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Iran’s leaders are to blame for Iranian protests

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad may have enjoyed a good chuckle over an Iranian official’s warning on Monday. Others familiar with the situation may have thought it less humorous.

Iran has been wracked by anti-government demonstrations during recent weeks. On Monday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, speaking at a security conference, accused other countries of fomenting unrest in his. “No country can create a secure environment for itself at the expense of creating insecurity among its neighbors,” he said.

Really? One of the reasons many Iranians are fed up with their regime is its expenditure of billions of dollars not on their economy, but to fund violence aimed at other nations. But for Iranian aid against rebels in Syria, Assad might well have been ousted.

Iranian operatives and money have been used in attempts to destabilize Iraq, and to aid terrorist organizations that mount frequent attacks on Israel, to name just two types of interference by Tehran.

Outside agitators are not needed to whip up the Iranian protesters. One of the reasons for their fury is their country’s expensive, violent attempts to create insecurity among Middle Eastern neighbors.

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