Conservatives' Iran response called 'dangerous'

A National Security Network report commented that despite the almost unanimous opinion of serious Iran experts that it would be harmful to demonstrators if the U.S. were seen as directly supporting them, conservative political leaders and thinkers have insisted that the United States do just that. Calling for the United States to directly support the protests – even symbolically – could place the demonstrators in severe danger. Trita Parsi of the Ploughshares-funded National Iranian American Council said, “I think it’s quite reckless to turn this into a political football here in the United States. In reality, this can have severe repercussions on the streets of Tehran, if the protests are being casted as being orchestrated from the United States.”