BICOM

The US requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss “the troubling and dangerous situation” in Iran, the US Mission to the UN announced last night. The  meeting will take place on this afternoon (5 January).

In the past week at least 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested in anti-government protests and unrest, which were sparked by economic grievances. Thousands of people took part in pro-government rallies across 10 cities on Wednesday and Thursday with crowds marching in support of the Rouhani government.

In a statement yesterday, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said: “Tomorrow the UN Security Council will discuss the troubling and dangerous situation in Iran. The world has witnessed the horrors that have taken place in Syria… that began with a murderous regime denying its people’s right to peacefully protest. We must not let that happen in Iran.”

The Haley continued: “This is a matter of fundamental human rights for the Iranian people, but it is also a matter of international peace and security. It will be telling if any country tries to deny the Security Council from even having this discussion, just as the Iranian regime tries to deny its own people the ability to have their voices heard.”

Other UN Security Council members are divided in their views of the protests and could call a vote on whether to address the topic. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US against “any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs” of Iran.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May called on Iran to facilitate a “meaningful debate about the legitimate and important issues that the protesters are raising”.

In a BICOM briefing yesterday, Dr Raz Zimmt, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) said that the demonstrations are another indication of two main problems facing Iran: the economic crisis and the growing gap between the regime and society, especially the younger generation.

Zimmt emphasised the significance of the demographic and geographic scope of the protests, adding that rather than being led by the Iranian middle class, they are being advanced by the working class, which are considered to be more supportive of the regime.