On December 28, 2017, popular protests broke out in Iran that soon spread to several cities. The scenes of the 2009 protests following the reelection of former President Ahmadinejad began to return, clearly showing that the Iranian people were facing real problems that led them to take to the streets once again.

Although the number of protesters was relatively small when compared to the 2009 protests, the current popular protests by the Iranian people against the ruling regime took place across a wider geographical scale, showing a clear rejection of the regime’s domestic and foreign policies.

After about three weeks, the intensity of the protests dropped to a level that allowed the Iranian regime to restore control over the situation. The protests have, however, left many questions to be answered:For example, what were the real reasons behind the eruption of the situation in Iran— was it a result of current or accumulated grievances? Why did the recent popular protests reach a wider geographical range compared to the 2009 protests? If the recent popular protests had legitimate demands, why did they fail to achieve the goals that were clearly expressed in their slogans? What was the regional and internal position toward these protests? And what will be the future impact of these protests on the position of the Iranian regime, both domestically and externally?