 Why Iran’s Mullahs Are Running Out of Options Iran has been plagued by economic turmoil and popular unrest in recent years as international sanctions stiffened and citizens bucked against the regime’s grip on civil life. The death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, after her arrest for wearing an improper hijab, spawned a countrywide protest movement. Instead of reforming, the clerical dictatorship responded by ratcheting up repression as the economy continued to crater. Last December, widescale protests again broke out. This time, the regime’s crackdown spiraled into massacres that claimed the lives of thousands, including children. Following is a selection of the Journal of Democracy’s Iran coverage — the January killings, the political lay of the land, and the Woman Life Freedom movement inspired by Mahsa Amini’s death at the hand of a brutal regime. |
| Iran’s Massacres Will Haunt the Regime Iran’s hardline government responded to nationwide protests with horrific violence, killing thousands of Iranians in a matter of days. There is nothing the regime can offer its people to regain their support. Ehsan Habibpour and Sharan Grewal |
