Iran on the brink as the working class blame Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The fuel protests in Iran last week seem to be crystallising into a general feeling that president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is letting his core voters, the average working man in Iran down.

Not only do they have to face petrol rationing but also inflation that is much higher than it used to be largely caused by president Ahmadinejad's policies and sanctions.

It seems that he also has some madcap plan to build steel plants well away from the sources or Iron ore as well, which shows just how daft he is.

The regime does appear to be keeping intellectual dissent stifled and the reformists are divided but there is an increasing amount of grass roots discontent on the streets.

I expect Iran will try to pull some sort of stunt to get its people to unite behind it. It would be a mistake to help them out. What we need to do is quietly increase the pressure and avoid sabre rattling.

The Telegraph has this.