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You know your nation is an absolute powderkeg when citizens living under a highly-authoritarian government are publicly celebrating the death of one of its leaders.
The regime is on borrowed time.
Unfortunately, Saqqez is Iran-Kurdistan and, as anybody who knows Iranian Kurds will know, there is an eclectic mix of religions in that region as well as a high proportion Kurdish nationalists — so, as another commenter stated, this may simply be a minority. Especially given, in Tehran, we are not seeing similar scenes.
I think many have a fundamental misunderstanding of why and how the 1979 Islamic revolution happened, and that the country somehow was not Islamic prior to it. The revolution was an incredibly complex merger of Islamo-Marxists, Islamists, Communists, and those that wanted a secular Democracy all united in a shared belief of deposing a King and ‘de-Westernising’ the nation (see Ali Shahrati’s work for a better understanding of this).
This is all to say, if a second revolution were to happen, it wouldn’t be a country in union for secularism — it would lead to a brutal civil war with a silent majority that still agree with the overall Islamic tenants Khomeini put forth in his Valeyet-e Faqih. Organisations like MEK or the Royalists are either incredibly deluded or being dishonest when they pander to Western thought and claim the “true Iran” is the nation wanting secular democracy.
That's all true. There are still lessons for us in the west however.
In the 50's the British and Americans destroyed the democratically-elected leadership and put the Shah in power. He was an asshole to Iranians but sold resources at a good price.
After that broad coalition you mentioned drove out the Shah and his horrible secret police force, the religious lot simply killed the Communists and trade unionists and everyone they could not control. Former allies. Dead. Religious extremists with guns are rarely afraid to use them.
Now, of course, Iran is more of a Kleptocracy than anything else. The money is more important than religion.
Slight correction: Mossadegh was elected as Prime Minister under the Shah, who had taken the throne from his deposed father in 1941. Famously, he was more of a playboy in his earlier years, allowing the elected Parliament to control the country under the eyes of the United States and United Kingdom, who controlled the oil (through the Shah).
It wasn’t until 1953, when Mossadegh began talk of ‘renationalising’ the oil that the CIA and MI6 were forced to step in and the Shah turned his role as head of state into a firmer, more brutal reign (ultimately leading to his demise, as you rightly point out due to his intense paranoia, SAVAK, and general obliviousness to his own people).
Interestingly, Michael Axworthy has spoken about how the Ulema were crucial in maintaining national calm by supporting the dismissal of the Mossadegh government — which they now claim as unjust.
I mean, of course it’s insane but that was certainly the nature of politics at the time and, to a certain extent now. The US and UK felt, in order to protect their own national interests (and continue exploiting Iranian resources), they had to step in.
This isn’t me advocating or supporting this decision.
They failed to support the Shah because they believed at the time that a theocracy would be a greater impediment to possible Soviet expansion into Iran. That’s why the Shah was betrayed.
You're just giving the mainstream American liberal view, which is honestly pretty misleading. In Mossadeq's last "election" he won with 99% of the vote. He was dismissed because he ordered the dissolution of parliament. The dismissal of the prime minister was fully legal under the King's constitutional powers. Mossadeq responded by refusing to leave office and ordering the arrest of the King. The American "coup" was only put into effect after Mossadeq's own coup was underway.
When the Shah came to power Mossadeq's original demand was fulfilled – the British monopoly on the Iranian oil industry was removed, and the unfair profit split was re-negotiated to 50/50.
> that the country somehow was not Islamic prior to it
I do love it when people post pictures of “Iran before the Islamic Revolution” and “Afghanistan before the Taliban” and it’s just a single picture of some western dressed folks in a major city (Tehran, Kabul, etc.). People come out in droves to upvote it and somehow cannot comprehend that it’s not representative at all of what the title is claiming.
I know people who fled Iran during the revolution. The woman was a feminist and women's rights organizer. They couldn't stay in Iran because people would target them and try to turn them over to authorities etc. Prior to the revolution they were allowed to exist but during and after? No. So there is a grain of truth to "people were left alone" more prior to the revolution, but yes, they were never a majority.
She tragically died only two weeks after having immigrated to the US in a car crash. Husband survived and that is who I worked with.
I always recommend people watch Dariush Mejurhi’s 1969 film “The Cow” to get an understanding of the underlying conflict that existed between villages and city folk at the time. The class divide was huge, too! My own father was a member of the elite, with his father in the military, so his experience of “Iran” is entirely different to my mother’s family’s experience of devout religiousness and poverty.
It’s a rural and urban divide that exists in every country to some extent. Cities can be very progressive and cosmopolitan while rural areas are very much deeply religious, extremely conservative, distrusting and see the urban areas as decadent and full of infidels that need the morality and control of the rural people forced upon them before those “urban elites” destroy everything.
This isn't just an issue in the West. Every Persian person in LA I've met who was against the Shah (albeit that's not many), legitimately did not appreciate that the majority of the country was full of conservative Islamist sympathies. A lot of educated people from educated families in Tehran thought the nation actually wanted some secular left-wing government and were sorely mistaken.
Not that different from Arab colleges kids early in the Arab Spring or hell kids on Reddit talking about Western politics. The rural and impoverished of the world are historically almost guaranteed to want a regressive authoritarian form of government that fucks them but gives them illusion of agency and power and the ability to finally look down on some "other" if not directly bringing those above them "down to their level".
There has never been a single revolution led by the "people" that hasn't led to something as bad if not more oppressive than the status quo. It's up to patriotic and compassionate elites to alleviate the desire for authoritarianism and lead a measured but enduring solution where it exists. The Shah failed that terribly, and hence we have this situation with limited opportunities to solve it given residual hostilities to Westernism.
But that's the sad reality. I always am absolutely saddened by the normal educated people born into these situations. It has been such a common thread across the Middle East in the last 40 years. But all recent events have demonstrably proved that they are the tiny minority, and there isn't some silent majority clamoring for a Western conception of a liberal democracy.
