]

This happen again two days ago, and has happened with some regularity.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/25/navy-destroyer-has-close-encounter-with-iran-vessel-in-persian-gulf.html

Navy destroyer has close encounter with Iran vessel in Persian Gulf - 25 Apr 17

With the Trump Administration, sooner or later, probably sooner, the USN will be given new ROE's for these encounters .....

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/07/25/us-navy-ship-fires-warning-shots-at-iranian-ship-in-persian-gulf.html

US Navy ship fires warning shots at Iranian ship in Persian Gulf -  Lucas Tomlinson - July 25, 2017 - Fox News


A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots at an Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, U.S. defense officials confirmed to Fox News.

The U.S. Navy coastal patrol ship fired warning shots from its .50-caliber machine gun at an Iranian patrol boat when it came within 150 yards of the ship in the Persian Gulf, according to two U.S. defense officials.

The Iranian ship ignored repeated radio calls from the USS Thunderbolt, which also launched flares to warn the fast approaching Iranian ship, officials said.

The incident happened Tuesday as a formation of U.S. Navy warships was doing an exercise in the Northern Persian Gulf.

It’s the first time since January a U.S. Navy warship has fired warning shots at an Iranian vessel which approached too close.

 

[The Bread Guy]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/07/25/us-navy-ship-fires-warning-shots-at-iranian-ship-in-persian-gulf.html

US Navy ship fires warning shots at Iranian ship in Persian Gulf ...

CENTCOM's take ...

Centcom: U.S. Ship Fires Warning Shots as Iranian Vessel Makes 'Unsafe' Approach
From a U.S. Central Command News Release

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2017 — A U.S. coastal patrol ship participating in a coalition exercise in the Persian Gulf fired warning shots today after warning an Iranian naval vessel that was conducting what U.S. Central Command officials called "an unsafe and unprofessional interaction" in international waters.

An Iranian naval vessel makes a close approach to the coastal patrol ship USS Thunderbolt, right,
in international waters in the Persian Gulf, July 25, 2017. The Thunderbolt crew sounded warnings before firing warning shots. Navy photo​

The Iranian vessel approached within 150 yards of the coastal patrol ship USS Thunderbolt and did not respond to repeated attempts to establish radio communications as it approached, Centcom officials said.

Warning Flares, Danger Signal

The Thunderbolt crew then fired warning flares and sounded the internationally recognized danger signal of five short blasts on the ship's whistle, but the Iranian vessel continued inbound, officials said. As the Iranian vessel proceeded toward the U.S. ship, the crew again sounded five short blasts before firing warning shots in front of the Iranian vessel, they added.

The Iranian vessel halted its approach after the warning shots were fired, officials said, noting that the Iranian vessel's actions were not in accordance with internationally recognized "rules of the road," nor with internationally recognized maritime customs, thus creating a risk for collision.

 

[a_majoor]

Protests in Iran against the government. The scale and scope of these is growing to match the 2008-9 "Green Revolution", but oddly, this is getting little to no reporting on American news. My top hits were from the Telegraph, BBC and Aljazeera. This article shows the protests spreading to areas like religious dress codes:

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/timothymeads/2017/12/30/iran-protests-n2428347?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=

Iranian Women Defy Islamic Dress Code as Anti-Government Protests Sweep Nation
Timothy Meads Timothy Meads |Posted: Dec 30, 2017 10:45 AM  Share (2K)  Tweet

Protests beginning Thursday sparked by economic unrest in Iran have quickly turned into massive demonstrations, not just against economic policy, but against the Islamist controlled government as a whole. These gatherings are the largest form of anti-government demonstrations in the middle eastern country since 2009. Citizens continued demonstrations Saturday in the cities of Teheran, Kermanshah, as well as nearly 20 other locations chanting against Iran's President Hassan Rouhani as well as the Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

What started as smaller protests against poor economic conditions, allegations of corruption, as well as the Iranian government's involvement in foreign nations has quickly engulfed Iran in the largest showing against the theocratic state in nearly a decade. Labor protests are not abnormal in Iran, but the political and religious nature of these protests have given hope to thousands, if not millions, of people that this dissent shows an opportunity for true reform in the country.

