Reformist Politician: “Dampening of Protests Does Not Mean Decreased Dissatisfaction”

While the Islamic Republic appears to have effectively suppressed protests in Iran, the regime should not be complacent, warned Mohsen Mir-Damadi, who participated in taking hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 but has since become a reformist politician. Mir-Damadi’s political metamorphosis from radical revolutionary to reformist took more than four decades, but, with respect to discontent in Iran, time is a luxury the Islamic Republic cannot afford. 

• December 5: Mir-Damadi, interviewed by reformist Etemad daily, said: “We are facing public dissatisfaction accumulated over a very long time. The regime ignored warnings from all those who care about it, experts, university professors, and the like, and everything exploded … In particular, by frustrating the people’s hope for change through the ballot box, we reached the current situation.” Mir-Damadi further warned: “Lessening of protest gatherings does not mean decreased protests and dissatisfaction. Protests are hidden under the skin of events, but their occurrence follows ebbs and flows. If the government is wise, it should welcome overt protests, which bring it out of ignorance and help it identify the causes and roots of the protests … The regime should take advantage of the protests to address the causes of popular discontent.” Turning to the time factor, and promises made by Iranian officials, Mir-Damadi said: “The passing of time and the fast pace of events make everything more complicated and further radicalize the society. Solutions, which may have worked two months ago, are useless for solving today’s problems … Opaque promises do not solve the problems. You look at the president’s promises during the last presidential election. How many of those have been delivered?” 

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