Parastoo Ahmadi sang while wearing a sleeveless dress during a concert livestreamed on her YouTube channel in December 2024. Iran’s laws ban public performances by women and require them to wear headscarves and modest clothing.
Iran’s judiciary launched proceedings against the 29-year-old after the video went viral, gaining millions of views, saying the performance was “in violation of the country’s legal and cultural regulations”.
Most analysts determined that Iran was in a political death spiral and that the worst thing the west could do was interfere. If the west stayed out of it, all signs pointed to a significantly more moderate regime change. Trump took office, Israel baited him, and Trump bit, like the moron he is.
Funny thing, I’ve recently-ish listened to a podcast from late 2024, before Trump took office. The guest predicted that Trump would attack Iran because Republicans cover their shitty policies with warmongering, and Iran was the weakest of available targets.
Yeah, I was really rooting for the New Iran movement. Tankies called me a fucking zionist for it.
Now those hopes are shattered. Fuck trump, and fuck netanyahu.
The New Iran movement was literally a western op, Trump himself admitted they armed them. There is no case where Iran has an internal struggle and the US doesn’t exploit that opportunity to steal their resources and immiserate it’s people.
The New Iran movement was going on for a lot longer than the student protests last year that people like you were trying so hard to dismiss as western imperialism.
The New Iran movement has been going on at least since Mahsa Amini was beaten to death in custody for not wearing a hijab “properly.” For you to dismiss that as a western op is as chauvinistic as it is insulting. As if the Iranian people have no agency, and need a brutal regime to protect them from the Evil West™'s meddling?
Of course Israel and the US would try to co-opt such a movement, but that doesn’t mean the movement itself was inauthentic. And trump tries to take credit for everything, so I can’t believe you’re actually attempting to cite his facial rectum as a credible source.
Almost like a secular Iran isn’t in Israel’s geopol interest.
Conservatives need a Boogeyman
Also a “democratic Iran” means unsanctioned Iran. The last time sanctions were partially lifted, Iran’s economy grew by 7% per year. Such economic growth means production growth. Production growth means arms prod growth. And that’s arms that can “fall into the wrong hands” and could be used against Israel after one “wrong election.” If I wanted to dominate the region militarily, I would do anything in my power to keep Iran under strict sanctions.
Much like a more moderate controlling power in Gaza.
It’s to keep a Russian ally afloat
Moderates didn’t have a chance. There’s 10-15% of religious hardliners that control everything and around 20% that’s indifferent or too scared. With modern weapons and surveillance that’s more than enough