Skip to main content

The Takeaway: November 27, 2019

Highlights: Iraq protests sharpen clash between Khamenei and Sistani; Iran’s cultural guardians scramble over porn documentary; Pakistan’s defense diplomacy picks up with Tehran; and the Iraqi tuk-tuk as our cool thing.

Iraqi demonstrators are seen near Iraqi security forces during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq November 25, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily - RC2GID9PZRKP
Iraqi demonstrators are seen near Iraqi security forces during ongoing anti-government protests, in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 25, 2019. — (REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily)
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Noto+Sans:400,700&subset=latin-ext'); @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Noto+Serif:400,700&subset=latin-ext'); .undoreset td { border-spacing: 0 !important; } .tab { margin-left: 40px; } body { width: 100% !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; margin: 0; padding: 0; } html, body { margin: 0 auto !important; padding: 0 !important; height: 100% !important; width: 100% !important; background: #ffffff; font-family: 'Noto Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } body, td, input, textarea, select { font-family: 'Noto Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } .fallback-font { font-family: 'Noto Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-padding-start: auto; } .fallback-font-serif { font-family: 'Noto Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif; } * { -ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; } table, td { mso-table-lspace: 0pt !important; mso-table-rspace: 0pt !important; line-height: normal; } table { border-spacing: 0; border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; margin: 0 auto; font-family: 'Noto Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } table table { table-layout: auto; } img { -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; } .yshortcuts a { border-bottom: none !important; } a[x-apple-data-detectors], a[href^=tel] { color: inherit !important; text-decoration: underline !important; } .border-top { border-top: 2px solid #111; } .related-stories { color: #000; } /*@media only screen and (max-width: 640px) { .email-container, .email-container table, .email-container tr, .email-container td, .email-container img { width: 100%; } }*/ @media only screen and (max-width: 640px) { .fallback-width { width: 100%; } .fallback-width-sm { width: 90%; } .fallback-width-auto { width: auto; } .fallback-width-half { width: 40%; } }
 
Three quick takes:
 
 

1. Shut down protests, no matter what it takes, Khamenei urges Iraqis; Sistani demurs

 

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has directed Iraqi leaders to shut down Iraq’s protests, even if that means more violence. But Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most influential cleric, is not backing down in his support for the protesters.

 

Khamenei: Iran not giving up Iraq.

On Nov. 21, Khamenei met in Tehran with Iraqi officials including Falih al-Fayadh, head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU); Hadi al-Amiri, head of the pro-Iran Badr Organization; and Mohammad Hashimi, head of the prime minister's office.

 

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish