would accept without evil foreign influences swaying popular opinion

Signs of dissent are showing up among the senior conservative clerics that hold veto power over elected officials. The latest ploy by hard liners, public flogging of young men caught agitating for reform. At least one senior cleric, Ayatollah Mohsen Mussavi-Tabriz, has come out against this policy and called for reform of the conservative institutions to address the demands of the Iranian people. The floggings have increased the anger of the majority against the religious conservatives.