Iran is a 90-million-person country
Iran's population of 90 million makes it far larger than Iraq, and its regime's stronghold cannot be easily toppled, according to Meiselas.
Where this was said
Who's Really Supporting the Regime? Debunking the 'Paid Crowds' Myth
At 12:00 · chapter starts 11:40
The 'paid crowds' dismissal gets a systematic takedown. Meiselas points out that Western and Israeli commentators have spent months arguing Iran is economically on the verge of collapse — so the claim that it simultaneously paid millions of people to attend the Ayatollah's funeral is self-refuting. He acknowledges the complexity: he believes there are tens of millions of Iranians who genuinely oppose the regime and want change, pointing to the January protests and Trump's unfulfilled promise of 'help is on the way.' But he insists there are also millions who genuinely support it — and in a 90-million-person country, both things can be true at once. He cites the Mossad's Persian-language social account as an example of the propaganda attempting to frame all mourners as cynical — writing that 'many arrived not to mourn, but just to make sure the Ayatollah is dead.' Meiselas dismisses this as insufficient to explain the scale. He also addresses Trump's broken promises to Iranian reformers, noting that Lindsey Graham has made the same 'help is on the way' pledge to Lebanon with equally hollow follow-through.
Iran Air Flight 655: The 1988 Shootdown America Never Apologized For
On July 3, 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 people aboard, including experienced pilots who trained in the United States. The U.S. claimed they were broadcasting warnings on military frequencies to a commercial airliner — then George H.W. Bush declared he would never apologize. A $100M settlement came in 1996, without accountability.
Iran Air Flight 655: 290 killed
On July 3, 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Strait of Hormuz, killing all 290 people aboard; the U.S. never formally apologized.
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