TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) — Political analyst Sadeq Zibakalam said here on Wednesday that the Iranian nation is politically aware and that has led to increased demands for freedom of speech and internal criticism.

Zibakalam told the Mehr News Agency that Iran has an extraordinary position in regard to freedom of speech as compared with other Middle Eastern countries.

“The issue of freedom of speech in Iran is not in the least comparable with that of the Central Asian and neighboring Arab countries. However, the limitations imposed in these countries have not been criticized, despite their alliance with the United States and other Western countries,” he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the analyst referred to Iran’s Constitutional Revolution, which occurred a century ago, saying that it made Iran the first Asian country to experience a fundamental change with the aim of realizing freedom of speech and the rule of law.

“No Asian country experienced such historical events,” he said.

Zibakalam said that the relentless movement for freedom of the press in Iran over the course of history is an indication of Iranians’ desire for freedom.

“There are approximately two million students and a large number of acknowledged scholars in the country at present, a fact that has increased the sensitivity toward any kind of limitation in Iran,” he said.

Zibakalam added that the Constitution satisfies the demand for freedom of speech in Iran, stressing that the current problems in that regard are natural due to the people’s demands and international sensitivity toward the issue.

“These problems are rooted in the functions of various institutions that are directly connected to the issues of freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” he said in conclusion.