by Lei’s Real Talk
Iran has entered its most dangerous yet promising moment since 1979. What began as nationwide protests has escalated into a full-scale challenge to the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy. As violence spreads, elites panic, and symbols of the regime fall, Iran is now stress-testing the modern authoritarian model—one built on surveillance, censorship, and fear. This program explains why Iran’s revolution is more than a regional crisis, why it closely mirrors China’s own vulnerabilities, and why Beijing is watching Tehran with growing alarm. Iran may be the rehearsal—but China is the real audience.
Lei says that with the possible imminent collapse of Iran’s theocratic regime, “We are watching a stress test of the modern authoritarian system. A system built on surveillance, censorship, propaganda, and fear; a system that Iran learned, studied, and copied from China.
Some observers say Iran has reached its June 4th moment, which is the 1989 pro-democracy turning point in China. And that’s exactly why Beijing is watching so closely.
Because if this system breaks in Iran, it can bring it can break anywhere and it will almost certainly have a rippling effect in China.
So today, I want to show you why the Iranian uprising is not just history in the making, but a dress rehearsal for what may be coming next in the Middle Kingdom.