Color revolution doesn't mean that the protests were illegitimate or involved paid actors. It only means that they were exploited as a pretext for western efforts (Elon activating starlink in the region this is obviously because he respects women so much! or recent EU sanctions and US sanctions) to undermine Iran's policies abroad that happened to have a progressive impact like opposition to Israel or diplomatic relations with the PRC (Russia also has certain policies relating to other countries that create this certain impact, I am not pro Putin but this is a fact). "Leftists" who can only think of this in the black and white sense (think, you) of protests that either cannot be exploited or are being performed entirely by paid agents are the weakest kinds and could not form any coherent analysis if they tried. I am sure there was this or that person who claimed the protests were illegitimate but this kind of nonsense presents just as stupid of an analysis.