Will Sanctions Hurt Iran Opposition?

United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran could weaken the country's opposition, which has continued to struggle a year after Iran's disputed presidential election. Mir Hossein Mousavi, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's main rival, has spoken out against the sanctions, aligning himself with the ruling faction. “Confrontation with the West helps the current regime sideline the opposition," one Iran scholar told Bloomberg. "It’s difficult for them to keep up their protests.” On Wednesday, the Interior Ministry rejected a request from 10 opposition groups to hold a "silent" protest in Tehran on June 12, the anniversary of last year's election.