> My stance is the exact opposite, it's that they do have agency but that the constant articles in the West celebrating a chance for some sort of regime change

> My stance is the exact opposite, it's that they do have agency but that the constant articles in the West celebrating a chance for some sort of regime change actually gives the Iranian government the ammunition it needs to make them appear sponsored/non-organic. It barely matters. Diplomats do try spin things that way, but the government's problem is that they can't stop the protests inside despite having already killed hundreds of protesters, foreign media is pretty far down their list of concerns. In Tehran women are walking around without headscarves in blatant defiance of morality rules and the government is growing desperate. Recent talk of maybe relaxing morality rules are a desperate attempt to placate the protests, not put on a show for the West.