Three-minute read
The Iranian regime is witnessing an intensifying internal power struggle, with rival factions engaging in public attacks, accusations of corruption, and disputes over economic failures and foreign policy. As the regime faces mounting crises, including energy shortages, financial mismanagement, and public discontent, rival factions turned against one another, each blaming the other for the country’s deepening instability.
Masoud Pezeshkian’s government has been under relentless attack from extremist factions who associate themselves with the regime’s Supreme Leader, despite his repeated declarations of loyalty to Ali Khamenei. They have accused Pezeshkian’s administration of incompetence and broken promises, pointing to his controversial appointments and policy failures.
One of the most controversial attacks has been over the appointment of Pezeshkian’s son-in-law to a senior government position, which opponents have labeled as blatant nepotism. However, Pezeshkian’s allies have hit back, accusing their rivals of seeking to paint him as a second Ebrahim Raisi—the previous president who was killed in a helicopter crash. They argue that the real source of Iran’s current economic and energy crises is the previous administration, not Pezeshkian’s government.
#Iranian Regime Infighting Deepens After Removal of Zarif and Hemmatihttps://t.co/h1ukZ1hRx9
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 6, 2025
The faction that brands itself as “moderate” or “reformist” has placed much of the blame on the Raisi’s administration, arguing that the crippling electricity shortages and financial mismanagement were inherited from his government. They accuse their rivals of prioritizing power struggles over the survival of the regime.
A major point of conflict has been the recent exposure of a massive $4 billion corruption scandal linked to the Debsh Tea Company, which has severely damaged the credibility of extremist factions. This scandal has embarrassed the very people who once hailed Raisi’s government as the ‘most anti-corruption administration in Iran’s history.’
Pezeshkian’s camp has capitalized on the scandal, mocking their rivals: “Instead of attacking us, why don’t you explain the corruption in Raisi’s government?”
Adding further to the regime’s economic turmoil, newly released documents show that the Raisi administration had forecast the Iranian currency devaluing to between 90,000 and 100,000 tomans per dollar, revealing that even insiders expected a financial collapse under their leadership.
Infighting and Economic Turmoil Deepen Cracks in #Iran’s Regimehttps://t.co/FoEKoexl0B
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 24, 2024
Meanwhile, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader and Khamenei’s representative in Mashhad, accused him of betraying Khamenei: “He has been disloyal to the Supreme Leader. He [Pezeshkian] says, ‘We wanted to negotiate, but since the Leader said no, we didn’t.’”
Alamolhoda also condemned Pezeshkian for not enforcing the hijab law as aggressively as hardliners demand, stating: “He claims he doesn’t want to enforce hijab laws because he doesn’t want to stand against the people. So are the 80% of parliament members who signed petitions for stricter hijab laws not people?”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Hosseini Hamedani, Khamenei’s representative in Karaj, issued a stark warning about foreign influence in Iran’s political battles, claiming that the West was using psychological warfare to destabilize the regime: “You keep hearing from the enemies that they will attack Iran, that they will bomb its nuclear sites, and so on. The government must be careful not to be deceived by infiltrators.”
#Iran's Regime Infighting Escalates Amid #Economic Crisis and International Tensionshttps://t.co/QaeyKbnTc7
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 19, 2025
Hamedani also criticized pro-Western voices in the regime, warning that some factions believe that if Iran simply gives in to Western demands, it will be accepted internationally.
MP Amir-Hossein Sabeti dismissed Pezeshkian’s government as elitist and detached from the working class, declaring: “No matter how much Pezeshkian wears a construction uniform and picks up a shovel, he will never represent the working class. His government and economic team are controlled by brokers and capitalists.”
Sabeti also lashed out at former Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati, stating that he should have been punished for his role in Iran’s financial collapse: “Hemmati should have been held accountable for the damage he caused to this country. Instead, now we see him back in power, alongside Pezeshkian.”
Key Infighting Events in Iran’s Regime (2024)
July: Raisi’s death and Pezeshkian’s appointment as president ignited factional rivalries
Aug-Dec: Cabinet vetting and budget debates became battlegrounds
Dec: Mandatory hijab enforcement divided factions, with clerics demanding… pic.twitter.com/zD2czqJblP— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 1, 2025
In a fiery exchange on state TV, Sabati also attacked former President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, branding Zarif as nothing more than “a showman who speaks fluent English and deceives Iran’s middle class.”
The escalating power struggles, public betrayals, and exposure of corruption at the highest levels demonstrate that Iran’s ruling system is in deep turmoil. As the country faces economic collapse, diplomatic isolation, and increasing internal dissent, the factions within Khamenei’s regime have begun tearing each other apart. For many Iranians, this internal war between rival political elites is further proof that the regime is a system so fragile that, as one analyst described it, “like a pack of wolves, when the prey disappears, they begin devouring each other.”