So today was apparently International Women’s Day. Did you catch anyone on the network news mentioning the women of Iran – and their fight for freedom of choice to wear or not wear the hijab? No. In fact, the mainstreams seem to have lost all interest in the Iranian protests.
 
But it’s not because the demonstrations have ended; they now include large swaths of the working class ~ Iran: Continued Nationwide Strikes and Protests; workers in agricultural, equipment, transportation and engineering sectors are all protesting the failing economy.
 
 
This latest popular uprising, which began last December, is clear evidence that the billions Obama gave the Islamic regime in his one-sided nuclear deal, never managed to trickle down and improve the life of the average Iranian. Rather, as Ken Blackwell wrote several weeks ago ~

(T)he mullahs used the political and economic benefits of the deal for further human rights abuses and intensify their war efforts in the region. But these interventions have only made the regime more fragile.
 
The uprising was a revolt for freedom, popular sovereignty, social justice, and prosperity. It showed that Iranian society is in an explosive state, simmering with discontent. It showed that the regime is much weaker than perceived.

 
Plainly, as Helen Raleigh at The Federalist asserted back in January, the Iranian People Deserve a Better Life. Unlike Saudi Arabia, Iran hasn’t been an Islamic theocracy for centuries. Until 1979 they were much more Westernized ~

Iran’s former self, the Persian Empire, produced great culture. Its art, literature, and language have influenced the rest of the world. Some English words we use today, such as “pajama” and “paradise,” derive from Persian. Poems by great Persian poets such as Hafiz and Sadi enchanted Ralph Waldo Emerson and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
 
Even prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution that ushered in today’s oppressive regime, the Iranian people lived a much freer life. There is ample evidence that the theocratic Iranian state since the 1979 revolution has failed to make the Iranian people’s life better.

 
Especially women’s lives. Since 1979 all women and girls over the age of 9 have been required to wear a hijab (head covering) in public ~

For any woman to remove her hijab in the public square is a crime and puts her at risk of incarceration in some of Iran’s most notorious prisons […]
 
Amnesty International reports that dozens of Iranian women are currently at risk of long jail terms for protesting compulsory hijabs. At least 35 have been arrested in Tehran alone, with several reportedly subjected to torture while in prison.
 
In an official statement, the Iranian police warned women that if they continue removing their hijabs in protest, they would be charged with inciting corruption and prostitution—a crime that carries a hefty jail sentence.

Source: Daily Signal

 
 
Aynaz “Anni” Cyrus is a frequent contributor to the Glazov Gang, and a tireless advocate for women’s rights in her native Iran. She recently spoke with Jamie Glazov about the Freedom-From-Hijab Movement ~
 

 
 
 
 
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The Iranian regime is in clear and flagrant violation of human rights. Earlier this year there was some tough talk from Nikki Haley at the U.N.. And President Trump condemned the arrest of protesters via Twitter ~

“Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching!”

 
Yet further action can and should be taken. As Ivan Sascha Sheehan wrote (Fox News) in late December, we can certainly apply economic sanctions ~

The United States should next impose crippling economic sanctions targeting key institutions that act as a lifeline for the Iranian regime, in particular the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. The U.S. should also make it clear that Iran will face serious consequences if protesters are suppressed violently.

Further,

As a political gesture, the Trump administration should also formally recognize the Iranian people’s right to regime change and the legitimacy of the organized resistance that is pursuing this goal.

[I would guess this means some type of official declaration (not just Twitter ).]
 
Sheehan continued ~

The demonstrations have proven beyond doubt that the welfare of Iranians was never going to improve after the 2015 agreement that lifted worldwide economic sanctions against Iran in return for actions designed to halt the nation’s development of nuclear weapons.
 
Thanks to the lifting of those sanctions, Iranian companies linked to the government and the Revolutionary Guards are reaping the rewards of reopened international trade. But the Iranian people face increasingly dire economic circumstances, prompting the demonstrations and sharp criticism of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Through their ongoing protests the people of Iran are telling the world that they see regime change as the only way forward. The United States needs to support their efforts it every way we can short of military intervention.

 
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Related:
Iranian “Justice”
Women in Iran Are Standing Up to Oppressive Policies
Iranian Women To U.S.: Our Protest Isn’t About The Hijab. It Is About Freedom ~

“We are fighting for freedom to choose to wear or not wear hijab. Our fight is against compulsion. Our fight is for freedom of choice.”

Security Forces Brutally Raid Women’s IWD Gathering in Tehran ~ How Iran celebrates International Women’s Day

Iranians aren’t just protesting… many are converting to Christianity

Iran’s Martyrs and the Left’s Malicious Silence ~ Another enlightening video from the Glazov Gang

Iranian Regime’s Abuse of Human Rights Must Be Addressed
More evidence of Obama’s Iranian treachery ~ Even before Obama gave them millions, the Iranian regime was illicitly ferrying militants into Syria on commercial aircraft – and Obama and his henchmen knew it!