The Irish Times view on protests in Iran: a decisive and dangerous moment

The regime lacks the ability to fund reforms unless it shows a readiness to negotiate a relaxation of the sanctions crippling its economy. That would be the better path, avoiding the chaos of civil war, but the regime is instead resorting to full-scale attacks on protestors, leading to reports of many deaths. Blackouts on internet services and a speech by Ayatollah Khamenei attacking the protesters as traitors manipulated by the US, Israel and the exiled monarchist Reza Pahlavi confirm the regime has turned to repression, after initial signs of confused restraint.