However, before long the same reputable figures began displaying reluctance toward the opposition, hinting that the demonstrations exceeded their purposes and assumed completely different dimensions.While the demonstrations continued, within days, the only major forces left on the stage were the People's Mujahedin, militant leftists who believe they were deceived during the Islamic revolution and paramilitary forces cooperating with Western intelligence units.
Certainly they were not the only figures involved. There was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the power behind this dark and skinny Iranian man, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. Together, the two leaders were backed by the destitute citizens in southern Tehran and conservative masses living in Iran's other small rural cities and towns.
Mousavi is a sincere and honest man. One of his disadvantages was conducting a “color-coded” election campaign that recalled the “color revolutions” that took place in the Balkans, the Turkic republics and the Caucasus that aimed at changing the regime. His chances of winning completely dropped after Western media added fuel to the flames. But Mousavi's biggest disadvantage was having the support of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a situation that revealed the conflict in Iran was a struggle between classes and different communities.
The words of a female protestor in Tehran that were relayed by Taraf daily reporter Tuğba Tekerek, who went to Iran to observe the events from an Orientalist perspective, were very meaningful. “Yes there are sticks and things like plastic cables. They cause a lot of pain when you use them. Guns shouldn't be used, but most have guns. If you look carefully, you'll see that their shirts are not tucked in their pants, and their stomachs are bloated. They say they gather these people from poor neighborhoods, feed them at night and then send them to attack us in the day,” the protestor said. (Taraf, June 23)
These words are a manifestation of a deep hatred caused by fear that the elite Iranians' money and prosperity will be lost to the average Iranian.
It has become clear once again that the group that the Western media identifies as “reformist” does not have the potential to carry out a counter-revolution in Iran. Obviously, this does not mean that Ahmedinejad's system is perfect. Every rational person knows that there are some reforms that Iran must initiate. It is the same situation for Turkey. People in both countries oppose reforms for the same purposes. The main argument is that reforms will allow Western power to weaken the country.
What is the West's role in Iran? The answer to this question rests in the answer to the question of why reforms weren't implemented in Iran at the proper time. Even before the Islamic revolution marked its first year, Iran was attacked by Saddam Hussein and was at war for eight years. There is no doubt that the West instigated the Iran-Iraq war, which killed around 1 million people and cost billions of dollars. Iran is back on the West's list of targets because of its current nuclear program. Fear is being incited in neighboring countries and Arab countries by emphasizing Iran's nuclear power and Shiite structure, but this method is not as effective as before. “Iran does not pose a nuclear threat to the Arab world, Israel does,” said Arab League Secretary-General Amr Musa in May.
The global Muslim world is aware of this, leaving no other choice for certain powers but to end the regime in Iran. It is for this reason that the protests that started after the election created suspicion among the people. Ultimately reports were released that the CIA was somehow involved in the latest demonstrations. “There are claims that the counter-revolution goes back as far as 2006. We haven't forgotten that [former US president George W.] Bush reserved $400 million to overthrow the regime in Iran. Jillian Burns, who was sent to Dubai as the State Department's director of the Iran monitoring post, was allegedly the person behind the job. The events were financed by Dubai, and the network that connected Iranians with the US was established here.” (Yeni Şafak, June 27)
But since that didn't work out, now there is talk about Israel attacking Iran. “Peace-extending” Obama's vice president, Joe Biden, said the US would not stand in the way if Israel chose to attack Iran.
