Washington and the Iranian Elections

Many voices in the Iranian opposition now protesting the increasingly bogus looking election results have called for a show of support from the United States. Bad idea.

Outreach now by Washington to the Iranian opposition would conjure memories of 1953, when the United States whipped up street crowds as part of a successful coup to overthrow Mohammed Mosaddeq. Any suggestion that the Iranian opposition is in league with the United States would damage the movement’s standing in the eyes of average Iranians who are growing disenchanted with the current government but still wary of the United States for historical reasons.

If Iranian oppositionists and reformers hope to make gains now or in the future against the ruling ayatollahs, they must stand on their own in this moment. There is no support the White House could offer that would help their cause.