While major unrest consumes the Middle East, Iran has seemed to fade into the background. Preceding the revolutions in the Middle East, Iranians disputed over the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the 2009 presidential election, moderate Mir Hussein Moussavi and extreme Islamist Ahmadeinejad ran against each other, but Ahmadeinejad won by a large amount, making people question the legitimacy of the election. More people allegedly voted for Ahmadinejad than there were people to vote. The Guardian Council viewed the decision, but they largely disregarded it, leaving Ahmadeinejad president.
Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has been largely divided by moderate and extreme views on governing, thus causing conflict. Some people support Ahmandinejad for his pro-Islamic policies and nuclear development. Others believe his government parties are corrupt and his religious policies can be detrimental to the country. Many of the same issues that were present during the 1979 revolution, still plague Iran. With constant instability in Iran, a revolution is bound to occur again, especially with the influence of other Middle Eastern countries.
On February 14, 2011, protesters in Tehran gathered to offer their support to Tunisia and Egypt. Armed riot guards violently suppressed the protests. Many Islamic leaders believed the revolutions are beneficial to the Islamic government because the revolutions overthrew secular, not religious leaders. But, they also overthrew oppressive governments with poorly planned economies, like Iran. While a revolution may not be in the near future for Iran, eventually one will occur to overthrow tyrannical Iranian government.
