Public support for the latest protests in Iran is unusually high and widespread. Demonstrations are underway in cities large and small, neighbourhoods rich and poor.
Reformers have tried to modernise Iran for decades but have failed mainly due to the country’s powerful theocracy. And then there are those who want to overthrow the regime altogether.
The Iranian government reacted to a nationwide truck drivers’ strike with unprecedented restraint, apparently fearful a crackdown might provoke a Trump intervention.
A mummy unearthed during construction in Iran may be the body of a former shah. For the Islamic regime, the discovery is an unwelcome reminder of Iran’s secular past. For protesters, it holds promise.
Although the unrest that shocked Iran’s ruling elite appears to be over, there are several reasons to think this won’t be the last time disaffected citizens take to the streets.