Iran’s Uprising: What Comes Next? Interview with Prof. Abbas Vali

In this in-depth interview for The Amargi, journalist Rojin Mukriyan speaks with political and social theorist Abbas Vali about Iran’s latest wave of protests, which began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and quickly spread across the country. Professor Vali argues that the current uprising is a continuation of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, but shaped by a decisive rupture after its violent suppression. While popular anger has returned, he warns that the democratic and pluralist content that once united women, youth, workers, and minorities has weakened, leaving the protests vulnerable to fragmentation and political manipulation. At the core of the discussion is a serious warning: Iran’s regime is economically and ideologically disintegrating, but collapse alone will not produce democracy. Vali explains how a powerful military–security–economic oligarchy inside the state could ally with anti-democratic opposition forces if the regime begins to fall, potentially hijacking the uprising. The conversation also highlights the disproportionate repression faced by minorities—especially Kurds—the significance of calls for a general strike in Iranian Kurdistan, and the urgent need for unity around a non-ideological democratic program. This interview offers a clear, critical framework for understanding where Iran’s protests stand—and what is at stake if democratic forces fail to organize in time.