The Tehran Show Trials Get More Stalinesque

I've been pretty quiet about Iran's "show trials" and my post yesterday merely noted Gary Sick's much qualified comparison to the Stalin show trials of the 30s, but stories like this make me wonder. Hajjarian, partially paralyzed by an assassination attempt later pinned more or less convincingly on the intelligence apparatus, is being threatened with the "maximum penalty" — though it's unlikely they'll actuall try to execute him — after a "confession" that deserves the quotation marks.

But I think Gary may be right: the Revolution has come full circle: the regime is becoming the Shah. But I don't think the story's over yet, somehow.