And in Iran, Green movement leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have called for demonstrations to be held tomorrow, on 25 Bahman, throughout the country in support and solidarity with the Egyptian people. Not only has the Interior Ministry refused to issue permits for the demonstration, but the regime has begun jamming BBC Persian's satellite signal, placed both Karoubi and Mousavi under effective house arrest, and cut each of their telephone lines in order to prevent them from communicating or coordinating with opposition activists. The word "Bahman" has even been blocked from internet search results by the regime.
There is no doubt that a certain synergy is in the air in the Middle East, one that has proven capable of sparking popular uprisings throughout the region and toppling two authoritarian governments. There has been much talk of whether or not Iran started this trend in 2009 with the massive protests that followed the 2009 election. Regardless, the Islamic Republic -- and indeed, every regime -- is on edge. What sort of turnout Monday will produce remains to be seen. What is certain is that there has not been this much anticipation leading up to an Iranian protest for a year. With the shockwaves from Tunisia and Egypt still reverberating, the Greens go into tomorrow hoping to capitalize on the current fervor into a strong showing in the streets. What, if anything, comes after that is impossible to tell at this time.
