Jacobin Radio Jacobin Radio: Iran’s Protest Movement w/ Yassamine Mather and Kevan Harris
14 snips
Jan 20, 2026 Joining the discussion are Kevan Harris, a UCLA historian focused on Iran's political economy, and Yassamine Mather, an Iranian scholar and activist. They explore the recent protests in Iran, sparked by economic grievances related to a phone tax. Mather highlights the dangers of foreign intervention and media distortions, while Harris discusses the brutal state repression and the challenges of elite paralysis. Both guests stress that the ongoing struggle reflects deep-rooted discontent, with calls for international solidarity from the working class.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Small Tax, Big Uprising
- A technocratic phone-registration tax sparked the protests after vendors realized a revalued currency tier would wipe out their stock profits.
- Kevan Harris shows how a narrow fiscal tweak can trigger broad political mobilization when distribution feels unjust.
On-the-Ground Memory Of Aladdin Mall
- Kevan Harris recounts being near the Aladdin Mall during 2009 protests and recognizes the phone-sellers' role in the current spark.
- He describes phone sellers shuttering stores and leading chants that day.
Tiered Exchange As Political Faultline
- Iran's tiered foreign-exchange allocation makes some imports artificially cheaper and shifts costs politically when tiers change.
- Harris argues such technocratic distribution choices become politicized under sanctions and austerity.
