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Iran Protests Are Proving a Durable Challenge to the Islamic Republic
(Wall Street Journal) Sune Engel Rasmussen - The antigovernment protest movement in Iran has proved more durable than previous challenges to Tehran's leaders. Students across the country rallied outside universities on Sunday, chanting slogans including "death to the dictator," and schoolgirls marched in the streets of Tehran waving their veils in the air. Stores stayed closed as part of a widening strike of shopkeepers. Meanwhile, images of pro-government toughs using force against unveiled schoolgirls is amplifying public anger. The latest protests have unprecedented support from Iranians across class, gender and age, and come after years of economic hardship that has driven millions of Iranians into desperation. According to a poll in March by Gamaan, based in the Netherlands, of 17,000 respondents living in Iran, 18% of Iranians want to preserve the values and ideals of the Islamic Revolution. A 2020 study by the group found 72% of Iranians opposed mandatory veiling. Previous protests mostly called for reforms within the existing system. Now, Iranians are calling for a wholesale overthrow of the Islamic Republic.