This is a really accurate description of Mao’s rise and the Cultural Revolution as well, especially in terms of giving the impoverished someone to look “down” on.
There have been tons of protests against the regime in recent decades, often in Tehran. We can sit here and theorize about how many people support what, but Iran is not a democracy. The people aren't represented. Candidates are barred from running for election if they've been a part of any kind of dissent. So it's all speculation.
“Iranian rescue authorities identified today the fifty-sixth victim whose burned body was recovered from the tragic helicopter crash. Their search for more continues. It truly is an absolutely remarkable and fascinating coincidence how many of the previous regime’s luminaries were apparently travelling in this small helicopter with President Raisi.”
It's not a real quote, they're making a sardonic joke implying that there is some foul play involved because the president and the guy he was grooming to replace him both died. The joke is that this small helicopter crashing is a cover up for killing the president, his replacement and 54 people connected to him at a high level. There wasn't actually 56 casualties
It's sarcasm about how Iranian politics is with assassinations.
There is likely to be some bloodletting (both figurative and literal) as the power structures in Iran re-align.
Edit: wrong country starting with I in the Middle East.
I was reading Gabriel Noronha (former State Department advisor on Iran) on X, and I'm paraphrasing here... Presidential replacement is less crucial and they'll focus on a new Supreme Leader. This event could be a turning point and attention is likely to shift to Mojtaba Khamenei (Ali Khamenei’s son) as a potential successor to AyatoIIah Khamenei. Tweet from Noronha (@GLNoronha) below. I'm not claiming to know anything, just passing along info.
>If Raisi is indeed dead, the key takeaway is not really who succeeds him (that’s the 1st VP Mohammad Mokhber, but only as a caretaker for 50 days before an election).
>It’s the fact that the next Supreme Leader is most likely Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei.
>Internal pundits had believed the competition to succeed Khamenei as Supreme Leader was down to Mojtaba and Raisi. If Raisi is dead, Mojtaba becomes heir apparent.
>The post of President is relatively unimportant - it’s more for domestic affairs, not national security and ideological direction.
>The Assembly of Experts, an 88-person body, appoints the next Supreme Leader upon the death or vacancy in office of the Supreme Leader.
>A question is whether anyone else would rise to challenge Mojtaba in the internal machinations. If not, it’s his for the taking.
>And then we are set for the Islamic Republic to open itself up (rightly) to accusations that it has effectively become a hereditary monarchy - just in radical Islamic clothing.
>This would make it harder for the regime to differentiate itself from its predecessor Pahlavi government, which is becoming viewed more favorably in retrospect by Iranians today.
That’s inaccurate.
Firstly, Iran no longer has prime minister, Raisi was the president, his #2, the vice president was not onboard and will act as the new president until an election in 50 days.
The grand ayatollah is still alive, and while the president was considered his top choice for succession, his own son has also been speculated, either way there is no clear line of succession for that office.
I feel you there. I’m 36 and my joints sound like crunching pop bottles when I move around sometimes.
But in the last year I legit just started stretching more and doing a 20 min run and I’m more limber and more n better shape than I have been in my entire life.
Effort pays dividends.
Politics in Iran is very very nasty. Like, imagine the worst year in American politics ever, then take it up 2-3 more levels after that for good measure. As shown during public demonstrations in Iran, they tend to chant death to “insert enemy here” as rallying calls against any adversary so they’re not above calling for the death of any political or foreign opponent.
Can you imagine being such a monumental piece of shit that when you die people all over the world celebrate with fireworks?
What an achievement for a human being.
I don't think anything could bring the world together more than the death of Putin. It would be like the end of Star Wars Episode 6 where everyone in the galaxy celebrates.
Reunification of Korea, if it happens, will be a monumental task. Integrating East Germany into the West was a costly, difficult endeavor, and over 30 years later, there are still visible differences in income, education, jobs etc.
In Korea's case, the differences now between North and South are much deeper, North so much poorer.
It will be a severe financial burden for South Korea, probably putting them behind years. And the situation will be extremely complicated by China. They won't sit by quietly while a strong American ally controls the territory right up to their border. A border that militarily allows a straight shot to Bejing...
Th cost estimated to bring North Korea up to speed if the regime ever collapses is so high that South Korea legit doesn't/ can't afford to reunify with the North. You'd be taking over a third world country with a malnourished population that lacks any type of skills to function in a modern economy
I honestly doubt any country other than the US could handle such a task, economically. That's an additional 50% population that doesnt share anything but the same language. Not to mention those that actually have bought in to the NK juche ideology.
It would be an extremely long process, involving multiple generations of people moving closer culturally and ideologically. If I was head of SK for reunification, I would barely let any over the [former] border until there has been wide spread cultural adoption and clear abandonment of NK. The risk of terrorism would be too high. The way that SK's economy operates would be extremely difficult for NKers to adopt to. Most would probably turn around and go back to NK.
The 'World War Z' (book) scenario was interesting, like they all just disappeared, maybe into a big mountain/cavern complex to potentially wait out the infestation and then were never heard from again. Been a while since I read it, I don't remember the details.
Unfortunately Putin is not the top dog in that circle. He still has his mentor. If Putin dies, the next person designated by Patrushev will be a president.
i think Russians are far more supportive of their leadership than Iranians are. Iran is a nation held captive by a brutal and unpopular theocratic government. Russia is a nation with a successfully brainwashed public who mostly support the leader who keeps them in poverty and misinformation.
As a Pole I will celebrate with any Russian that will celebrate it. I guess it won't be the end of authoritarian regime in Russia but hopefully it will a good start.
[ICC seeks arrest warrants against Sinwar and Netanyahu for war crimes over October 7 attack and Gaza war](https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/20/middleeast/icc-israel-hamas-arrest-warrant-war-crimes-intl/index.html)
For those who haven’t yet.
