The Iranian Basji, or "people's militia," were initially intended to have a security role, and have made more frequent political interventions since the 2005 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A weak Basij will be a serious problem if the Iranian regime becomes embattled.

There are some similarities between the seizure of the U.S. embassy and the attack against the British embassy, and history indeed seems to be repeating itself.

The importance of Iran’s March 2 parliamentary elections was not so much in their function to choose a new Majlis but rather because they were the first nationwide poll since widespread fraud during the 2009 presidential election sparked the largest protests Iran had witnessed since the Islamic Revolution.

Inspired by the Pakistani role model, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is transforming Iran into a military dictatorship, where the IRGC is not only constitutionally tasked with "safeguarding the revolution and its achievements," but also rules Iran.

Regardless if it is Khamenei or the IRGC who is responsible for the terror plot, the Islamic Republic should be held responsible and should also pay a price for its adventurist policies. Otherwise a bolder and more assertive leadership in Tehran will test Washington’s redlines.

The older Iranian generation, which led the revolution of 1979, along with the sons and daughters of the revolution, chose the commemoration of Hussein Ibn Ali's revolt against injustice to protest the unjust regime in Tehran.

Four more years with Ahmadinejad will provide more change, but is it change for the better?