RICK MORAN: Iran Has Entered a ‘Doom Loop’ Thanks to the Internet Shutdown.

The government claims about 3,100 dead protesters, including hundreds of security personnel. The UN claims 14,000-20,000 dead. Reports emerged in mid-January that the sheer number of casualties in Tehran and other major cities exhausted the supply of body bags, with authorities reportedly using semi-trailer trucks to transport the dead.

The protests have quieted, largely thanks to security personnel shooting or arresting anyone who dares protest. More than 40,000 people have been arrested. How many of those poor souls will emerge from captivity is unknown.

The internet in Iran is still down, and authorities are terrified of reinitializing it. Their vast internal intelligence networks are telling them that the people are not going back to blind obedience to the regime.That’s because with the internet down, commerce in Iran has come to a screeching halt. Store shelves are empty. People aren’t working. In a nation sitting on an ocean of oil, most gas stations are closed.

This has led Iran into a “doom loop.” Commerce has slowed to a crawl, meaning the conditions that led to the economic protests in the first place have only worsened. It’s inevitable that this will lead to more protests and another crackdown.

How much longer the regime can last is an open question.

Related: How Trump could use his ‘beautiful armada’ to crush Iran.