Mohammad Reza Shah

three women take a selfie with a rainbow umbrella covering them from the rain

Forty years on from the Iranian Revolution, could the country be at risk of another one?

Reformists have made some progress towards easing economic hardship, loosening social control, and initiating a temporary easing of tensions with the outside community. But the parlous nature of the political structure empowers the theocrats to manipulate the system and stymie any reform effort that promises a path to democratization.