Mousavi’s remarks not only compare Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the toppled monarch whom Khamenei to this day refers to as a tyrant. The protests that struck some 100 cities and towns across Iran beginning Nov. 15 came after Iran raised minimum gasoline prices by 50%. Online videos purport to show Iranian security forces shooting at demonstrators. Amnesty International believes the protests and the security crackdown killed at least 161 people. The shah fled Iran in January 1979 and by the next month, the revolution took hold.

Source: Washington Post November 30, 2019 13:19 UTC