Iran at geopolitical crossroads as protests pressure regime

"Iran's key strategic location at one of the world's most important bottlenecks for energy trade the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf along with its enormous oil and gas reserves, its political ambitions, and its nuclear program, make it an important player in the Middle East. For more than two weeks, the Shiite-majority country of 93 million people has seen mass nationwide protests that were initially sparked by economic grievances, but have since developed into an uprising against the regime in Tehran."

"Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the subsequent occupation of the US embassy in Tehran, Iran and the United States have had no formal diplomatic relations. Since then, ideological hostility, sanctions, security tensions, and the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, have shaped the relationship. "Iran's leaders want to negotiate. I think they're tired of being beaten by the United States," Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One."

"Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran in recent days with US military intervention if the regime's security forces continue to use violence in suppressing the demonstrations. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that 512 protesters have been killed so far. With the the internet cut off since January 9, it is difficult to assess the scale of the brutality being used by the regime to put down the protests. Iranian state television, which defames the protesters as terrorists in its reports,"

Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy-trade chokepoint, and possesses large oil and gas reserves alongside political ambitions and a contested nuclear program. More than two weeks of mass nationwide protests in the Shiite-majority country of 93 million people began with economic grievances and have evolved into an uprising against the regime in Tehran. The regime blames external enemies such as the United States and Israel. Iran and the United States have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979, with ideological hostility, sanctions, security tensions, and nuclear disputes shaping bilateral ties. US threats of military intervention and reports of hundreds of protesters killed have intensified tensions, while internet shutdowns and state media portray protesters as terrorists.

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