Political situation in Iran

Mossad supports protests in Iran: “The time has come”

The Israeli intelligence service Mossad is urging protesters in Iran to continue their protests against the government, AFP reports.

“Take to the streets together. The time has come. We are with you,” Mossad writes on its Persian account, adding that it not only supports the protests with words but is also present “on the ground.”

The major protests broke out this weekend and are rooted in dissatisfaction with the economic situation, where a currency collapse and inflation of over 40 percent have made it difficult for people to cope with everyday life.

CNN describes the protests as the largest in the country since the murder of Mahsa Amini in 2022.

Iran: Governor's office in Fasa has been attacked

A government office in southern Iran has been attacked by several people, AFP reports, citing the Iranian news agency Mizan.

The property, which belongs to the governor of Fasa province, is said to have been damaged. It is not clear how extensive the damage is or how many people are said to have participated in the alleged attack.

This week, protests broke out in the capital Tehran against the country's economic problems. The dissatisfaction has since spread to several universities.

Expert: "It's about deep dissatisfaction with the regime"

What started as a demonstration of dissatisfaction among shop owners in Tehran has grown in a few days into the largest protests against the Iranian government in several years, writes Deutsche Welle. The economic crisis was the triggering factor, but according to Iran expert Gissou Nia, the dissatisfaction goes deeper than that.

- If you listen to the slogans and the scope of the protests, you see that it is about deep dissatisfaction with the Iranian regime and a desire for that regime to be replaced, she says.

CNN describes the protests as another crisis for the increasingly weakened Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mohammad Ali Shaban, editor of the London-based news site Amwaj.media, describes it as Khamenei being pressured from two sides.

“Everyone in Iran wants change. The hardliners want to go back to the past, the reformists want to move towards the future and many moderates want any change. No one is happy with the status quo,” he says.