The Cipher Brief spoke with former DNI Iran Mission Manager and Cipher Brief expert Norman Roule about the worst demonstrations in Iran since 2009. The interview is adapted for print below. This time, the rising prices and allegations of corruption seem to be driving the chaos.
With little warning, crowds estimated in the few thousands have appeared in about a dozen major cities throughout the country….The geography is what I find most interesting. You have demonstrations in the west, in Kermanshah and Ahvaz; in the south in Shiraz; in the northeast, in Mashhad, where there were reports of 52 arrests [on Friday]. You also have them in other cities, to include Qom and Qazvin.
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