In addition to the growing international isolation, the mullahs now face a tsunami of domestic economic, social, and political crises. Such alarming circumstances are the direct cause of the regime’s inability to control domestic problems and internal political conflicts.
Khamenei appointed “Butcher of Tehran”
Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Iranian regime, appointed Ebrahim Raisi as his regime’s president in an effort to bring things under control after a number of individuals who were previously believed to be close to his own inner circle were disqualified.
Raisi has been dubbed the “Butcher of Tehran” for his direct involvement in the summer of 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners. He was also the head of the judiciary during the November 2019 protests, which rocked the regime to its core.
Voices within the regime are expressing worry
Additionally, after a year in office, Raisi has failed to resolve any of the crises that Khamenei and his government are currently facing. Voices within the regime are expressing worry about the current situation and the unsettling future.
“I want to make a formal announcement. The people have given up on us because we have come to the end of the road, which means we are totally cut off from them. Finally, Rasoul Montajabnia, a figure close to the regime’s higher echelons, said, “We are forced to impose our measures through force,”.
As of 10:00 am Tehran time on October 17, protests in #Iran have expanded to 193 cities.
Over 400 people killed and more than 20,000 arrested by the regime's forces. The PMOI/MEK has published the names of 224 killed protesters.#IranRevoIution2022#اوین#آزادی_آزادی_آزادی pic.twitter.com/81L8gH2TS7
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 17, 2022
Institutionalized corruption
It is unprecedented for someone so close to the senior leadership of the regime to make such frank statements. Montajabnia went even further in his criticism, implicitly targeting Khamenei himself. “Corruption has become institutionalized, and some people refuse to accept this reality! This is not an appropriate way to rule… We are living through the worst type of rule in history,” he added.
In this regime, Montajabnia is obviously not referring to anything new. The mullahs have long relied on domestic repression, executions, torture, corruption, and theft from the Iranian people to maintain their rule. But why are regime officials speaking out about these facts now more than ever before, and why are these statements appearing in the state-run media under the regime?
Volatile social climate
The country’s volatile social climate and the regime’s inability to control a very restless population—which many analysts have referred to as a powder keg—are the cause of the problem. The quote from Montajabnia that reads, “Give the people freedom for just one day and see what they will do!” is particularly telling.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the status quo of the mullahs’ regime in Iran, as anyone who is familiar with the country can vouch for the fact. Career official in the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security Ali Rabi’i issued a cautionary statement regarding the unrest in the nation’s society. In an interview with the state-run Etemad daily on September 13, he stated, “This negative mentality can lead to destructive outcomes and social instability.”
Such statements illuminate an undeniable reality, regardless of who or what organization is in charge of this regime. The ongoing crises afflicting the regime’s entire apparatus and the raging nation’s daily street protests, which have the potential to incite new uprisings, deeply worry regime officials.
I salute Iran’s young men and women. Not only have they refused to surrender to the mullahs’ dictatorship, but also, they have turned every street into a defiant bastion to attack the mullahs’ rule.#IranProtests2022 #IranRevolution2022 pic.twitter.com/SI1DnnQtCU
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 14, 2022
