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Why Arab states are silent about Iran’s unrest
They might welcome the Islamic republic’s collapse, but dread what would follow.
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The protests in Iran today arguably pose an even greater threat to the regime than those in 2022 - yet the reaction in the Arab world has been surprisingly muted.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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The Economist
The last time Iran was convulsed by nationwide protests, in 2022, the Arab world was transfixed. The Islamic republic had spent decades building a network of powerful allies that came to dominate the region. Many Arabs wondered if the prospect of regime change in Tehran offered a chance to throw off Iran’s yoke in their own countries.
Pan-Arab news outlets, often funded by Gulf monarchies, egged on the protests with sympathetic, round-the-clock coverage. Arab diplomats kept their counsel in public but sounded ebullient in private.