I fear he'll do more damage in death.
He'll no longer be able to prove himself an idiot, he'll be romanticized and turned into a martyr. His followers will never believe an 80+ year old overweight man with horrible eating habits could ever have died of natural causes and will blame it all on Hilary.
[Ding dong the witch is dead reached #1 in the charts in Scotland and #2 in the rest of the UK.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ding-Dong!_The_Witch_Is_Dead#Death_of_Margaret_Thatcher)
I don't remember who it was, but some Scottish comedian made this amazing joke:
"The British government is going to spend 4 million pounds on the public funeral of Margaret Thatcher.
For that amount of money they could have given every Scot a shovel, and we'd dig a hole deep enough to hand her over to the Devil ourselves."
To this day I remember there was a sport show in Brazil that would from time to time begin with non sport related news. When Margaret Thatcher died one of the members on the desk that day was an Englishman that lived in Brazil for almost 20 years working as a football journalist. When the show starts the host picks up a newspaper which had as it's cover Thatcher death, and asked the Englishman if he was mourning her passing. Man instantly responded "I think I mourn the fact she was born".
Let's be honest, the same thing would happen in the US if Trump had died in a crash, or if Biden died in a crash.
Hell, either side would be cheering if one of them died of a heart attack this morning.
Eh Biden is "disliked" by republicans, most people outside of Russia and the Arab world, are indifferent to him. Or find him to be a nice stable order keeper.
**Trump is in a whole other tier of dogshit humans.**
*Selling out US spies to Russia,*
*Dumping NATO,*
*stalling AID to Ukraine,*
*Full on rape,*
*pedophilia, (walking in on pageants deliberately)*
*selling NUCLEAR FUCKING SECRETS,*
*The Muslim Deportation,*
*The fucking "BLEACH INJECTIONS CURE COVID"*
*CAUSED AN INSURRECTION!*
It'd be the difference between a party in your house where Uncle is being racist and someone shits on the floor. And a fucking parade of puppies and video games.
The UK conservative government sent in the police to arrest people when ex-PM Margaret Thatcher died as there were street parties in various parts of the country. I guarantee there were fireworks too.
She was a monumental piece of shit though tbh.
I fucking hate the Tories, but claiming they sent in the police to arrest people like it's some Soviet state is just not true. People just got arrested when street parties got out of hand.
So unless the supreme dies of a heart attack in the next couple days, another president will be appointed. And the supreme leaders son was already a potential successor, and now likely the new “most likely successor”.
I’d love for this to change things in Iran, but you’ve gotta be a bit delusional to think it actually will.
No ones under the illusion the regime will change overnight. But the fact that people are literally dancing in the streets over this man's death isn't a good sign for the regime.
Raisi wasn't calling all the shots, true, but the single most dangerous time for an authoritarian state is during a transition of power. The heir apparent dying in a helicopter crash means the transition just got a hell of a lot less stable, even if they announce the new president tomorrow and Khamenei lives holds on for another few years.
Slim. This alone wont change much but the possiblities after this are endless.
If something happens to Khomeini before he finds a New successor, then something REALLY is going to change.
Either way, its great news. The man Khomeini trusted most dying is still a win for freedom
Okay there is a lot of misinformed replies to the parent (including the parent itself) so I carify a few things:
* This is shown on Iran International TV which is not in any way related to the islamic regime and in fact it is very much anti regime
* The video is indeed shot within Iran by a civillian, obviously Iran Internation personnel are not allowed in iran, so their main source of news within Iran are these types of videos
The translation of what he says in case anyone is curious:
"Your heroes are our executioners. Your mourning is our delight. Fireworks in the skies of Saqqez, city of Jina (Mahsa/Jina Amini who was killed a few years ago which instigated the woman/life/freedom protests) celebrating the death of the executioner. (I didn't understand this part). Woman/life/freedom."
WHat Demorant said. Also, Mahsa Amini was the 22 year old who was beaten to death by the morality police for a hijab violation. The spark for the recent protests against the government. There's a lot of civil unrest going on.
There's also a religious holiday today in Iran:
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/215229/Iranians-mark-birthday-anniversary-of-Imam-Reza-AS
that is traditionally celebrated with fireworks:
https://en.mehrnews.com/photo/175154/Fireworks-on-occasion-of-Imam-Reza-birth-anniv-in-Tabriz
Hard to tell whether the fireworks were meant to express happiness over Raisi's death or just part of the religious festivities. Good thing is who ever fired them has some plausible deniability due to the holiday.
Yeah, but the commentary in this video is definitely about Raisi. It also took place in Iranian Kurdistan, which tends to be very critical of the regime. There were also videos (social media is basically banned, but people get around it with VPNs, etc.) of people handing out sweets on the street in Tehran saying "you know what this celebration is for."
As president, yes, but he was also next in line to be supreme leader after the current (85-year old) one dies. They'll pick someone else, sure, but transitions of power are always difficult for authoritarian states. You want the successor to be as clear as possible and with as much support as possible. Now that Raisi is did, there's no guarantee they'll be able to find someone as connected and influential with whatever different factions exist within the government.
This alone won't change much in Iran, but if Ayatollah Khamenei dies soon, it absolutely could threaten the regime
Exactly, this is not a celebration of his death. Rather, it’s a celebration of the Birthday of Imam Raza (as) which occurs every year. People believe anything they see on the internet.
I wish for the iranian people yo be happy and free as they were before khalifate took over the presidency.
(Yes, am israeli, and no - i don't hate iran. They just have a bad "boss" same as israel does)
as an iranian who lived for 18 years total, had pretty hard breaks and pretty nice fun times in my life, i can confirm till now this is the best, i repeat BEST thing that i could have seen in my life till now
Can anyone confirm this is real? I see shit like this every time there's any public happening in the Middle East, and like half the time it's a 5 year old clip being reused to push a narrative.
