from Hacker News

Iranian Officials Asking Venezuela for Asylum in Case of Regime Change

by michaeltimo on 12/9/22, 11:36 AM with 116 comments

• by somid3 on 12/9/22, 2:47 PM

  I can't tell if this is for real. If so, this is the first sign that the regime in Iran is falling. As a Iranian born in Chile and raised in Ecuador because of the monkeys in power... this is amazing news.

• by themitigating on 12/9/22, 2:22 PM

  It's so weird to me how rare it is that the leaders of countries are executed by the population and to even call for that upsets people regardless of what their reign is like.

  There's almost no incentive to be a good leader since if it all falls apart you'll just end up living luxuriously in another country.

  Why is there such a high value placed on human life that ignores the impact that person had upon the world?

  Feel free to down vote but also reply with something because I think we need to reconsider the inherent value placed on human life.

• by m00dy on 12/9/22, 2:52 PM

  Turkey is clearing 80k mines in east turkey on the Iranian border [0]. That's another vital sign. Because the last time, something similar happened on the Syrian border, and the civil war in Syria started.

  [0]: Joint project with EU, UNDP to clear 80,000 mines in eastern Turkey https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/eu-affairs/joint-project...

• by Alir3z4 on 12/9/22, 3:04 PM

  > Western diplomatic sources told Iran International

  > In early-November, an unnamed source at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport told Kayhan-London

  > Citing an unnamed Iranian source,

  > There are also unconfirmed reports that officials are transferring their assets to friendly countries

  Basically, "source? trust me bro!"

• by rsj_hn on 12/9/22, 11:45 PM

  This is not a real story, it's published by a regime change media outlet. There is an enormous anti-Iran Persian language media industry, staffed primarily by Persians in Los Angeles and to a lesser degree by Persians in London and Paris. Tens of thousands of people are employed full time in this industry, dwarfing the number of people employed in Persian language media in Iran itself. It's truly massive in scale, primarily funded by US/UK and EU governments as well as by Saudi Arabia, which is engaged in a cold war against Iran. It cranks out weaponized propaganda at a constant rate, with the goal of creating a revolution in Iran in which a pro-Western government is installed.

  This particular influence operation is headquartered in London and is owned by Volant Media, and receives donations from Saudi Arabia[1]. Volant has offices in Washington DC, and owns this and a sister publication called "Afghanistan International", which was launched immediately after the Taliban capture of Kabul, and is now focused on waging information warfare against Afghanistan.

  "Iran International TV emerged abruptly on the London media scene last year; many of the 100-strong staff network were offered generous salaries, often double what rivals paid, but was elusive about its source of funding."

  "The source claimed Saud al-Qahtani, the crown prince’s information tsar, who was among two senior officials removed in connection with the Khashoggi affair, was involved in the funding behind Iran International TV."

  [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/31/concern-over-u...

• by ethotool on 12/9/22, 4:18 PM

  Source? The Venezuelans and Iranians have strong relations, I doubt this is real. A lot of propaganda against Iran lately while the Israelis continue to slaughter Palestinians on a daily basis (while calling for “freedom” in Iran).

• by firstSpeaker on 12/9/22, 3:19 PM

  Sudden vacuum of a central authority in Iran can result in seriously messed up situation. I very much hope that there is a peaceful transition of government rather than a sudden vacuum.

• by winReInstall on 12/9/22, 3:11 PM

  If the upper echelons are fleeing, then the whole stampede sets in, all the lower levels who cant flee, swinging around searching for a new "leader" in the chaos.

• by boringg on 12/9/22, 3:04 PM

  Who would be the follow-on power if such an event did happen?

• by myth_drannon on 12/9/22, 3:15 PM

  I see exactly the same news going around Ukrainian telegram channels about Putin. First they thought China and now they are buying real estate in Venezuaela and Argentina. Some say it's fake and some not. I tend to believe it's fake news to show the regime is weak and is loosing.

• by greggarious on 12/9/22, 2:23 PM

  Huh? Is... Venezuela... particularly Islamic? Maybe Kosovo would be a better cultural fit.