JERUSALEM—President-elect Donald Trump’s slated revival of his maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran coupled with a chronic gas shortage in the nation could be the one-two punch that topples the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism, according to one prominent expert.
"This gas shortage inside Iran is highly significant and exposes the regime’s growing vulnerabilities across multiple fronts. From the defeats of Hezbollah and Hamas in their conflicts with Israel, to the losses of the Houthis in Yemen and the collapse of the Syrian regime under Assad, we see a consistent erosion of the regime's influence," Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iran and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital.
She continued, "Add to this the plummeting Rial and the staggering mismanagement of resources despite the loosening of sanctions and billions handed over through lopsided deals under Biden's watch—it's no surprise the regime is under immense pressure."
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"With President Trump likely to return to a leadership stance that emphasizes maximum pressure, the Iranian people could find themselves in an environment ripe for demanding regime change, Daftari said.
The widespread blackouts and severe gas shortages for households have jolted Iran’s rulers. Acute anxiety about social and political unrest is on the minds of the rulers who control Iran and are quick to impose violence on mass dissent.
Nationwide protests over fuel prices and the violent repression of women for not properly wearing the compulsory hijab have rocked the Tehran regime in 2019 and 2022.
In 2019, Fox News Digital reported that Iran’s regime killed at least 106 people who protested against an increase of fuel prices. Three years later, in 2022, the regime’s infamous morality police murdered a young woman, Masha Amini, for not adequately covering her hair. The 2022 protests morphed into widespread calls across the nation for the dissolution of the Islamic Republic.
According to a Tuesday report in the London-based Iran International news organization, the head of Iran’s judiciary sent a directive to prevent unrest because of the power and gas outages.
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary reportedly said "The Attorney General and prosecutors across the country, in direct cooperation with the intelligence, security, and law enforcement agencies, should take all appropriate measures and arrangements to stabilize and strengthen the security of the people and citizens, and, as in the past, and even with greater firmness, take the relevant measures so that the enemy's conspiracy to create insecurity…is neutralized."
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Despite Iran’s vast natural gas and oil reserves, years of underinvestment, economic mismanagement, corruption and sanctions have left the energy sector ill-prepared for seasonal surges.
The Islamic Republic has also pumped massive funds into its terrorist proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, over the years. Matthew Levitt, a counter-terrorism expert for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, has said that Iran funnels roughly $700 million to $1 billion a year to Hezbollah and Hamas secures $100 million a year.
The Iranian rial on December 18 fell to its lowest level in history, losing more than 10% of value since Trump won the presidential election in November and signaling new challenges for Tehran as it remains locked in the wars raging across the Middle East.
Iran’s Central Bank has in the past flooded the market with more hard currencies in an attempt to improve the rate.
The currency plunged as Iran ordered the closure of schools, universities, and government offices on Wednesday due to a worsening energy crisis exacerbated by harsh winter conditions. The crisis follows a summer of blackouts and is now compounded by severe cold, snow and air pollution.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