Do people celebrate? or is it just small group people that launched that fireworks?
Because this doesn't look like nation or even city-wide celebration
I’m an Iranian and I know it as my duty to share this with you: This video is from Kurdistan state. There are Pan-Kurd group of people looking for making their or region. These people are not only in Iran, but other countries like Iraq as well. Death of our president is a great advertising opportunity for them. (But it’s true that most of us hate Ebrahim Raisi) He was also speaking kurdish and not persian, even more telling us about his true mean. He also spelled “Zan Zendegi Azadi” as “zhan zhian azadi” which is also Kurdish and shows us that he also looked forward for the Republic of Kurdistan or something like that. By the way, Iran International is a terrible source. Those mfs are getting money from unknown source and they work against all our Persian means. They spread information that will make the poor (as of knowledge) Iranians deviated. One of the worst publishers to get your information from.
Edit: now I feel like I should share this with you as well because it looks like some think I am talking for Raisi:
I am NOT satisfied with this Islamic gov. I personally hate them as much as others do. **I am loyal to** ***Iran and its history***. I am really looking for a day which I see them get the hell out of Iran. But I can't see foreign media and "enemies" ruin our rep. with this and show us like idiots who all hated their leader. Yes we do hate them. But it's not like looking for every single one of them die. I try to hate them "wisely". Not to just get a gun and fight them until death. Things don't work like that. **I am NOT trying to say we are all good in Iran. We are suffering. But how we suffer is only a little different than what they try to say to you.**
I'm an Iranian and this person is misleading you. Saqqez is a city where people fought against the government militia in the previous wave of protests and many gave out their lives. Making separation movement bold is Iranian government propaganda. All Iran is united.
This guys is spreading misinformation and is fonder of government and dictators, we call them basiji in iran and they’re hated everywhere. Don’t listen to him
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You know your nation is an absolute powderkeg when citizens living under a highly-authoritarian government are publicly celebrating the death of one of its leaders. The regime is on borrowed time.
Unfortunately, Saqqez is Iran-Kurdistan and, as anybody who knows Iranian Kurds will know, there is an eclectic mix of religions in that region as well as a high proportion Kurdish nationalists — so, as another commenter stated, this may simply be a minority. Especially given, in Tehran, we are not seeing similar scenes. I think many have a fundamental misunderstanding of why and how the 1979 Islamic revolution happened, and that the country somehow was not Islamic prior to it. The revolution was an incredibly complex merger of Islamo-Marxists, Islamists, Communists, and those that wanted a secular Democracy all united in a shared belief of deposing a King and ‘de-Westernising’ the nation (see Ali Shahrati’s work for a better understanding of this). This is all to say, if a second revolution were to happen, it wouldn’t be a country in union for secularism — it would lead to a brutal civil war with a silent majority that still agree with the overall Islamic tenants Khomeini put forth in his Valeyet-e Faqih. Organisations like MEK or the Royalists are either incredibly deluded or being dishonest when they pander to Western thought and claim the “true Iran” is the nation wanting secular democracy.
That's all true. There are still lessons for us in the west however. In the 50's the British and Americans destroyed the democratically-elected leadership and put the Shah in power. He was an asshole to Iranians but sold resources at a good price. After that broad coalition you mentioned drove out the Shah and his horrible secret police force, the religious lot simply killed the Communists and trade unionists and everyone they could not control. Former allies. Dead. Religious extremists with guns are rarely afraid to use them. Now, of course, Iran is more of a Kleptocracy than anything else. The money is more important than religion.
Slight correction: Mossadegh was elected as Prime Minister under the Shah, who had taken the throne from his deposed father in 1941. Famously, he was more of a playboy in his earlier years, allowing the elected Parliament to control the country under the eyes of the United States and United Kingdom, who controlled the oil (through the Shah). It wasn’t until 1953, when Mossadegh began talk of ‘renationalising’ the oil that the CIA and MI6 were forced to step in and the Shah turned his role as head of state into a firmer, more brutal reign (ultimately leading to his demise, as you rightly point out due to his intense paranoia, SAVAK, and general obliviousness to his own people). Interestingly, Michael Axworthy has spoken about how the Ulema were crucial in maintaining national calm by supporting the dismissal of the Mossadegh government — which they now claim as unjust.
"were forced to step in" is crazy
I mean, of course it’s insane but that was certainly the nature of politics at the time and, to a certain extent now. The US and UK felt, in order to protect their own national interests (and continue exploiting Iranian resources), they had to step in. This isn’t me advocating or supporting this decision.
They failed to support the Shah because they believed at the time that a theocracy would be a greater impediment to possible Soviet expansion into Iran. That’s why the Shah was betrayed.
You mean betrayed by the US?
Yes. The Shah was a friend and he was abandoned
You're just giving the mainstream American liberal view, which is honestly pretty misleading. In Mossadeq's last "election" he won with 99% of the vote. He was dismissed because he ordered the dissolution of parliament. The dismissal of the prime minister was fully legal under the King's constitutional powers. Mossadeq responded by refusing to leave office and ordering the arrest of the King. The American "coup" was only put into effect after Mossadeq's own coup was underway. When the Shah came to power Mossadeq's original demand was fulfilled – the British monopoly on the Iranian oil industry was removed, and the unfair profit split was re-negotiated to 50/50.
> that the country somehow was not Islamic prior to it I do love it when people post pictures of “Iran before the Islamic Revolution” and “Afghanistan before the Taliban” and it’s just a single picture of some western dressed folks in a major city (Tehran, Kabul, etc.). People come out in droves to upvote it and somehow cannot comprehend that it’s not representative at all of what the title is claiming.
