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In a sweeping move to tighten its grip on society, Iran’s clerical regime has expanded its so-called “Neighborhood-Based Management” initiative—a program increasingly revealed to be a sophisticated security and surveillance infrastructure masquerading as social reform. Far from addressing the root causes of public discontent, the initiative seeks to suppress it.
In response to growing resistance among political prisoners—especially under the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign—and amid escalating protests, the regime has launched a new repressive arm called “Operation Unrest.” This new operation, headquartered within Tehran’s mosques, was announced by regime cleric Ehsan Mousavi, Cultural Deputy of the Center for Mosque Affairs.
According to Mousavi, the operation is being implemented in coordination with the IRGC’s Mohammad Corps and aims to activate 1,200 mosques across Tehran province within a year. While officials claim it’s part of revitalizing “inactive mosques,” the program’s structure reveals its true purpose: creating a decentralized network to monitor, intimidate, and suppress dissent at the grassroots level.
Weekly meetings—held every Tuesday after morning prayers—will bring together local officials, IRGC representatives, Basij forces, municipal authorities, law enforcement, and even figures from the Ministry of Education and Sports. This blending of military and civilian bodies underlines a disturbing trend: the militarization of everyday life.
#Iran News: Tehran Launches Military #Surveillance Program to Deter Uprising Amid Mounting Regime Anxietyhttps://t.co/rh3w19ZUYI
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 3, 2025
The June 3 Meeting: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain
On June 2, 2025, the regime’s state media announced the formation of a “neighborhood-based management review” meeting, presenting it as a step toward “reducing inequality, promoting social capital, and enhancing resilience.” But the high-profile attendees told another story.
Among those present were:
- The regime’s president Masoud Pezeshkian,
- IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami,
- The Minister of Interior Eskandar Mo’meni,
- The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi,
- Senior Basij commanders.
The presence of these security and ideological enforcers suggests that the regime’s version of “social capital” is one built on control, not community. The absence of ministers responsible for economy, labor, or public welfare—key actors in any genuine social development effort—was conspicuous and telling.
#Iran News: Tehran Stages Security Drill Amid Fear of Renewed #Protestshttps://t.co/2KNIY4x7NU
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 19, 2025
Militarized Governance Disguised as Community Development
In governance theory, reducing inequality involves socio-economic reforms; promoting social capital requires trust and voluntary civic engagement. But in the clerical regime’s version, these goals are pursued not by social workers or economic planners, but by the IRGC and Basij—paramilitary entities long associated with surveillance, repression, and coercion.
Hossein Salami revealed that 64,000 Basij bases are prepared to implement the plan. His announcement was echoed by the Basij chief, who spoke of 30,000 neighborhood development councils tasked with “identifying needs and capacities.” But such euphemisms obscure the program’s core objective: surveillance.
State broadcaster Khabar Network confirmed the true nature of the project, describing it as “a new approach to local governance centered on the Basij” that prevents “dispersion”—a word choice hinting at centralized control, not empowerment.
#Iran News: Clerical Regime Deploys 15,000 AI-Powered Cameras in 2025 Crackdown as Infrastructure Collapseshttps://t.co/hKaXhXhcdB
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 9, 2025
A Familiar Pattern of Repression
Iranians are no strangers to such tactics. From the “Student Mobilization” units in schools to “ideological-political circles,” the regime has long embedded its security arms in everyday institutions. These initiatives have subjected generations to indoctrination, surveillance, arbitrary arrests, and in many cases, state-sanctioned violence.
The “Neighborhood-Based Management” plan follows this same trajectory, but on a larger scale. Its objective is to turn Iranian cities into watchtowers, where every neighborhood becomes a surveillance cell and every act of dissent is swiftly neutralized.
Aerial Surveillance: Expanding the Security Net
In a parallel development, the Tehran municipality has announced a plan to conduct aerial surveillance over the capital’s airspace—yet another escalation in domestic monitoring. The plan, developed in partnership with Imam Hossein University (an IRGC-affiliated institution), includes satellite and drone surveillance to monitor the city’s 5,980-kilometer boundary.
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani described the project as a step toward “preventing security challenges and corruption.” Hamidreza Saremi, deputy mayor, confirmed that the system would permanently monitor Tehran using “modern technologies,” while university president Hassani Ahangar elaborated that drones and satellite platforms would cover the area from the Alborz Mountains to the Qom highway.
This unprecedented move effectively places the entire city under military-grade scrutiny, with IRGC-linked institutions in full control.
#Iran News: Regime Moves to Indoctrinate #Students as Tehran Frets Over Role of Youth in Uprisingshttps://t.co/X1zDl2IPCM
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 21, 2025
Not Governance, But Occupation
The regime portrays these efforts as part of a national strategy to promote cohesion and social welfare. In reality, they reflect a deep fear of societal unrest. Widespread dissatisfaction, fueled by crushing economic inequality and relentless political repression, continues to drive protests and civil disobedience.
Rather than responding to the root causes of this unrest, the regime tightens its grip. Just as the enforcement of mandatory hijab laws backfired and intensified public outrage, the militarization of neighborhoods and airspace may further alienate the very people the regime seeks to dominate.
This is not governance—it is occupation. And the Iranian people, who have endured decades of similar programs, recognize it for what it is. They see through the rhetoric of “service provision” and “social capital.” They know that the real goal is control.
Whether this new system of repression will succeed in quelling dissent—or instead become the catalyst for further resistance—remains to be seen. But history shows that repression cannot buy legitimacy. And no amount of surveillance can suppress the desire for freedom.