"It is difficult not to feel a sense of deja vu. The entire history of the Islamic Republic of Iran since its foundation in 1979 has been characterised by the attempt of its rulers to stigmatise dissent and opposition with the taint of treasonable collusion with Iran's external adversaries...Throughout, the most enduring and dangerous of these oppositional forces - albeit very often the most ignored by those outside Iran ostensibly committed to the country's democratic advance - has been the organised working class of Iran."
-Shora Esmailian and Andreas Malm-
Interesting article on the working class movement in Iran from 1979 through the present day. Esmailian and Malm explore how Iran's leadership proclaims confidence and ambition but it draws power from a "western threat that enables it to target and crush grassroots protest." Read "Iran: The Hidden Power" here.