The Iranian regime will end by falling, Joumblatt says

BEIRUT — Former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt said Friday he expects the Iranian regime to fall under the pressure of the protest movement, which has been heavily suppressed and is the most significant in Iran since the demonstrations following the death in 2022 of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly wearing her veil improperly.

"The regime will end up falling, because things cannot continue like this: the country cannot move from one wave of repression to another," the Druze leader told L'Orient Today.

Arguing that it is time for change in Iran after more than 46 years of a totalitarian regime repressing freedoms, he added: "We must learn from history, and this is the right time to do so."

Asked about Hezbollah and the impact of the Iranian protest movement on the party, Joumblatt simply stated: "After the assassination [by Israel of the former secretary general of the party] Hassan Nasrallah, those who remain are mere subordinates."

"We must continue to work on disarming Hezbollah while avoiding direct confrontation with the army," Joumblatt continued, expressing his opposition to the statements by Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, who said the military institution would be "ready to confront Hezbollah if necessary."