On Oct. 20, 14 countries with female foreign ministers held an online meeting at the invitation of the Canadian Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly, to discuss support for Iranian women. This was a first. The Democratic administration of U.S. President Joseph Biden has also changed its line and for the first time. It invited more than the usual lobbies — which often promote rapprochement with the Islamic Republic — for conversations on Iran. Some of the new interlocutors included Nazanin Boniadi, a prominent actress, and the author Roya Hakakian, who met with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his advisers to convey the views of ordinary Iranians. Boniadi also met with Vice President Kamala Harris and the National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Biden's own discourse has changed, as shown by some public expressions of support for the protesters. His Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, has voiced regret over his administration's failure to support mass Iran protests in 2009. The reactions might have something to do with Congressional elections on Nov. 2, in which the Democrats are not expected to do well. But while the aim may be to keep votes, it's a case of a glass half full and welcome as far as it goes.