Iran Bans Teaching English In Primary Schools

The Iranian regime has banned English courses from primary schools, after leaders warned that teaching the language to the young could lead to a Western “cultural invasion.” The Shiite Islamic Republic has long viewed itself as being in conflict with the West, in general, and the U.S., in particular, and while Tehran’s ties to European nations have thawed in the wake of the 2015 nuclear deal, relations with Washington remain strained. U.S. President Donald Trump has assumed a harder line on the mullahs than his predecessor, having decertified Iran’s compliance with the atomic accord while applying sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile program. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson revealed this week that White House officials are currently working with key lawmakers on a legislative fix to strengthen the way Washington enforces the agreement, thereby giving President Trump enough reason not to nix it entirely. It comes ahead of next week’s deadline to again certify Iranian compliance with the pact, at which time the American leader also will have to decide whether to continue granting Tehran relief from nuclear-related sanctions. All of this, meanwhile, is taking place against the backdrop of nationwide unrest in Iran—publicly supported by the U.S. president—which started out as small economic protests but quickly devolved into violent anti-regime demonstrations resulting in some two dozen deaths. Iranian authorities blamed the civil disobedience on external “enemies,” including Washington, and it is believed the crackdown on English is both connected to efforts to quell any potential mass uprising as well as a message to Western countries.