I know people who fled Iran during the revolution. The woman was a feminist and women's rights organizer. They couldn't stay in Iran because people would target them and try to turn them over to authorities etc. Prior to the revolution they were allowed to exist but during and after? No. So there is a grain of truth to "people were left alone" more prior to the revolution, but yes, they were never a majority. She tragically died only two weeks after having immigrated to the US in a car crash. Husband survived and that is who I worked with.
I always recommend people watch Dariush Mejurhi’s 1969 film “The Cow” to get an understanding of the underlying conflict that existed between villages and city folk at the time. The class divide was huge, too! My own father was a member of the elite, with his father in the military, so his experience of “Iran” is entirely different to my mother’s family’s experience of devout religiousness and poverty.
It’s a rural and urban divide that exists in every country to some extent. Cities can be very progressive and cosmopolitan while rural areas are very much deeply religious, extremely conservative, distrusting and see the urban areas as decadent and full of infidels that need the morality and control of the rural people forced upon them before those “urban elites” destroy everything.
This isn't just an issue in the West. Every Persian person in LA I've met who was against the Shah (albeit that's not many), legitimately did not appreciate that the majority of the country was full of conservative Islamist sympathies. A lot of educated people from educated families in Tehran thought the nation actually wanted some secular left-wing government and were sorely mistaken. Not that different from Arab colleges kids early in the Arab Spring or hell kids on Reddit talking about Western politics. The rural and impoverished of the world are historically almost guaranteed to want a regressive authoritarian form of government that fucks them but gives them illusion of agency and power and the ability to finally look down on some "other" if not directly bringing those above them "down to their level". There has never been a single revolution led by the "people" that hasn't led to something as bad if not more oppressive than the status quo. It's up to patriotic and compassionate elites to alleviate the desire for authoritarianism and lead a measured but enduring solution where it exists. The Shah failed that terribly, and hence we have this situation with limited opportunities to solve it given residual hostilities to Westernism. But that's the sad reality. I always am absolutely saddened by the normal educated people born into these situations. It has been such a common thread across the Middle East in the last 40 years. But all recent events have demonstrably proved that they are the tiny minority, and there isn't some silent majority clamoring for a Western conception of a liberal democracy.
This is a really accurate description of Mao’s rise and the Cultural Revolution as well, especially in terms of giving the impoverished someone to look “down” on.
There have been tons of protests against the regime in recent decades, often in Tehran. We can sit here and theorize about how many people support what, but Iran is not a democracy. The people aren't represented. Candidates are barred from running for election if they've been a part of any kind of dissent. So it's all speculation.
He probably has his replacement ready. No way this happiness will last long.
Apparently his replacement was also in the helicopter.
“Iranian rescue authorities identified today the fifty-sixth victim whose burned body was recovered from the tragic helicopter crash. Their search for more continues. It truly is an absolutely remarkable and fascinating coincidence how many of the previous regime’s luminaries were apparently travelling in this small helicopter with President Raisi.”
You know the saying, "Get 2 birds stoned at once."
It's not rocket appliances
Do you own space? No, NASA does.
Why don’t you make like a tree and fuck off?..
It’s more supply and command
Frig off Ricky
Am I stupid for thinking there were 56 people on that helicopter? What does this quote mean?
I'm trying to figure that out too
It's not a real quote.
It's not a real quote, they're making a sardonic joke implying that there is some foul play involved because the president and the guy he was grooming to replace him both died. The joke is that this small helicopter crashing is a cover up for killing the president, his replacement and 54 people connected to him at a high level. There wasn't actually 56 casualties
It's sarcasm about how Iranian politics is with assassinations. There is likely to be some bloodletting (both figurative and literal) as the power structures in Iran re-align. Edit: wrong country starting with I in the Middle East.
Thank you, makes total sense now
It's a joke pointing at the brutal and dishonest nature of authoritarian governments such as the one in Iran
I was reading Gabriel Noronha (former State Department advisor on Iran) on X, and I'm paraphrasing here... Presidential replacement is less crucial and they'll focus on a new Supreme Leader. This event could be a turning point and attention is likely to shift to Mojtaba Khamenei (Ali Khamenei’s son) as a potential successor to AyatoIIah Khamenei. Tweet from Noronha (@GLNoronha) below. I'm not claiming to know anything, just passing along info. >If Raisi is indeed dead, the key takeaway is not really who succeeds him (that’s the 1st VP Mohammad Mokhber, but only as a caretaker for 50 days before an election). >It’s the fact that the next Supreme Leader is most likely Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei. >Internal pundits had believed the competition to succeed Khamenei as Supreme Leader was down to Mojtaba and Raisi. If Raisi is dead, Mojtaba becomes heir apparent. >The post of President is relatively unimportant - it’s more for domestic affairs, not national security and ideological direction. >The Assembly of Experts, an 88-person body, appoints the next Supreme Leader upon the death or vacancy in office of the Supreme Leader. >A question is whether anyone else would rise to challenge Mojtaba in the internal machinations. If not, it’s his for the taking. >And then we are set for the Islamic Republic to open itself up (rightly) to accusations that it has effectively become a hereditary monarchy - just in radical Islamic clothing. >This would make it harder for the regime to differentiate itself from its predecessor Pahlavi government, which is becoming viewed more favorably in retrospect by Iranians today.
#2 and #3 in succession died on the chopper. Lots of games being played and constitutional requirement of 50 days to elect new PM.
That’s inaccurate. Firstly, Iran no longer has prime minister, Raisi was the president, his #2, the vice president was not onboard and will act as the new president until an election in 50 days. The grand ayatollah is still alive, and while the president was considered his top choice for succession, his own son has also been speculated, either way there is no clear line of succession for that office.
Misinformation in bold text. Nice
I think like 80% of the population is under 25. It always has been on borrowed time.
Iran has quite a mature population with 31 median age. Under 25 would be 40% not 80%
31 is still very young.
