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In recent months, the instability of Iran’s clerical regime has become increasingly obvious, especially in the aftermath of the 12-Day War. Officials who once projected strength now betray fear through their words and actions. In the post-war period, they speak of “solidarity with the people,” yet in practice they have intensified repression and executions, fearing renewed protests.
Although regime media constantly repeat the theme of “solidarity,” internal rivalries are worsening. Some factions have gone as far as calling for the impeachment of regime president Masoud Pezeshkian. On August 28, the regime’s news network reported that parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf declared: “The economy, security, and politics must be handed over to the people!”
He continued: “We must run the country with the help of the people. We have removed the people from running the country. This is our problem. Our economy is 80 percent government-run, and the other part is semi-private, and in short, we waste tens of billions of dollars a year.”
Such remarks—directly contradicting the regime’s entire structure—reflect the deep threat that has forced Ghalibaf to voice them. Behind his words lies the growing pressure from the very people he claims to speak for.
#Iran Faces Mounting Crisis: Snapback Mechanism Threats, Nationwide Military Alert, and Fear of Uprisinghttps://t.co/RM2d5Gbltz
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 26, 2025
Executions as a Tool of Survival
The regime’s fear is further exposed in its mass executions. On August 29, 2025, Reuters reported: “Iranian authorities have executed at least 841 people so far this year, marking a major increase, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. One hundred people were executed in July, more than double the number of people executed in July of last year, according to the Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights.”
UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva: “The high number of executions indicates a systematic pattern of using death penalty as a tool of state intimidation and repression of any dissent.”
She added: “OHCHR had observed a disproportionate targeting of ethnic minorities and migrants on death row. Iran has ignored multiple calls to join the worldwide movement towards the abolition of the death penalty.”
#Iranian Officials Warn of “Libya Scenario” Amid Deepening Fear of Uprising and Escalating Crackdownshttps://t.co/vLWWYwIlap
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 1, 2025
According to OHCHR, “Eleven people are currently facing imminent execution, six of whom are charged with ‘armed rebellion,’ and five others face the death penalty in relation to their participation in the 2022 protests.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has urged Tehran to suspend the death penalty, saying it should be seen as “a step towards completely abolishing the use of capital punishment.”
On August 29, the UN Human Rights website again quoted Shamdasani: “In July alone, Iranian authorities executed 110 individuals. This represents more than double the number of people executed in July of last year and follows a major increase in executions during the first half of 2025. The high number of executions indicates a systematic pattern of using death penalty as a tool of State intimidation, with disproportionate targeting of ethnic minorities and migrants. Currently facing imminent execution are 11 individuals; six of them charged with ‘armed rebellion’ due to their alleged membership of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) group, and five in relation to their participation in the 2022 protests. On 16 August 2025, the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence against workers’ rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi.”
#Iranian Officials Voice Deep Fear Over Growing Social Tensions and Possibility of Uprisinghttps://t.co/NYjgVFrYGf
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 20, 2025
Parallels with the Final Days of the Shah
History is repeating itself. In late August and early September 1978, debates in the Shah regime’s parliament over the oppression of the people had reached such a point that people like Mohsen “Pendar” Pezeshkpour and Ahmad Bani Ahmad appeared to be in opposition to the monarchical system. However, the reality was that the monarchy had reached its final stage.
The same pattern is unfolding today. Just as some of the Shah’s loyalists pretended to oppose his system in its last months, regime insiders like Ghalibaf now voice empty criticisms of the clerical establishment. These remarks do not reflect reform—they are confessions of a regime nearing its collapse.
Admissions of Impending Uprising
Majid Ansari, the legal deputy of the regime’s president, recently admitted the depth of the threat, warning: “The governors should be prepared for a major uprising.”
Such statements are not routine; they are admissions of fear. They underscore the regime’s awareness that unrest is looming and that repression can no longer contain it.
Iran's regime responded to protests for water in Sabzevar with brutal force. Iran's rebellious youth responded by targeting regime centers tasked with repression and looting the people's wealth.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/UMDyeKVtLZ
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 24, 2025
International Pressure and the People’s Role
Meanwhile, European countries have activated the “snapback mechanism” of the 2015 nuclear deal, intensifying the regime’s international isolation. This adds to Tehran’s woes, but the decisive factor remains the Iranian people.
The clerical rulers are losing every tool of survival. Their increasing executions, hollow speeches, and warnings of uprisings are not signs of strength but unmistakable signals of weakness. Just as in 1978, when the Shah’s regime collapsed despite its brutality, the mullahs’ regime has entered its final phase.
The fate of Iran will not be determined by factional maneuvers or international negotiations, but by the people’s uprising and their organized resistance.