“Clashes that broke out in Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashhad and more than two dozen other cities across Iran Monday were a fresh reminder to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the reformists are still alive and kicking.

The murderous brutality of the Basij paramilitary forces and the Revolutionary Guard, which resulted in the deaths of dozens, if not hundreds, stalled the June 2009 uprising. The Obama administration pulled back support for the Green Movement out of a misconceived calculation that this would help diplomatic attempts to “engage” and convince the regime to abandon its nuclear program.

But the discontent that was hugely exacerbated by the blatantly rigged presidential elections continued to burn.”

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