Call By Iran’s Former Shah’s Son Fails To Gain Traction
WANA (Jan 09) – Following the call by Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former shah, for protest gatherings across Iran, this call was not met with the public reception the opposition had expected on the first night. A small crowd, but with high levels of violence.
In the early hours, numerous videos of scattered gatherings in some cities of the country—especially Tehran—were circulated on social media. However, reviewing the content of these videos shows that the number of people present in most of them ranged between 100 and 200, and even in the busiest footage, the number of people perhaps does not reach two or three thousand.
Nevertheless, the volume of videos shared from various locations creates the impression that we are facing widespread gatherings, while field estimates indicate that in a city like Tehran, with a population of about 9 million, the total number of people present in these scattered gatherings was less than about 15,000.
Media experts believe that visual exaggeration through repeated sharing of small videos has replaced on-the-ground reality, creating a noticeable gap between the “media image” and the “actual scale of the gatherings.”
Although even this level of public turnout to take to the streets can be a major achievement for Reza Pahlavi, because in the past 50 years, all the calls made by monarchists have effectively ended in heavy defeat.
Most of those who came to the streets tonight were not necessarily supporters of the monarchy; rather, they were a mix of people with different beliefs and demands. Some of these individuals came to the streets due to economic problems and as a sign of protest. These people fundamentally neither desire a monarchy nor have any belief in Reza Pahlavi.
Separating Protest from Riots: Iran’s Security–Judicial Strategy in Responding to Recent Unrest
WANA (Jan 07) – Amid Iran’s recent security developments, parallel statements by the country’s top law-enforcement commander and the head of the judiciary offer a clear picture of the state’s approach to distinguishing “protest” from “riot” and managing the latest unrest—an approach that emphasizes a combination of judicial firmness, targeted security measures, and social engagement. […]
The protesters were chanting slogans against Iran’s Supreme Leader (“Death to the dictator”) and sometimes slogans in support of the Pahlavi regime (“Reza Shah, we support you”). Most of the participants were young. Some others were wandering the streets out of curiosity.
Near Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran and on Kheradmand Street, the protesters attempted to seize a Basij base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps by setting several cars on fire. The sound of firing with blank bullets was repeatedly heard.
Very inappropriate words and slogans against cultural and human values were also heard from the protesters. These slogans effectively indicate that extremist protesters are seeking to inflame tensions and turn the protest gatherings into violence. This type of protester has no belief in Iranian values, and this causes the gap between the people and the protesters to grow wider and wider.
The riot police forces across Tehran were fewer than expected. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces have not yet entered the scene. The Basij forces also apparently appeared in the streets for the first time, mostly in central Tehran, but their numbers are not large.
The targeted violence in the recent protests is greater than in previous protests. Iran’s security system believes that Mossad, the CIA, and some Gulf state intelligence services are the main supporters of these rioters and street uprisings.
There are also reports of people gathering in the streets in some of Iran’s major cities. Gatherings were held in Mashhad, Shiraz, and several other cities as well. Multiple reports of vandalism, setting public places on fire, and killing police forces and ordinary people are being transmitted.
Reza Pahlavi visits Israel. April 2023. Social media / WANA News Agency
Following this call, internet speed faced a severe slowdown from this afternoon, and during the hours when the gatherings turned violent, the internet was also cut off.
Extensive Activity of Opponents of the Islamic Republic in Cyberspace
According to published data, in the last 24 hours, about 567.6 thousand posts on the subject of the protests were produced, which received about 1.2 billion views and 3.9 million likes.
Reports indicate that calls and posts related to Reza Pahlavi had been viewed a total of 76 million times by 2 p.m. today.
In Sadeghiyeh, Narmak, Naziabad, and Vali Asr Street, crowds of about 50 to 100 people were present. In Naziabad, the slogans were relatively disruptive to the structure (i.e., anti-establishment). In Haft-Hoz Square, the presence of young people and car honking was notable. In this area, an attempt to set fire to a public bus of the company was reported.
According to journalists present at the scene, the number of people present was noticeably less compared to the years 2017, 2019, and 2022. Most of the participants were young, underage, and excited.
Considering the age ratio, the size of the crowds, and the content of the slogans, it seems that many of the people who are protesting economic issues have not entered the streets. The number of gatherings, and even more than that, in an 80-million-person society with democratic demands, is assessed as natural and even below the norm of other countries.
Reza Pahlavi’s Meeting with Tel Aviv Official: The Project to Dismantle Iran
WANA (Jan 08) – Israeli media have published an image of a meeting between Yossi Dagan, the influential head of the Northern West Bank Settlements Council, and Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran. This meeting takes place as security reports indicate an intensification of organized activities by separatist groups along Iran’s […]
