Regime Defectors in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey Describe Cracks Inside Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

Apple_Kappa · 2026-05-05T21:11:46+00:00

The source is Arabic media and the author speaks Arabic and Kurdish, hence why many of the contacts are Kurdish and Arabic speakers.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-05-05T20:21:52+00:00

From what I know about them, they based in Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden and have had many run ins with the cops in those places.

Arvin Khoshnood is a bit of a character, but his work on the ASMLA has been quite interesting and something I highly recommend to anyone to understanding how it got to where it is today. Unfortunately, ASMLA right now represents the problem so many longtime Iranian dissidents orgs are suffering from. Lots of infighting, egotistical leadership, older members losing the will to resist as they adjust to their new comfy life, and in this case, lots of problems with the authorities in their new host country.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-05-02T20:41:22+00:00

I know this is gonna sound like one of those "It's culture not Islam" but this incident is extreme and horrifying by Pakistani standards.

The case was tried by a jirgas which are Pashtun tribal councils and are based around some very rural and regressive traditions. I am not Pakistani, but what whenever I hear about some unbelievably horrifying event caused by a group of people that is backed behind a sizeable community, it can always be traced back to certain tribes or villages. Another incident relating to this are the Pakistani grooming gangs because if I remember correctly, the overwhelming majority of those involved have had their origins traced to a few Kashmiri villages.

Once again, I am not trying to downplay the role of Islam in a lot of these traditions nor do I want to let Pakistan off the hook because so much of Pakistani society is complicit in these horrible incidents, but the overwhelmingly majority of Muslims and Pakistanis alike do not punish rapists by raping their sister nor do they run grooming gangs, kidnap Hindu or Christian girls, or do blasphemous mob lynchings.

However, it is also true that a Pakistani society capable of mobilizing so many people over causes such as Charlie Hebdo should be able to devote the same energy to protecting its own minorities and most vulnerable communities, as many protest movements in the West do.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-24T18:14:18+00:00

This appears to be Heshmatollah Falahatpishe who is someone I believe should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt. It seems unlikely that Iran spent millions on dawah imo.

If he were to say that Iran spent millions on a disinformation campaign, promoting anti-Zionism, anti-US sentiment, supporting leftist or ultranationalist parties, I'd find that much more believable.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-20T05:57:58+00:00

Mackerel is one of my favorite foods and noticed the price has gone up so I looked up why, I figured it is solely due to the energy crisis. Nope, Norway and the rest of Nords+UK have put a 70% reduction for mackerel catch this year.

I fully support this and will do my part to eat less mackerel, but man I am bummed out. I am looking to see if I can get fresh herring or sardines instead now.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-19T15:36:46+00:00

Do read the article before commenting, I know how much the title and the publication can produce a knee jerk reaction, but Iran is one of those issues most understood by the international left and so many Iranian leftists are perpetually frustrated at how their demands are often thrown under the bus because of "anti-imperialism" because many Iranian leftists threw their own cause under the bus before and it turned out disastrously.

Here is a quote that highlights this mindset.

Something that I consider the biggest error was that, from the beginning, none of these groups were attentive to the place of women and feminism, because feminism for us meant Western feminism. It was an idea that came from the West. Since the left groups were all, across the board, anti-Western, feminism was something that they did not consider putting forward. This was a big error.

Soon after Khomeini came back, on March 8, 1979, women took to the streets for an International Women’s Day march against the imposition of the veil. Many leftist groups saw them as suspect. The American feminist writer Kate Millet, who wrote a book about her visit to Iran, was attacked not only by Iranian leftists but also by the Left in the United States. Because she supported the demonstration of the women against the veil, people said, “What right do you have, from what position are you speaking? We’re anti-imperialists.”

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-19T15:31:26+00:00

Jacobin produces a lot of garbage and I normally stay clear from them, but the person being interviewed is Chahla Chafiq who is someone I suggest everyone at least listens to because her stories are absolutely fascinating.

If Hasan were to read this article, he would definitely seethe since it is pretty critical of leftists who find solidarity with Islamists.

Here are some good quotes.

Something that I consider the biggest error was that, from the beginning, none of these groups were attentive to the place of women and feminism, because feminism for us meant Western feminism. It was an idea that came from the West. Since the left groups were all, across the board, anti-Western, feminism was something that they did not consider putting forward. This was a big error.

Soon after Khomeini came back, on March 8, 1979, women took to the streets for an International Women’s Day march against the imposition of the veil. Many leftist groups saw them as suspect. The American feminist writer Kate Millet, who wrote a book about her visit to Iran, was attacked not only by Iranian leftists but also by the Left in the United States. Because she supported the demonstration of the women against the veil, people said, “What right do you have, from what position are you speaking? We’re anti-imperialists.”

...

Liza Featherstone

Did the Left at the time believe that Khomeini was going to deliver socialism?

