Gaeilge said:

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Theres rumors of his death

Iranians setting fire to a mosque

Islamophobic ? https://t.co/4wsUvZwGZD

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) January 9, 2026

bonfarr said:

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Gaeilge said:

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Persian women.

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Username checking out!

FlyRod said:

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I knew Reza Shah personally from a former life in DC. As bad as things are in Iran (and I keep my contacts there close), very few people want that man back. Not a statement about the monarchy, but him specifically.

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Yeah…they obviously don't like the guy!

Iranian anti-regime protesters have taken over large parts of the city of Yazd tonight.

They can be heard chanting:

“Long Live the Shah” pic.twitter.com/RQ2nXaagAS

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 10, 2026

Dave Robicheaux said:

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boulderaggie said:

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Dave Robicheaux said:

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Videos are insane. Millions of people in the streets. Top regime leaders are seeking asylum.


Elon has set up starlink in Iran. There is a crazy video of 40-50 satellites in a straight line

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And barely a pep from the mainstream media.

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It's really crazy. These people are risking their lives.

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Reports coming out of at least some instances of troops firing on protestors today. Many dead is the current rumors.

Quote:

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there is no controlling that place as an outsider unless you are Alexander the Great or something.

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Been a long time since I studied it, but I believe Machiavelli pointed to Alexander as an example of how they could only be ruled in a manner to which they were accustomed. Such as setting up satraps to maintain regional control.

As you suggested at the top of your post.

AlaskanAg99 said:

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Just like Ukraine is begging the US to step in.

The answer is absolutely not. Figure it out in your own blood.

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The Ukraine is just Russia. Ukrainians are just Russians with an arbitrary border. Same people. Same histories. Same cultural ties. Same religion.

Iran is Persia. Persia is different. Persia is not Arab. Persia should not be Islamic

You may feel different but I don't want to spend money in Ukraine and kill Christian's

Gaeilge said:

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FlyRod said:

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I knew Reza Shah personally from a former life in DC. As bad as things are in Iran (and I keep my contacts there close), very few people want that man back. Not a statement about the monarchy, but him specifically.

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Yeah…they obviously don't like the guy!

Iranian anti-regime protesters have taken over large parts of the city of Yazd tonight.

They can be heard chanting:

“Long Live the Shah” pic.twitter.com/RQ2nXaagAS

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 10, 2026

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You are all free to form your own conclusions, but as someone who spent years working the Iran problem, the Shah's son is not a good candidate for future ruler of Iran.

First of all, homeboy has been in exile for 50 years and no longer knows **** about Iran and the problems facing it.

Second, he's a grifter that has loved his whole life off the money he and his mom grabbed on their way out.

Finally, his dad led an unpopular brutal and repressive regime. This isn't Iranians actually hoping to restore the Pahlavi family, they just need something to chant as they riot and protest.

I agree. Some are shouting his name but as a symbol only. They don't know anything about how he could make their lives better. If he somehow returns and takes power they will turn on him quickly

infinity ag said:

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aggie93 said:

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infinity ag said:

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Gaeilge said:

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infinity ag said:

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Iranians are different from Afghans. I think it is possible to get them on our side as an ally.

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Iranians are already our ally. It's the mullahs that are the problem.

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I agree, but Islam is a heady drug. We won't be able to get rid of all the mullahs, just the ruling mullahs. There will always be some mullahs around and they will try to radicalize the youth and the cycle repeats. It is the nature of Islam.

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Iran is a very complex country and inevitably we don't want anything to do with trying to conquer it. Need to be very careful but we can do a lot behind the scenes and let the Israelis loose.

Iran will never be a traditional democracy, it can only be ruled by a strong ruler. No other way to keep all the factions in line, the country is incredibly diverse in both the type of people that live there and the levels of education and prosperity. I know a LOT of Iranian PhD's and MD's that are here in the US and very Americanized. You also have some folks in Iran that are basically living in the 12th Century. Most people think about how Iran sits in the Middle East but it also touches Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan and then Turkey. Most Americans have little understanding of Iran, for instance "Iran" actually means "Land of the Aryans" which most people think of in reference to Germany. It's a very unique culture.

That said there is no reason Iran cannot be our ally again just as they were under the Shah. Persians are very different than Arabs as well and should never be mistaken for each other. Change has to come from within though, there is no controlling that place as an outsider unless you are Alexander the Great or something.

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The Iranians are a very smart group of people from my experience. Proud of their civilization also. But they are confused, are they Persians or are they Muslims? Once the confusion is removed, they can be a democracy again. If they continue to identify as Muslims, then as you say, real democracy won't be possible and they will need a strongman to control them.

I do feel they want to come into the 21st century and join with the rest of the world and be part of it. Not secluded as an Islamic ghetto.

So yes, it is complex.

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The Iranians that are the issue are not the ones you will ever know unless you have spent a lot of time in Iran. The ones that leave are generally pretty awesome, one of my best friends is one. His mother escaped after the Revolution and they had a death sentence against their family for a decade and he had to live under an assumed name. He can't return safely even though he left as a child even to this day. I know many others that are very Americanized and most aren't Muslim.

The thing is Iran is a big and complex place with 90 million people and it is the size of Alaska. About 70% of the people live in urban areas but much of that is new. Tehran is very different than Tabriz for instance. It's very different than most Muslim countries and that isn't even accounting for the fact it is primarily Shia instead of Sunni like most everyone else.

