This is unlikely, although protestors have chanted “We don’t want an Islamic Republic, we don’t want it, we don’t want it.” There is no doubt that there is massive discontent with Sharia rule in Iran. Meanwhile, Khatami also said: “Please do not unblock the internet!” Of course, because it allows the freedom fighters to circumvent government censorship and the official misrepresentation of events. That’s why the political and media elites aren’t directly shutting it off in the West, but are steadily choking off and silencing voices that dissent from their agenda. They see the Internet the same way the Iranian mullahs do, and have the same interest in establishing and preserving totalitarian control.
“Prayer Imams In Iran Urge Government To Keep Internet Shut,” Radio Farda, November 22, 2019:
Friday Prayer Imams in Tehran and Mashhad have called on the government not to restore internet service to citizens in Iran that have been blocked to conceal the violent suppression of anti-government protest during this week….
In Tehran, firebrand Ahmad Khatami said “the Rouhani administration could have handled the gas price hike more efficiently to prevent the unrest” that quickly spread to over 100 cities and turned into a major political upheaval.
Elsewhere in his sermon, Khatami said, “Protestors took revenge from God as they attacked mosques and torched the Koran.” Based on precedence, it is generally believed in Iran that attacking mosques, banks and government buildings have been engineered by the government in order to incriminate the demonstrators.
He also claimed, without presenting evidence, that the United States and France supported violence during the protest demonstrations that started Friday November 15 following a government measure that increased the price of gasoline three-fold….
Earlier Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Rouhani had also accused the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia of being behind the unrest….
Elsewhere in his sermon, Khatami praised the Rouhani administration for blocking internet access and suggested that the government should replace the internet with homegrown messaging services. “Please do not unblock the internet! You saw that it teaches the people how to commit crimes,” he claimed….