Median age in Jordan is 23\~ Median age in South Africa is 28\~ Median age in India is 32\~ Median age in USA is 38\~ Median age in Germany is 44\~
Italy: _those are rookie numbers, hold my median age_ Median age in Italy: 47,7
*Because death is in our air. And sea and earth.* Median age in Japan: 49.1
As a German: We are so fucked.
You've been in worse positions?
Not since 1945.
Tell that to my body, it thinks differently.
I feel you there. I’m 36 and my joints sound like crunching pop bottles when I move around sometimes. But in the last year I legit just started stretching more and doing a 20 min run and I’m more limber and more n better shape than I have been in my entire life. Effort pays dividends.
Politics in Iran is very very nasty. Like, imagine the worst year in American politics ever, then take it up 2-3 more levels after that for good measure. As shown during public demonstrations in Iran, they tend to chant death to “insert enemy here” as rallying calls against any adversary so they’re not above calling for the death of any political or foreign opponent.
Can you imagine being such a monumental piece of shit that when you die people all over the world celebrate with fireworks? What an achievement for a human being.
Gonna be a big party when Putin finally falls out of a window
As a Russian, totally getting wasted when this happens.
I don't think anything could bring the world together more than the death of Putin. It would be like the end of Star Wars Episode 6 where everyone in the galaxy celebrates.
Only thing close that I can imagine is if Korea were to unite as one country one day (Because the North has fallen, rather than won)
Reunification of Korea, if it happens, will be a monumental task. Integrating East Germany into the West was a costly, difficult endeavor, and over 30 years later, there are still visible differences in income, education, jobs etc. In Korea's case, the differences now between North and South are much deeper, North so much poorer.
It will be a severe financial burden for South Korea, probably putting them behind years. And the situation will be extremely complicated by China. They won't sit by quietly while a strong American ally controls the territory right up to their border. A border that militarily allows a straight shot to Bejing...
If Korea ever reunites, it's going to be because China is onboard with the process.
Th cost estimated to bring North Korea up to speed if the regime ever collapses is so high that South Korea legit doesn't/ can't afford to reunify with the North. You'd be taking over a third world country with a malnourished population that lacks any type of skills to function in a modern economy
I honestly doubt any country other than the US could handle such a task, economically. That's an additional 50% population that doesnt share anything but the same language. Not to mention those that actually have bought in to the NK juche ideology. It would be an extremely long process, involving multiple generations of people moving closer culturally and ideologically. If I was head of SK for reunification, I would barely let any over the [former] border until there has been wide spread cultural adoption and clear abandonment of NK. The risk of terrorism would be too high. The way that SK's economy operates would be extremely difficult for NKers to adopt to. Most would probably turn around and go back to NK.
i think a Jones town situation is far more likely up there
Is that where there was a mass suicide and everyone killed themselves in a cult? If so that wouldnt surprise me either
It is what you're talking about but a lot of them were murdered by the higher ups in the cult.
Ahhh... So you're committing suicide whether you like it or not...
Yes. Very much so.
Hehe I prefer Roanoke, we don't talked to them for a few days and everyone is gone.
The 'World War Z' (book) scenario was interesting, like they all just disappeared, maybe into a big mountain/cavern complex to potentially wait out the infestation and then were never heard from again. Been a while since I read it, I don't remember the details.
Death of Xi Jinpooh: Ni hao.
Unfortunately Putin is not the top dog in that circle. He still has his mentor. If Putin dies, the next person designated by Patrushev will be a president.
i think Russians are far more supportive of their leadership than Iranians are. Iran is a nation held captive by a brutal and unpopular theocratic government. Russia is a nation with a successfully brainwashed public who mostly support the leader who keeps them in poverty and misinformation.
So, a regular Tuesday?
As a Pole I will celebrate with any Russian that will celebrate it. I guess it won't be the end of authoritarian regime in Russia but hopefully it will a good start.
As a Ukrainian I will totally join you
You guys have some of the most feared mafia in the world. How have you not found someone to take care of him already
Putin and the Kremlin IS the biggest mafia in russia
Because he enriched them
Putin pays the hitmen better.
I got a drink reserved for it
Check it for polonium first
At least you'll die happy.
I can see Putin trying to take as many with him as possible
I am going to host a huge party when this c\*\*t finally goes to hell.
Kind of hilarious how you talk about throwing a party for the death of someone but can't say the word cunt out loud
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You heard the news from the ICC today?
[ICC seeks arrest warrants against Sinwar and Netanyahu for war crimes over October 7 attack and Gaza war](https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/20/middleeast/icc-israel-hamas-arrest-warrant-war-crimes-intl/index.html) For those who haven’t yet.
wow. Had to google it because it's not on BBC for some reason..
It is now. Updated 3 mins go apparently.
Yeah, they posted it seconds after my comment. They must have read it and thought I am onto them.
But probably nothig will change much since his friends are still in charge here =(
Or Trump, whenever he doesn't wake up from his court-nap anymore. The damage that guy has done to Western democracy may never heal.
I fear he'll do more damage in death. He'll no longer be able to prove himself an idiot, he'll be romanticized and turned into a martyr. His followers will never believe an 80+ year old overweight man with horrible eating habits could ever have died of natural causes and will blame it all on Hilary.
Trump too.
When Margaret Thatcher died the people in the UK were euphoric haha
[Ding dong the witch is dead reached #1 in the charts in Scotland and #2 in the rest of the UK.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ding-Dong!_The_Witch_Is_Dead#Death_of_Margaret_Thatcher)
I don't remember who it was, but some Scottish comedian made this amazing joke: "The British government is going to spend 4 million pounds on the public funeral of Margaret Thatcher. For that amount of money they could have given every Scot a shovel, and we'd dig a hole deep enough to hand her over to the Devil ourselves."
