The regime, aiming to distract from domestic unrest, sought to create a short-lived crisis to bolster its forces’ morale and highlight the Basij in the media. However, the Iranian populace’s reluctance to support the Gaza war, strained by economic and social hardships, has become increasingly apparent.
The conflict’s escalation has reignited demonstrations across various Iranian societal strata, demanding rights and amplifying internal political disputes. Criticism has escalated within the regime, with some officials openly challenging Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi. The state-run newspaper, Etemad, featured a damning article by Mohammad Reza Ayatollahi, accusing the interior minister of lying and committing a ‘great sin,’ calling for his impeachment.
Further exposing the regime’s internal struggles, Abdolnaser Hemmati, the former Governor of the Central Bank, revealed alarming economic realities: a substantial increase in money printing, skyrocketing food and housing prices, and accusations of embezzlement and corruption involving Tehran municipality rents.This disclosure raised serious doubts about the government’s economic narratives.
Even former government supporters are now voicing their discontent. Prominent figures who initially backed the regime are now adopting a critical stance, warning of grim prospects if the economic situation remains unchanged. Raisi’s closest allies, once unwavering in their support, are now distancing themselves, disenchanted by unfulfilled promises and deteriorating economic indicators.
While Khamenei has traditionally tolerated grievances about economic woes and government corruption, the focus of criticism has shifted towards the regime’s aggressive foreign policy and regional interventions. Unusually, state media, typically echoing government narratives, echoed public sentiments against war, with Setareh-e Sobh newspaper highlighting Iranians’ primary concerns about domestic issues like economy and environment, and suggesting a peaceful resolution to the Palestine issue.
Rasoul Motjabnia, a member of the regime’s Expediency Council, openly accused Khamenei of misusing the Gaza situation for political suppression, criticizing his leadership and questioning the legitimacy of the Revolutionary Guards’ (IRGC) actions in foreign territories.
Khamenei’s attempt to use the Gaza conflict to consolidate power and suppress domestic dissent has backfired. The war, intended to strengthen his regime, has led to foreign policy failures, global condemnation, calls for blacklisting the IRGC as a terror group, and increased domestic opposition to the regime’s warmongering.
The balance of power is now evidently tilting against Khamenei’s ambitions. The regime faces mounting pressure for the repercussions it has brought upon Iran, its people, and the region. As Setareh-e Sobh poignantly noted, “The start of the war, like what Hamas did, seems pleasant at the beginning, but the continuation and outcome of the war are usually tragic.”
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