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In a rare and revealing admission, Esmail Khatib, the clerical regime’s Minister of Intelligence, acknowledged the ongoing and seemingly permanent presence of foreign infiltration within the Iranian regime. “Infiltration has always existed, and it will continue,” Khatib stated on July 17 in response to questions about the penetration of hostile elements into the upper echelons of the Iranian regime.
This public acknowledgment marks a significant shift in tone. It directly contradicts previous boasts by Iranian regime officials, who claimed they had dismantled all external spy networks and successfully rooted out foreign operatives. Khatib’s statement not only highlights the regime’s growing vulnerabilities but also suggests deep disarray within its intelligence and security institutions. More importantly, it reflects the regime’s inability to suppress or contain mounting resistance from within.
#Iran News: State Media Slams Senior Cleric for Accusing MPs of #Espionage Amid Regime Infightinghttps://t.co/W8CtQSTlhk
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 13, 2025
A Regime Exposed from Within
Khatib’s admission follows the recent assassination of senior security officials and nuclear scientists—events that continue to spark controversy over the failure of Iran’s intelligence apparatus. In public remarks at a ceremony honoring deceased military intelligence officers Gholamreza Mehrabi and Mehdi Rabani, Khatib called for an “offensive strategy from within” as a response to recent crises.
Khatib’s words betray the regime’s desperation. With military setbacks and intelligence failures mounting, the Iranian regime appears unable to prevent breaches into its most sensitive institutions. Even more troubling for the leadership, these acknowledgments come just weeks after coordinated internal and external operations targeted high-ranking IRGC personnel.
At the same event, Khatib declared that “our missiles forced them to retreat,” referring obliquely to the war’s aftermath. However, the reality of sustained infiltration at the heart of the regime tells a different story—one of weakness rather than deterrence.
Internal Discord and Espionage Scandals Expose Cracks in #Iran’s Security Structure https://t.co/zvsptStdCc via @irannewsupdate1
— Iran News Update (@IranNewsUpdate1) July 16, 2025
Ahmad Vahidi Admits to Failed Plots and Domestic Rebellion
Echoing Khatib’s anxiety, Ahmad Vahidi, an advisor to regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, also admitted to the failure of premeditated plans to contain dissent. Speaking during a memorial for slain military officials, Vahidi acknowledged that “extensive plans” and “a great deal of funding” had been allocated to trigger domestic uprisings and destabilize the regime from within. He went so far as to admit that the regime’s opponents had “spoken with various mercenaries” and “tried to create an alternative.”
These statements not only expose the scale of internal dissatisfaction but also confirm the ongoing and determined efforts by the Iranian Resistance and popular networks inside the country to challenge the theocracy’s legitimacy.
Regime Factions Clash Over Diplomacy and War
While security officials admit to deep fractures, other regime insiders are working to reassure demoralized forces that the system is not retreating. Ali Larijani, senior advisor to Khamenei, sought to project strength by downplaying the possibility of serious negotiations. He described diplomacy as merely a “tactic” to be used at the Supreme Leader’s discretion, not a strategic shift.
“There is no rush for negotiations,” he said. “They have fought us; they must first explain why.” His message was less about foreign policy than internal cohesion—signaling to loyalist ranks that no concessions are on the horizon that might further erode the regime’s ideological foundations.
Similarly, Raouf Sheybani, a senior diplomat, adopted a belligerent tone, rejecting European warnings about potential sanctions. He declared that activating the “snapback mechanism” would “yield no benefit” to Europe and that Iran would never back down “in the face of threats.” Yet such bravado stands in sharp contrast with the regime’s fragile internal state and the reality of increasing international pressure.
#Iran’s Parliament Approves Harsh Anti-Espionage Law Amid Strategic Weakness and Domestic Unrest https://t.co/xPMIWMScvT via @irannewsupdate1
— Iran News Update (@IranNewsUpdate1) July 13, 2025
A Contradiction That Cannot Be Hidden
The inconsistencies between defiant propaganda and reluctant admissions of failure are no longer sustainable. Khatib’s vague promises of “future disclosures” about high-level infiltration, without offering details or transparency, only add to public skepticism. His statement that “whatever is officially reported is based on evidence” and not on “rumors or false reports” seems more like damage control than assurance.
A day earlier, in another speech, Khatib called for Iranian intelligence efforts to “escalate operations within enemy territory,” signaling the regime’s intent to export its internal crisis outward rather than address the root causes of instability.
The Bigger Picture
While officials scramble to protect the regime’s image, the underlying message is clear: the clerical dictatorship is facing mounting internal dissent, strategic vulnerability, and international isolation. Despite their propaganda, regime leaders can no longer deny that their system is compromised—both by the growing strength of the Iranian Resistance and by their own institutional failures.
The Iranian regime’s deepening crisis is not simply a matter of espionage or foreign threats. It is the result of decades of corruption, repression, and an utter disconnect from the demands and aspirations of the Iranian people.