{"id":326951,"date":"2024-12-22T18:26:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-22T17:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=326951"},"modified":"2025-11-04T19:43:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T18:43:42","slug":"khameneis-crisis-speech-highlights-declining-power-amid-strategic-setbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/khameneis-crisis-speech-highlights-declining-power-amid-strategic-setbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Khamenei\u2019s Crisis Speech Highlights Declining Power Amid Strategic Setbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met with state-affiliated eulogists on December 22, 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute speech<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Iranian regime\u2019s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei\u2019s recent speeches<\/a> highlight his increasingly precarious position following a series of strategic setbacks that have dealt heavy blows to his regime\u2019s regional ambitions. His tone, marked by defensiveness and sharp rhetoric, suggests a leader struggling to maintain his grip amid waning morale within his power base.<\/p>\n

Speaking today, December 22, Khamenei addressed a group<\/a> of supporters, urging Syrian youth to rise against the newly established government in Damascus. \u201cA strong and honorable movement must emerge in Syria to confront these new rulers,\u201d he declared, adding, \u201cThe Syrian youth have nothing to lose. Their universities, schools, homes, and streets are unsafe. What should they do? They must stand firmly against those who have designed and executed this insecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n

This call to action comes after months of devastating setbacks, including the fall of Bashar al-Assad<\/a>, a key strategic ally in Syria, and significant losses among the regime\u2019s proxy fighters and leaders. The collapse of Assad\u2019s government, which Khamenei attributed to a \u201cjoint plot\u201d by the United States and Israel, has left Tehran\u2019s position in the region severely weakened. Acknowledging the challenges, Khamenei\u2019s foreign ministry has attempted to salvage ties, emphasizing continued relations with Damascus based on \u201cmutual interests and international obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a bid to counter numerous analysis from international leaders, analysts and media about his regime\u2019s diminished influence, Khamenei vehemently denied accusations that his regime relies on proxy forces to project power in the region. \u201cThey keep saying that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxies in the region. This is another lie. The Islamic Republic does not have proxies,\u201d he insisted. Instead, he framed groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis as independent actors driven by their own convictions. \u201cThey fight because their beliefs compel them,\u201d Khamenei claimed.<\/p>\n

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Khamenei Digs in As #Assad<\/a>\u2019s Fall Rattles #Tehran<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/LW9OIi50Kp<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n