# Is Iran worried by what is happening in Eqypt? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 8, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684 "2011-02-08T20:05:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684/1 "2011-02-08T20:05:14Z")
Is a popular uprising, similar to what happened in Tunisia and is hapenning in Eqypt now, on the horizon for Iran, or is the populace happy enough with (or fearful enough of) the regime to make that unlikely? Does Iran face the same economic challenges that Egypt has lately? Are Iranians living in a totalitarian state or is that an overstatement of their situation? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684/2 "2011-02-08T21:08:59Z")
I guess “Is Iran worried…” should probably have been “Should Iran be worried…” since I doubt anyone on the SDMB is part of the Iranian Oligarchy… although you never know. ---
**Author:** ![2ply](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/b2d939/32.png) [@2ply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ply)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684/3 "2011-02-08T21:32:05Z")
Iran went through [large protests against the government](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_election_crisis) two years ago. The government won. The Iranian leadership is probably happy that a major US ally may fall, but seems to have a much better grip on power than the Egyptian government. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684/4 "2011-02-08T21:52:20Z")
Iran’s economy is far stronger than Egypt’s. Their recent uprising was more purely political. I hope and expect to see a successful revolt of _some_ kind in Iran, _someday_, but I don’t think it will be following upon the present interesting times in north Africa and the Levant. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684/5 "2011-02-08T23:52:36Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Iran’s economy is far stronger than Egypt’s. Their recent uprising was more purely political. I hope and expect to see a successful revolt of _some_ kind in Iran, _someday_, but I don’t think it will be following upon the present interesting times in north Africa and the Levant. Nonsense. Iran’s economy is built on a foundadtion of shifting sand. It’s banking system is rubbish. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684/6 "2011-02-09T01:31:19Z")
Iran has more industries, more exports, substantially higher GDP overall and per capita, greater purchasing power, lower unemployment, lower inflation, a better-than-balanced budget, and thirty-five _times_ as much oil. How is that not stronger than Egypt? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-iran-worried-by-what-is-happening-in-eqypt/570684/7 "2011-02-09T03:45:07Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Iran has more industries, more exports, substantially higher GDP overall and per capita, greater purchasing power, lower unemployment, lower inflation, a better-than-balanced budget, and thirty-five _times_ as much oil. > > How is that not stronger than Egypt? Does that mean that the economic sanctions that have been placed on Iran have had little or no effect? If that’s true then what’s the point?