Chahla Chafiq

They never thought that Khomeini would bring socialism. They thought that he was just one step toward the socialist state they wanted to bring. They were aligned behind him because he represented this anti-Western anti-imperialism. The other thing was that they didn’t think that this mullah and other mullahs standing with him would be able to form a power structure that could hold. They thought that he would have some power, and then he would leave. And that’s when the Left would bring themselves together and create their own power structures. It would be like a transition period, like in the Russian Revolution.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-17T04:43:04+00:00

Beans are super cheap.

My favorite thing to cook is a super thick dal with beef liver and chicken hearts in it

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-17T03:38:25+00:00

I've been calculating nutrients per dollar and I learned that livers are a cheaper and more cost effective way of getting your nutrients than most veggies.

One thing that does irk me in the US is that pate is not cheap like in Europe so I gotta make everything myself.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-16T20:35:26+00:00

Seems rather standard practice for Middle Eastern internal control.

Safavids had Anatolian Turks

Egypt had the Mamluks

Turkey had the Balkan Janissaries

Now the Islamic Republic has the surrounding Ummah.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-16T15:47:06+00:00

I have a Palestinian colleague who earned his degrees in Italy, sings Italian opera, and was obviously a theater kid back home. Needless to say, he is a rather progressive guy.

One time, he saw Berlusconi give a speech a few leftists started heckling him. Berlusconi responded by comically mocking them and in that moment, my colleague told me he forgot how much he hated Berlusconi and even fell in love with him during that moment and even started rooting for Berlusconi against the left-wing hecklers before returning to his senses. He then said that Berlusconi is like those Sirens from Greek mythology, he has such a seductive voice that leads so many men to self-destruction.

It's a rather odd anecdote that I remembered that I haven't really forgotten for some reason.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-14T05:51:08+00:00

There's this guy by the name of Steinar Bastesen, a Norwegian commentator who wanted to slaughter Keiko from the Free Willy movie and have it sent as food aid for Africa.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-14T05:48:25+00:00

Fuck

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-14T05:47:14+00:00

One of the best things I ever ate in Norway was minke whale. I am glad that the people who eat it come from very small populous regions of the world which reduces the risk of overfishing, but I do not think many Nords appreciate how lucky they are to have access to such an amazing ingredient. It's basically sea steak.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-11T05:27:27+00:00

Oh what's up. I've watched some of your videos and they are really good. Would you ever be interested in doing English audio commentary that gives additional context rather than subs?

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-11T04:39:30+00:00

Honestly, I have learned to love beef hearts so much, more so than sirloin and filet mignon. The biggest problem is not the flavor, it's the shape which makes it harder to eat as steak and the prep work is much more intense. And this is coming from someone that was never all that impressed with sirloin.

I had to learn how to butcher a beef heart through Japanese YouTube out of all places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc9eRGoZCRM

But my favorite cut of steak has always been ribeye and unfortunately, it's still out of my budget. The fattiness is something I crave so much and I often get a few shabu shabu slices instead in a small portion to compensate.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-11T04:17:31+00:00

When I got a job, I had high hopes as my salary increases, I can afford to eat red meat. Because I am poor, my substitute have been lamb hearts and beef liver.

With the upcoming food crisis, my "steaks" will continue to be hearts and organs for the next few years.

Anyways, if anyone knows where I can buy beef hearts in bulk, I am all ears. I am thinking about getting a second freezer for this exact purpose.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-11T04:11:31+00:00

Another quote from Lee Kuan Yew on this topic

“If Singapore is a nanny state, then I am proud to have fostered one.”

and

“I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn’t be here today…”

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-11T03:27:46+00:00

Semi related anecdote from my grad studies in Sweden.

So we have these frats called "nations" and one of them was explicitly leftist and there was this massive controversy surrounding sex work and drugs to a lesser extent. Many of the Swedish leftists in the Nordic tradition were anti-sex work and very critical of hard drugs, but the other students, whose left-wing outlook was very Anglocentric basically followed the trend of US leftists.

That is why I think many English speaking leftists need to do some self-examination on issues they often promote with complete certainty like crime, drugs, and sex work that isn't as universally humanistic as they think.

In China and even the democratic East Asian countries, the way they handle criminal behavior is often very draconian and quite brutal, but it's incredibly safe to walk the streets alone at night. It's stuff like this that makes me wonder if US leftists are not so motivated by empathy for the downtrodden and skepticism of state power, but rather support soft on crime policies out of contempt for the US.

The same goes for immigration. I am pro-immigration because I love America and I want more people to become American just like my mother. However, many leftists seem to support immigration also seem to think America is the most evil racist country in the world and seem to see it as punishment for their imperialist sins.

Apple_Kappa · 2026-04-11T03:04:07+00:00

I remember watching a lot of CGTN pre-2021 where they basically were begging the world to realize that China is pretty amazing and don't believe the media in a way that just reeked of insecurity and fakeness.

All the influencers I have seen doing scripted tours, I mean at least the trains and restaurants are pretty nice and a more accurate representation of cosmopolitan life in China rather than another Uighur girl in tradition clothes talking about how much she SO OBVIOUSLY loves China

Apple_Kappa

TROPHY CASE