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The clerical regime in Tehran has launched a barrage of furious statements against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) following the “Free Iran 2025” summit in Rome, while simultaneously admitting to deep internal fractures, nationwide hardship, and a desperate fear of renewed uprisings.
A state-run outlet, Hamiyan-e-Velayat (“Supporters of the Supreme Leader”), warned in a panicked tone that the PMOI was allegedly conspiring with “foreign enemies” during its conference in Italy. The article declared: “A danger lurks as the revolutionary nation of Iran stands on the threshold of national unity… this terrorist group once again sharpened its sword in Rome with the backing of global arrogance to target the sacred Islamic Republic.” Despite such rhetoric, the piece contradicted itself by lumping together Saddam Hussein’s former regime, Israel, and the United States as PMOI allies—three entities with no alignment or shared agenda—revealing the extent of Tehran’s propaganda desperation.
Meanwhile, in a lengthy interview with Mizan News Agency published August 3, accusing the PMOI of using “layered psychological traps” on social media to reach Iran’s youth. “They don’t come with slogans or banners,” she said. “They use high-engagement content—viral sports challenges, cultural pages, even fake job opportunities—to lower defenses. Only in the deeper layers do they reveal their political intentions.” These alarmist claims reflect the regime’s deep unease with its inability to control the digital battlefield and the loss of narrative among Iran’s younger generation.
The Iranian regime’s futile efforts to contain rebellious students and youth https://t.co/5ES8b33tck
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 24, 2025
The panic spread beyond Iran’s borders as embassies in Europe scrambled to issue furious statements. The regime’s embassy in Italy lashed out at the host country for “providing a platform to a terrorist group with blood on its hands,” repeating decades-old propaganda aimed at discrediting the Iranian Resistance.
Meanwhile, in response to a 14-nation statement on Tehran’s cross-border repression, the regime’s embassies in Copenhagen and London accused European states of “harboring terrorists,” singling out Albania for allegedly hosting PMOI members running “hybrid warfare campaigns” from abroad. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaee accused the United States, France, and other signatories of “supporting terrorism” simply for allowing opposition groups like the PMOI to operate freely in Europe.
In Tehran, interim Friday prayer leader Ahmad Khatami acknowledged the regime’s internal power struggle, admitting that key factions feared war if they did not accept indirect negotiations with the West. “If we hadn’t accepted negotiations, some insiders would have accused us of dragging the country into war… now the proof is complete,” he confessed. His remarks exposed the clerical leadership’s fear of both external confrontation and internal collapse, laying bare a war within the regime over how to contain unrest.
#IRGC-Linked Media Accuses @Mojahedineng of Targeting Youth Amid Growing Influencehttps://t.co/prg0rozDEV
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 3, 2025
In a televised speech on August 2, 2025, cleric Mohammad Mahdi Mandegari, one of the regime’s top propagandists in Qom, declared that “listening to satellite channels and social media content from enemy sources” is “strictly forbidden.” Referring to dissenting information online, he added: “Today, satellite channels and enemy digital platforms are definitely haram according to all fatwas. Don’t listen to the enemy. Listen only to the Supreme Leader.” His remarks echo the regime’s desperation to seal off public access to external information sources, a strategy increasingly difficult to enforce as internet penetration rises.
Meanwhile, in Ilam, Va’ad Moradbeygi, the city’s Friday prayer leader shed crocodile tears over widespread electricity blackouts, saying “people are truly desperate with these power cuts… families with children are suffering.” But his words, far from genuine empathy, were a clear attempt to deflect blame from the very rulers responsible for Iran’s crumbling infrastructure, hoping to avoid fueling the growing social fury that has driven repeated nationwide protests.
These statements, coming one after another, betray a regime increasingly rattled by the PMOI’s rising international profile and mounting support for regime change among Iranians at home and abroad. Faced with crumbling domestic services, infighting at the top, and growing isolation abroad, Tehran’s rulers have resorted to frantic outbursts against their main opposition, hoping to rally their shrinking base and intimidate Western governments into silencing dissenting voices.