ANGRY Iranians are still in the streets, but the widespread protests that have been rocking Iran appear to be fizzling out. Starting on December 28th, Iranians came out to complain about high prices, low wages and a lack of jobs. The interior minister put the crowds at 42,000, spread across dozens of cities and towns. Even if that is an underestimate, it falls far short of the scale of protests nine years ago, when hundreds of thousands demonstrated against a fishy election. Still, the unrest has spooked the regime, in part because demonstrators called for a complete change of government. The response was forceful. More than 20 people were killed. A reformist MP says that 3,700 were arrested.

The regime and countries in the West are now pondering their next steps. On January 9th Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader (pictured), blamed America and Britain for the protests; his officials claim to have evidence that they were directed from abroad. “This won’t be left without a response,” he said on Twitter. But so far the government has only banned the teaching of English in primary schools, warning of a “cultural invasion”.