Ali Khamenei

Abbas Amanat: Iran Protests, Mahsa Amini, History, CIA & Nuclear Weapons | Lex Fridman Podcast #334

Abbas Amanat, Mahsa Amini, Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei, Putin, Lex Fridman

Following the death of Mahsa Amini in September, the "80s Generation" of Iranian youth launched widespread protests under the "Women, Life, Freedom" banner, directly challenging the absolute authority of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The regime responded with lethal force and total internet blackouts that have already killed over 230 individuals and arrested 12,000, while simultaneously deepening its geopolitical alignment with Russia through drone exports to Ukraine. Despite these repressive measures and a generational cultural fracture, experts like Abbas Aminat suggest the movement may evolve into a constitutional democracy given the regime's shrinking popular support and the youth's refusal to compromise on secular freedoms.