The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal: Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Michael Ledeen argues that internal

conflict and sabotage are becoming more widespread within Iran and, “[e]ven the government’s campaign

of repression seems increasingly sloppy.” Ledeen has been one of the more vocal neoconservative

supporters of the Green Movement, even when Iranian pro-democracy reformists have said that explicit UK

support of the movement could damage its legitimacy within Iran.

Los Angeles Times: Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim report on how international sanctions designed

to punish Iran for its nuclear program are benefiting Iran’s most hard-line elite and the

Revolutionary Guard. The sanctions are succeeding in increasing the cost on items of importance to

ordinary citizens but, “key businesses and government operations controlled by the Revolutionary Guard

have found ways to skirt the sanctions, which ban trade with state-run firms connected to the nuclear

program, by enlisting private-sector firms as fronts.” Well-connected firms are reported to be

benefiting from a “sanctions-breaking” industry.