Iranian government relies on loyal supporters as bulwark against protests

When Revolutionary Guard member Mohammed Zareh Mowaydi was killed fighting Iranian protesters last month, the military broadcast footage of his body, with a cleric holding up the dead man’s right hand—rough from years as a farmer.

“Show us your palms,” the cleric shouted, addressing protest supporters. “You, who claim to free our people, are your palms covered in calluses, too?”