Asia Pacific Report featured UTC political science expert Saeid Golkar, who explained why Iran’s current nationwide protests differ fundamentally from the 1979 revolution. Golkar noted that while mass mobilization evokes historical parallels, today’s theocratic security state under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has a cohesive, ideologically committed coercive apparatus—unlike the fractured security forces of 1979—making revolutionary outcomes far less likely despite sustained unrest and growing violence.