While it is not certain what the Iranian government's response will be to its citizens, the United States warned the Iranian government that the “world is watching” in a series of statements sent out by the President, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and the State Department.

Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching! #IranProtests
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017

Reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with the regime’s corruption and its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. The Iranian government should respect their people’s rights including their right to express themselves. The world is watching
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 30, 2017

We are following reports of multiple peaceful protests by Iranian citizens. The United States strongly condemns the arrest of peaceful protesters in #Iran. We urge all nations to publicly support the Iranian people. https://t.co/4spSF6IX1i #Iranprotests pic.twitter.com/jDbEDM0P8F
— Department of State (@StateDept) December 30, 2017

Other United States officials showed support for the protesters as well.

(2/2) I stand with the Iranian people in their demand for prosperity and freedom, and call upon my colleagues in the Congress to join me.

#utpol #FreeIran
— Senator Hatch Office (@senorrinhatch) December 29, 2017
Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which established Islamic rule in the once free and prosperous country, women have been historically oppressed. However, brave women are now taking to the streets in defiance of Sharia law. These protests are reminiscent of 1979 when thousands of women publicly condemned the government imposed veiling of women.

FLASHBACK: Over 100,000 Iranian women march against forced veiling in 1979 #IranProtest pic.twitter.com/NPxrjZiS5Z
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) December 30, 2017

#IranProtests: Hundreds of thousands across #Iran chant "We don't want Islamic Republic!" & "Clerics shame on you, let go of our country!" Woman in video took off her #Hijab to protest Islamic dress code imposed on Iranian women since 1979. #IStandWithHer pic.twitter.com/CHNwrTsWPA
— Mark Vallen (@mark_vallen) December 29, 2017

In a blow to the Ayatollah, Iranian police announced they would not arrest women who refused to abide by Islamic dress code. “Those who do not observe the Islamic dress code will no longer be taken to detention centers, nor will judicial cases be filed against them,” Tehran police chief General Hossein Rahimi said to the press.

It is unclear how long these protests will occur nor what the outcome will be. TownHall coverage will continue in the following days as more details and events occur.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Two demonstrators have, so far, been shot and killed.  The State is blaming "foreign agents" as the persons responsible for the killings.  With any luck these protests will be successful this time.

 

[tomahawk6]

The protests have not been put down as yet.If they spread further security forces will be spread pretty thin. Meanwhile in Kermanshah:

Telegraph UK reports:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/01/defiant-iran-protesters-steal-revolutionary-guards-trousers/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw

The Basij militiaman, a paramilitary storm trooper of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was reportedly swinging an electric shock baton when the crowd of angry protesters closed in around him.

“They got a Basij, hold him!” one man shouted as the demonstrators pulled away the militiaman’s baton and knocked him to the ground in the largely Kurdish city of Kermanshah.

But rather than beat the man to death, the crowd struck a different kind of blow against Iran’s authoritarian regime: they stripped him of his trousers and sent him stumbling and humiliated into the cold night.

“The protesters wanted to show that they are peaceful but that they are not weak and they are not afraid,” tweeted Iranian reporter Raman Ghavami.

Reports are emerging that the whole city of Kermanshah is now protesting the regime, chanting “down with the dictator” and “death to Khamenei!”

 

[jollyjacktar]

I wish the protesters every success in bringing change to the powers that be in that country.  Looks as if they're tired of the beards shit.

 

[Cdn Blackshirt]

I know the Iranians have been involved with all sorts of nasty stuff, but for whatever reason the guy who scares me most in the Middle East is Erdogan.

The way he's moving the chess pieces around is a dangerously familiar pattern....

 

[jollyjacktar]

I know the Iranians have been involved with all sorts of nasty stuff, but for whatever reason the guy who scares me most in the Middle East is Erdogan.

The way he's moving the chess pieces around is a dangerously familiar pattern....

Agreed.  He's sketchy as fuck.  I was hoping the coup attempt in 2016 was going to remove him from office.