Despite having an overabundance of oil, Iran can't even provide electricity to its cities 24 hours per day -- leading to daily blackouts. Hence they have banning crypto mining. Iran imposes ban on promoting and training cryptomining https://www.intellinews.com/iran-imposes-ban-on-promoting-and-training-cryptomining-355930/
Let's see how things are going for female singers in Iran. Iran ‘bows to pressure’ to release singer who defied regime by performing solo without a hijab Parastoo Ahmadi live-streamed the concert on YouTube. There has been outrage over her arrest as women continue to defy regime’s harsh laws https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/15/iran-arrests-singer-performing-concert-no-hijab/
Disgraced and isolated: As his axis falls, Iran's Khamenei finds himself alone - opinion Khamenei is buried under the rubble of defeat, yet he still plots new schemes to create chaos and incite war, despite no longer having the power or energy to carry them out. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-833721
The future is looking bleak for Iran. Their proxy Hamas has effectively been eliminated. Their other proxy Hezbollah has been gelded with thousands of their militants walking around with either no hands or balls. Their buddy Assad has been chased out of Syria and the new government is spending its time rounding up Iranian agents and Assad regime members. And now Trump is showing up -- who his promising to kick Iran's ass at the bequest of his funding buddies in Saudi Arabia who desire the elimination of the Shia mullahs. Iran is weaker than it's been for decades as it prepares for Trump to take office again https://www.businessinsider.com/ira...eturns-power-syria-israel-hamas-russia-2025-1 Iran's military power and influence has been badly weakened in recent months. Clashes with Israel and the fall of Bashar Assad in Syria have left it reeling. Yet Iran retains the ability to hurt the US and its allies. (More at above url)
Yet Iran retains the ability to hurt the US and its allies. But while Iran may be down, it's far from out. Its allies, including the Houthi and Hezbollah, though weakened, will likely rebuild. Iran may also seek to stoke conflict to destabilize the new government in Syria, and it continues to have a sophisticated military and intelligence apparatus. And, according to analysts, it retains the capacity to develop the most dangerous weapons of all — a nuclear bomb. After the Obama administration's nuclear deal was abandoned by Trump, Iran quietly began gearing up its nuclear program again, and some experts believe it could develop enough material for a weapon in a matter of months. Iran should have been using the time between the election and Trump taking office to build the bomb.
Iran was still producing material and plans for an atomic bomb when the nuclear deal was in place. Every week -- for years -- we read articles that Iran is mere months away from having the bomb. The reality -- they probably have it already... and had it for over a decade. I did not support the nuclear deal since it was practically worthless and easily evaded by Iran while the West provided piles of money into iran which they used to support IRGC terrorist activities to destabilize the region. However I did not support Trump unilaterally ending the deal because the termination of the deal undermined worldwide confidence in the U.S. sticking to written agreements which are key to international relations.
This post kind of blew my mind.I've been reading about Iran for years and its the first time I heard someone say they believe Iran already has the bomb.I believed that both The US and Israel would have used whatever force necessary to prevent them from getting the bomb which is why a time like now when Biden is a lame duck might have been the best time to do it.Iran already having the bomb gives me a lot to think about. I don't think the nuclear deal was a bad deal and I think it was a mistake for Trump to end it.While the deal was in place there were inspections and it was confirmed Iran was complying.
I will try to dig up an article that delved into this -- but it was about 10 years ago. It noted that having an A-bomb is one thing -- having an effective, tested, and modern A-bomb is another. Most likely Iran has produced the equivalent of the A-bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and has manufactured enough atomic fuel years ago to make it viable. However it has never been tested (as far as the world knows), would require a large missile or plane (which would likely be shot down), and is decades behind modern weapons. The emphasis of the world now is stopping Iran from producing more modern nuclear weapons (with plans from North Korea most likely) and effectively producing & testing a number of these nuclear weapons.
Things are not looking good for the regime in Iran. They are preparing for more unrest from a very discontented population. And by "preparing for unrest" we mean they are having their military hold exercises on how to shoot people down in the street ("protest drills") and preemptively locking up anyone who they think may cause trouble. $50 billion to Syria vanished into thin air: Unrest in Iran grows over economic turmoil - interview "The regime anticipates demonstrations and uprisings. They understand that things are very fragile." https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-836970 Iran’s public discontent surged in recent weeks as economic hardships, including widespread power outages and rising inflation, fueled calls for change, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) researcher Benny Sabti told Maariv on Friday. Sabti began by describing the growing frustration among the Iranian population. "People are very angry with the regime for squandering funds, oil revenues, and resources on Syria, which fell alongside Hezbollah," he said. "The regime has poured $50 billion into Syria from 2000 until now, all of which vanished into thin air, along with funds sent to Lebanon and other places." According to Sabti, the Iranian public views this as "a regime failure." Sabti believes recent events have given Iranians hope. He pointed to key incidents, such as the reported elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which exposed the Iranian regime’s vulnerabilities, and "the fall of Gaza." He emphasized: "All of this gives the Iranian public—80% of whom oppose the regime—hope." Sabti cited a parliamentary member’s report attributing the opposition level to the low voter turnout in the last presidential elections. Sabti described worsening living conditions: "There are daily power outages lasting six to seven hours in Tehran and across the country, with even longer outages in remote areas. Water shortages follow the power cuts, and air pollution worsens because there isn’t enough clean gas to heat factories and homes. Instead, they burn ship fuel, which causes severe pollution until it’s stopped. The result is freezing temperatures and city shutdowns." He added: "On some days, people are forbidden to leave their homes—children, adults, government offices, and banks alike." The economic crisis is severe. The ongoing shortages of electricity and gas have halted much of the industrial sector. Sabti noted that the unemployment rate, which was already 23%, had risen by an additional 12 percentage points. "While small protests by workers occasionally occur near their factories, these have not escalated into a large-scale movement," he said. "However, even these scattered demonstrations worry the regime." Sabti highlighted a significant development: the Iranian regime’s recent protest-response drill. "Why would they hold a protest drill?" he asked rhetorically. "The regime anticipates demonstrations and uprisings." "They understand that things are very fragile," he warned. Sending mixed signals to the public Sabti also noted the regime’s growing anxiety over its perceived failures. "On one hand, they threaten retaliation against Israel. On the other, an Iranian general recently admitted, 'We’ve been defeated.'" Another official reportedly stated: "We cannot retaliate against Israel or launch a third operation." Sabti reminded readers that Iran’s second offensive against Israel came at an enormous financial cost. The regime faces soaring inflation. Sabti highlighted the rapid rise in the value of the dollar, from 460,000–480,000 rials to 820,000 rials. "Since imports depend on the dollar, the regime cannot ignore the exchange rate," he explained. He added that many Iranians are willing to "endure a little longer" but are counting on international pressure and intervention to weaken and overthrow the regime. "They hope for Trump's return and believe he will enact significant changes. They admire Israel’s decisive actions and even call for strikes on Revolutionary Guard facilities that oppress them." Sabti concluded with a sobering assessment: "The events are converging—this is a decisive year." He added: "The regime talks about racing toward nuclear capabilities, but how will they achieve this?" He answered bluntly: "It’s suicide."