The situation in Iran is continuing to develop, though with the crackdown on reporting from there—the BBC’s correspondent has just been told to leave—it is hard to know quite what is going on. The New York Times’ story, written by journalists outside the country but based on information from inside Iran, gives a good senses of where things are at. State TV is saying that 13 people died in Saturday’s clashes and that five members of Rafsanjani’s family have been arrested, he is thought to be leading efforts to replace the Supreme Leader. The NYT also reports that the demonstrators are considering switching tactics and calling for a general strike.
Over at the New Yorker, Laura Secor looks at what might be the key to how this all ends:
“The purpose of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij is the defense of the Islamic Revolution and the Supreme Leader.
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