Iran - by Slater Bakhtavar (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

One of the more surprising demographic facts about Iran is the fact that 70% of the population is under 30 years of age. This simple statistic has molded Iran into an increasingly more modern society with a thriving and unpredictable "student population." This population, who is often referred to as "Iranian youth", has been strongly linked to the generation of reformist ideas surfacing in Iran.

At 7:30 a.m. in Tehran the coercion of the "security forces" against the opposition had already escalated a point that was considered to be the most aggressive since the Presidential election. The Iranian civilians woke up to scenes in the street only fit for a movie. A city bus had been set on fire in the night and the smoldering wreckage only further illustrated the devastation that this country was experiencing. What seemed to be chaos at this point was only a small glimpse of the near future of the Iranian people. The citizens of Iran should brace themselves for the likelihood of more bloody altercations between the security forces and protesters on the streets of Tehran.

By 10:25 a.m., the Iranian state television reported that 10 people were killed as the police and protesters clashed in the streets of Tehran in lieu of the protester's defiance to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports said there were at least another 100 protesters severely injured during the clashing.

More demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran during the afternoon. Women, youth, students and members of the moderate clerical establishment took to the streets in the thousands chanting and wearing the bright green campaign colors of Moussavi and showing support for the "Green Movement".