Iran

The first reports of protests in Iran suggested a coordinated campaign. Too many demos in different centres had occurred at the same time for the uprising to be totally spontaneous. It is possible that one or more outside agencies have helped, but not to the extent that the Supreme Leader has asserted. There are genuine concerns widely felt in Iran. The usual suspects in any destabilisation in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Israel, are unlikely to have much pull in the Shi'a dominated Islamic Republic. UK and US intelligence services must have agents in Iran and I would hope that they have been at least helpful to the pro-democracy movement, but  there does seem to have been a genuine loss of patience on the part of the middle classes with the present domination of civil administration by religious bigots.

There is a chance that a new settlement will emerge which would restore Iran to the democracy which US and UK, spurred on by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later BP), conspired to end in 1953. Careful management of sanctions should assist and one hopes that president Trump is restrained from acting precipitately. The last thing Iran needs is a return to a monarchic dictatorship.