AggieEP said:

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Gaeilge said:

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FlyRod said:

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I knew Reza Shah personally from a former life in DC. As bad as things are in Iran (and I keep my contacts there close), very few people want that man back. Not a statement about the monarchy, but him specifically.

---

Yeah…they obviously don't like the guy!

Iranian anti-regime protesters have taken over large parts of the city of Yazd tonight.

They can be heard chanting:

“Long Live the Shah” pic.twitter.com/RQ2nXaagAS

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 10, 2026

---

You are all free to form your own conclusions, but as someone who spent years working the Iran problem, the Shah's son is not a good candidate for future ruler of Iran.

First of all, homeboy has been in exile for 50 years and no longer knows **** about Iran and the problems facing it.

Second, he's a grifter that has loved his whole life off the money he and his mom grabbed on their way out.

Finally, his dad led an unpopular brutal and repressive regime. This isn't Iranians actually hoping to restore the Pahlavi family, they just need something to chant as they riot and protest.

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so…

bonfarr said:

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I agree. Some are shouting his name but as a symbol only. They don't know anything about how he could make their lives better. If he somehow returns and takes power they will turn on him quickly

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Yes exactly. They are basically chanting "anything is better than the current system even the son of the guy running the other system we overthrew!!"

There was actually a pretty robust political class in Iran in 1979 with some talented and patriotic leaders like Shahpour Bakhtiar. Unfortunately they were unable to work the revolution to their advantage and ended up getting marginalized, killed or exiled.

The current situation though is much more dire as there is no "bench" of possible leaders for a post Khamenei Iran except for other Mullahs or IRGC strongmen. It's a feature of the Iranian system that power (both political and economic) has been systematically consolidated in the hands of those that support the status quo.

I'm fundamentally against the idea of exiled/expat Iranians returning to rule Iran though as they will likely lack the legitimacy needed to guide the country through the rough waters ahead. Multiple times in my career people have asked me "who could take power in a hypothetical post-Khamenei Iran that would be friendly to US interests" and after deliberation with my team we always come back without a good answer. I can tell you 100% that we laugh at the idea of the Shah's son though. It's not impossible to imagine him coming back as some sort of symbolic head of state, but the idea of that guy running Iran is ludicrous.

boulderaggie said:

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Dave Robicheaux said:

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Videos are insane. Millions of people in the streets. Top regime leaders are seeking asylum.


Elon has set up starlink in Iran. There is a crazy video of 40-50 satellites in a straight line

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And barely a peep from the mainstream media.

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Minneapolis and Portland are giving them all the low-hanging fruit they need.

Remember, the MSM is nothing if not predictable and lazy.

Thank God we have Trump running the country. If Biden, he would have imported the entire country and settled them in Idaho.

Eliminatus said:

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Dave Robicheaux said:

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boulderaggie said:

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Dave Robicheaux said:

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Videos are insane. Millions of people in the streets. Top regime leaders are seeking asylum.


Elon has set up starlink in Iran. There is a crazy video of 40-50 satellites in a straight line

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And barely a pep from the mainstream media.

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It's really crazy. These people are risking their lives.

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Reports coming out of at least some instances of troops firing on protestors today. Many dead is the current rumors.

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More proof of outright atrocities by the government.

Continued example of how hard it is to get accurate and timely information in some parts of the world with one side controlling the means of communication. Even in 2026.

Good update and speculation video:

All politics aside I am pulling for the people of Iran. I don't think there could be a bigger change for the good in this world than the overthrow of the regime. Not one that's realistic at least.

agsalaska said:

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All politics aside I am pulling for the people of Iran. I don't think there could be a bigger change for the good in this world than the overthrow of the regime. Not one that's realistic at least.

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I had a great uncle who had worked in the oil industry in the ME for over 20 years and was in Iran in 1979. He liked living there better than in SA for a lot of reasons. It was modern and more western. When revolution started he finally had to take his crew and bug out over land, escaping to the north. Took them two days traveling only at night. He always said of all the places overseas he had lived, pre-revolutionary Iran was the most comfortable and pleasant.

bonfarr said:

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Gaeilge said:

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Persian women.

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Persians are beautiful people. This includes their women.

Eliminatus said:

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Eliminatus said:

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Dave Robicheaux said:

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boulderaggie said:

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Dave Robicheaux said:

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Videos are insane. Millions of people in the streets. Top regime leaders are seeking asylum.


Elon has set up starlink in Iran. There is a crazy video of 40-50 satellites in a straight line

---

And barely a pep from the mainstream media.

---

It's really crazy. These people are risking their lives.

---

Reports coming out of at least some instances of troops firing on protestors today. Many dead is the current rumors.

---

More proof of outright atrocities by the government.

Continued example of how hard it is to get accurate and timely information in some parts of the world with one side controlling the means of communication. Even in 2026.

Good update and speculation video:

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What's in that video doesn't look good, they are killing a lot of innocent people it looks like.

Mean while

annie88 said:

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It's too bad Islam exists, honestly.

I don't see one positive thing out of that religion.

What it might have been is not what it is.

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It's exactly what it's supposed to be. Luciferian.

Kvetch said:

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annie88 said:

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It's too bad Islam exists, honestly.

I don't see one positive thing out of that religion.

What it might have been is not what it is.

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It's exactly what it's supposed to be. Luciferian.

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True.

So if not the Shah's son, who?

Honest question, I don't know anything about Iranian politics. Or should I say Persian politics.