But he wasn’t delivering. Student protests in 1999 demanding more rapid reforms led to five days of rioting that turned Tehran into a battle zone as thousands of students chanted “Khamenei, shame on you, leadership is not for you.” The Basij and other paramilitary groups were let loose into the crowds and beat the protesters. The unrest spread across the country in what was the worst challenge so far to the twenty-year-old Islamic Republic. But the system survived. And despite his failure to deliver change, Khatami was given another chance and reelected in 2001 for a four-year term, because
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