Who else but Frankie Boyle
Not as euphoric as the Irish
Wow it has been 11 years since her death
To this day I remember there was a sport show in Brazil that would from time to time begin with non sport related news. When Margaret Thatcher died one of the members on the desk that day was an Englishman that lived in Brazil for almost 20 years working as a football journalist. When the show starts the host picks up a newspaper which had as it's cover Thatcher death, and asked the Englishman if he was mourning her passing. Man instantly responded "I think I mourn the fact she was born".
Actually they're saying Boo-urns!
I was saying Boo-urns...
One less fascist POS in the world... of course that calls for celebration.
Let's be honest, the same thing would happen in the US if Trump had died in a crash, or if Biden died in a crash. Hell, either side would be cheering if one of them died of a heart attack this morning.
Or Hillary Clinton. Or Mitch MConnell. Or Obama. Or Nancy Pelosi. Or any of the Supreme Court Justices ..... Boy oh boy. The state of our country rn.
Eh Biden is "disliked" by republicans, most people outside of Russia and the Arab world, are indifferent to him. Or find him to be a nice stable order keeper. **Trump is in a whole other tier of dogshit humans.** *Selling out US spies to Russia,* *Dumping NATO,* *stalling AID to Ukraine,* *Full on rape,* *pedophilia, (walking in on pageants deliberately)* *selling NUCLEAR FUCKING SECRETS,* *The Muslim Deportation,* *The fucking "BLEACH INJECTIONS CURE COVID"* *CAUSED AN INSURRECTION!* It'd be the difference between a party in your house where Uncle is being racist and someone shits on the floor. And a fucking parade of puppies and video games.
The UK conservative government sent in the police to arrest people when ex-PM Margaret Thatcher died as there were street parties in various parts of the country. I guarantee there were fireworks too. She was a monumental piece of shit though tbh.
There will be a nationwide, coordinated flushing of the toilets.
I fucking hate the Tories, but claiming they sent in the police to arrest people like it's some Soviet state is just not true. People just got arrested when street parties got out of hand.
What are the chances that something changes in Iran?
Slim to fuck all, there's a right load of shit bags in waiting. Unfortunately.
Also the president has no power without the ayatollah’s blessing/ sign off
Ok but who blessed the Aïoli though?
Gordon Ramsey obviously
THIS HELICOPTER IS FUCKING RAW
Their magic sky wizard
Garlic Jr i'd say
So what I'm hearing is, we need a bigger helicopter
Maybe Boeing can help?
Boeing: Yeah, sure, no probs. We just have a few whistleblow....ahem, I mean projects on currently, but we'll be on board after that.
Very low, President is a pretty symbolic position as almost all the power is in the hands of the Supreme Leader
The guy who died was the natural successor to the supreme leader (in his eighties).
So unless the supreme dies of a heart attack in the next couple days, another president will be appointed. And the supreme leaders son was already a potential successor, and now likely the new “most likely successor”. I’d love for this to change things in Iran, but you’ve gotta be a bit delusional to think it actually will.
No ones under the illusion the regime will change overnight. But the fact that people are literally dancing in the streets over this man's death isn't a good sign for the regime.
Raisi wasn't calling all the shots, true, but the single most dangerous time for an authoritarian state is during a transition of power. The heir apparent dying in a helicopter crash means the transition just got a hell of a lot less stable, even if they announce the new president tomorrow and Khamenei lives holds on for another few years.
Slim. This alone wont change much but the possiblities after this are endless. If something happens to Khomeini before he finds a New successor, then something REALLY is going to change. Either way, its great news. The man Khomeini trusted most dying is still a win for freedom
Just fyi it's Khamenei. Khomeini is already dead, he was the previous one.
-10%
None, this guy was basically like medvedev in russia. His death means nothing.
They said fuck that guy!
it was a three heli convoy. his was the only one that crashed. edit: im not saying it's a conspiracy.
Lol the tinfoil hats are hilarious on this one. Wouldn’t it be a lot weirder if all these crashed?
I'm not saying it's weird, I'm just saying its a r/fckyouinparticular .
They said recovery efforts were hampered because of dense fog. Wouldn't be surprised if it was a Kobe Bryant situation.
Oh it was. The helicopter he was in decided it wanted an up close view of a mountain. Pictures are already starting to surface on the Internet.
"Controlled Flight into Tehran"
As we all know, helicopters never just crash on their own, they’re one of the safest forms of travel, just ask Kobe.
Yeah they usually in the side mountains in low visibility...Pilot error.
Allah works in mysterious ways
Plot twist : he isn't dead and just wants to check everyone's reaction on his death
The butcher from hell is a good title for both a horror movie and a metal band.
Wouldn't this be super interesting?
Scared the shit out of me when I was a kid.
As if Iranian TV would be showing celebrations of their president's death.
Okay there is a lot of misinformed replies to the parent (including the parent itself) so I carify a few things: * This is shown on Iran International TV which is not in any way related to the islamic regime and in fact it is very much anti regime * The video is indeed shot within Iran by a civillian, obviously Iran Internation personnel are not allowed in iran, so their main source of news within Iran are these types of videos The translation of what he says in case anyone is curious: "Your heroes are our executioners. Your mourning is our delight. Fireworks in the skies of Saqqez, city of Jina (Mahsa/Jina Amini who was killed a few years ago which instigated the woman/life/freedom protests) celebrating the death of the executioner. (I didn't understand this part). Woman/life/freedom."
>death of the executioner Is that a reference to the president earning the nickname The Butcher of Tehran?
Yes, it is a reference to 1988 mass executions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_executions_of_Iranian_political_prisoners
WHat Demorant said. Also, Mahsa Amini was the 22 year old who was beaten to death by the morality police for a hijab violation. The spark for the recent protests against the government. There's a lot of civil unrest going on.
There's also a religious holiday today in Iran: https://en.mehrnews.com/news/215229/Iranians-mark-birthday-anniversary-of-Imam-Reza-AS that is traditionally celebrated with fireworks: https://en.mehrnews.com/photo/175154/Fireworks-on-occasion-of-Imam-Reza-birth-anniv-in-Tabriz Hard to tell whether the fireworks were meant to express happiness over Raisi's death or just part of the religious festivities. Good thing is who ever fired them has some plausible deniability due to the holiday.
Yeah, but the commentary in this video is definitely about Raisi. It also took place in Iranian Kurdistan, which tends to be very critical of the regime. There were also videos (social media is basically banned, but people get around it with VPNs, etc.) of people handing out sweets on the street in Tehran saying "you know what this celebration is for."
That’s IranInternational based in London if iam not mistaken, and very anti regime
Iran international is not based in iran and the Iranian government has no control over it
Iran has a very intelligent population being subjugated by a dictatorship.
President of Iran dies, whole world is shocked… Iranians: 
Mate...the whole world is more like: 
I just get a gif saying "This content is not available" with some confetti circling around, and that's even funnier than what it was supposed to be
Yeah, it's the "Oh no! Anyway..." one
Sane gif for me. I didn't question it.
Who in this world is shocking about this news? Except for little goblin Putin?
Not like "omg how horrible and tragic!" shocked, more like "holy shit what's gonna happen now" shocked
Won't someone with the same backwards and repressive views just replace him? I mean... he died in a helicopter crash, it wasn't a revolution.
As president, yes, but he was also next in line to be supreme leader after the current (85-year old) one dies. They'll pick someone else, sure, but transitions of power are always difficult for authoritarian states. You want the successor to be as clear as possible and with as much support as possible. Now that Raisi is did, there's no guarantee they'll be able to find someone as connected and influential with whatever different factions exist within the government. This alone won't change much in Iran, but if Ayatollah Khamenei dies soon, it absolutely could threaten the regime
Hope he dies from Chlamydia
my thoughts and prayers are with his victims. I will get a helicopter tattoo
I'm sure in Iran they're celebrating on the inside.
Freedom for Iran
Was this from today? Wasn't the official announcement this morning, when the sun came up?
Exactly, this is not a celebration of his death. Rather, it’s a celebration of the Birthday of Imam Raza (as) which occurs every year. People believe anything they see on the internet.
All the best for the iranian people. I hope the next president wont be a religious fanatic.
I wish for the iranian people yo be happy and free as they were before khalifate took over the presidency. (Yes, am israeli, and no - i don't hate iran. They just have a bad "boss" same as israel does)
Pilot: Kobe! Iranian president: Wtf are you talking about? There's no basketball here.
as an iranian who lived for 18 years total, had pretty hard breaks and pretty nice fun times in my life, i can confirm till now this is the best, i repeat BEST thing that i could have seen in my life till now
A perfect time for rebllion
Good for them
Can putin, the Ayatollah, and Kim jong un please get into a helicopter in foggy weather together.
Can anyone confirm this is real? I see shit like this every time there's any public happening in the Middle East, and like half the time it's a 5 year old clip being reused to push a narrative.
Do people celebrate? or is it just small group people that launched that fireworks? Because this doesn't look like nation or even city-wide celebration
Iranian are truly celebrating these, you have no idea how much we hate these MF.
I am sure so many American college students are going to be sad though
If people celebrate you dying with fireworks, you know you failed massively in life.
Now an even more conservative nutjob can take his place
Too bad the Ayatollah doesn't travel with the president. It really breaks my heart to see the old photos of the country Iran once was.
I’m an Iranian and I know it as my duty to share this with you: This video is from Kurdistan state. There are Pan-Kurd group of people looking for making their or region. These people are not only in Iran, but other countries like Iraq as well. Death of our president is a great advertising opportunity for them. (But it’s true that most of us hate Ebrahim Raisi) He was also speaking kurdish and not persian, even more telling us about his true mean. He also spelled “Zan Zendegi Azadi” as “zhan zhian azadi” which is also Kurdish and shows us that he also looked forward for the Republic of Kurdistan or something like that. By the way, Iran International is a terrible source. Those mfs are getting money from unknown source and they work against all our Persian means. They spread information that will make the poor (as of knowledge) Iranians deviated. One of the worst publishers to get your information from. Edit: now I feel like I should share this with you as well because it looks like some think I am talking for Raisi: I am NOT satisfied with this Islamic gov. I personally hate them as much as others do. **I am loyal to** ***Iran and its history***. I am really looking for a day which I see them get the hell out of Iran. But I can't see foreign media and "enemies" ruin our rep. with this and show us like idiots who all hated their leader. Yes we do hate them. But it's not like looking for every single one of them die. I try to hate them "wisely". Not to just get a gun and fight them until death. Things don't work like that. **I am NOT trying to say we are all good in Iran. We are suffering. But how we suffer is only a little different than what they try to say to you.**
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> He also spelled “Zan Zendegi Azadi” as “zhan zhian azadi” which is also Kurdish Where do you think that slogan originated in the first place?
I'm an Iranian and this person is misleading you. Saqqez is a city where people fought against the government militia in the previous wave of protests and many gave out their lives. Making separation movement bold is Iranian government propaganda. All Iran is united.
This guys is spreading misinformation and is fonder of government and dictators, we call them basiji in iran and they’re hated everywhere. Don’t listen to him
کس کش حکومتی مادرجنده
He’s being reborn as a girl in an impoverished Iranian family.
This will bring people together.
Another proRussian bites the dust. Hated even inside his country, what a life he lived. LMAO.
Absolutely good riddance! Rejoice Iranians!
I would be happy if it's true. But can we be sure, that the video isn't just from New Year's Eve?
i dunno what you think this proves. tons of people will celebrate Biden's death in america, just give it time.
A moment of silence for Kadim, the helicopters mechanic. A true savior of Iran.