{"id":328855,"date":"2025-02-21T18:21:47","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T17:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=328855"},"modified":"2025-02-21T18:27:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T17:27:21","slug":"irans-ruling-clerics-descend-into-hysteria-as-fear-of-collapse-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/iranian-regime-infighting\/irans-ruling-clerics-descend-into-hysteria-as-fear-of-collapse-grows\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s Ruling Clerics Descend into Hysteria as Fear of Collapse Grows"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_328856\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-328856\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-328856\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/iran-khamenei-praying-for-dead-officials.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"564\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/iran-khamenei-praying-for-dead-officials.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/iran-khamenei-praying-for-dead-officials-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/iran-khamenei-praying-for-dead-officials-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/iran-khamenei-praying-for-dead-officials-745x420.jpg 745w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/iran-khamenei-praying-for-dead-officials-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/iran-khamenei-praying-for-dead-officials-696x393.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-328856\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iranian regime&#8217;s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior officials pray over the bodies of the regime\u2019s consulate officials killed in Syria on April 4, 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><em>Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Statements from Iranian officials over the past week reveal a regime increasingly trapped in paranoia and hysteria. While addressing different issues\u2014nuclear negotiations, internal divisions, media control, and national security\u2014they all expose a ruling elite that feels vulnerable and besieged. The language of Iran\u2019s top clerics and officials is not that of a stable government but of a fragile regime on the defensive, fearful of losing control over its own ranks and the country.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On February 18, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jamaran.news\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%B1-59\/1659693-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%85%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D9%BE%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%A2%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AE%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B2%D9%86%D9%86%D8%AF-%D9%85%DB%8C-%DA%AF%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%86%D8%AF-%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%BA%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%DB%8C%D8%B9%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B4%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%87%D8%A7-%DA%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%87-%DA%A9%D9%87-%D8%AF%D9%88-%DA%86%DB%8C%D8%B2-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A7%DA%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%B2%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%84-%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D9%81%D9%82%DB%8C%D9%87-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%85-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ahmad Khatami<\/a>, a senior cleric in the Assembly of Experts, dismissed any possibility of negotiations with the United States, saying <em>\u201cNegotiation means give-and-take. Negotiating with the U.S. will not lower the dollar. It will definitely make the country\u2019s problems worse.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On February 14, <a href=\"https:\/\/ecoiran.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-109\/84441-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%BE-%D8%AA%D8%A6%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B8%D9%85-%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%81%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Khatami\u2019s rhetoric<\/a> was even fiercer, taking direct aim at Donald Trump, calling him <em>\u201ca madman\u201d<\/em> and insisting that the <em>\u201cmaximum pressure campaign has been ongoing for 45 years and has achieved nothing.\u201d<\/em> He ranted against Trump\u2019s designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, claiming Iran\u2019s armed forces were <em>\u201cfearless warriors\u201d<\/em> and leading his audience in chants of <em>\u201cDeath to America, Death to Israel, Death to the Hypocrites.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Khamenei\u2019s Speech Reveals His Deepest Fear: The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iranian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iranian<\/a> People<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pcr6apDfMu\">https:\/\/t.co\/pcr6apDfMu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1891904512979333233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Supreme Leader\u2019s representative in Mashhad, followed a similar script on February 14, warning that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharghdaily.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-6\/971186-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B0%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D9%86%D9%87-%DA%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>\u201cAmerica is the devil\u201d<\/em> <\/a>and insisting that any talks with Washington are nothing but a <em>\u201ctrap.\u201d<\/em> His argument was self-contradictory. He claimed that Iran is <em>\u201cthe most negotiation-friendly country in the world\u201d<\/em>\u2014except when it comes to the U.S. What this actually reveals is not strength, but fear. A government that believes it will collapse under the pressure of a simple conversation is not one that trusts its own foundations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regime\u2019s paranoia extends beyond foreign threats. On February 20, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein <a href=\"https:\/\/fararu.com\/fa\/news\/835289\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mohseni-Eje\u2019i warned<\/a> of <em>\u201cinfiltrators\u201d<\/em> within the government, lamenting that some factions use <em>\u201crevolutionary rhetoric to attack others\u201d<\/em> while others oppose any form of modernization. When the head of the judiciary openly admits that both extremists and so-called reformists are undermining each other, it is clear that factionalism is tearing the regime apart from the inside.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As if the paranoia wasn\u2019t already high, on February 14, Alireza Nadali, head of the &#8220;Religious Committee&#8221; of Tehran\u2019s City Council, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.didbaniran.ir\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-3\/215955-%D8%AC%D8%B2%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%AC%D9%87-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%B0%DB%8C%D8%AD%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A8%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%B3%D8%AE%D9%86%DA%AF%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%87-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1-%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%87%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B7-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D8%B0%D8%A8-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4-%D8%A2%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%85%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D9%86%D9%86%D8%AF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">admitted to the existence<\/a> of a secret surveillance program involving <em>\u201c3,000 seminary students monitoring 700 mosques, 2,150 schools, and entire neighborhoods to identify students and families.\u201d<\/em> This program had been hidden from the public until it was revealed in a budget dispute. The fact that Tehran\u2019s own city government sees the need to spy on ordinary families shows how deep the regime\u2019s fears run.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>\u2019s Leadership Unites Behind <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Khamenei?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Khamenei<\/a>\u2019s Hardline Stance Against U.S. Negotiations<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cNKeSgWHql\">https:\/\/t.co\/cNKeSgWHql<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1888542586094133640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The clerical rulers have also turned their anxiety toward cyberspace. On February 20, Mohammad Karbasi, head of the <em>Morality Enforcement Headquarters<\/em> in Qom, called social media <em>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etemadonline.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9\/700533-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%B4%D8%A8%DA%A9%D9%87-%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86%DA%AF%DB%8C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the most dangerous soft threat<\/a>\u201d<\/em> facing Iran, warning that <em>\u201clifting censorship on foreign platforms amounts to fully arming the enemy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The same panic was evident in the <a href=\"https:\/\/fa.alalam.ir\/news\/7167048\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statements of Mohammad Eslami<\/a>, head of the regime\u2019s Atomic Energy Organization, who lashed out at the Iranian Resistance for exposing the regime\u2019s nuclear program. <em>\u201cFor 20 years, they\u2019ve been making accusations that we are building nuclear bombs. They\u2019ve inspected everything\u2014yet they won\u2019t drop this claim!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">On February 19, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iribnews.ir\/fa\/news\/4459448\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amir Ali Hajizadeh<\/a>, the commander of the IRGC\u2019s Aerospace Force, responded to concerns about the regime\u2019s growing weakness with a bombastic declaration: <em>\u201cThey say Iran has weakened\u2014where has it weakened? This is part of the psychological warfare they wage against us.\u201d<\/em> He went on to dismiss fears of military attack, saying, <em>\u201cSome say if we don\u2019t negotiate, they will attack. No one should worry. Just as the operations \u2018True Promise I and II\u2019 were fulfilled, \u2018True Promise III\u2019 will definitely be carried out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>&#39;s Regime Infighting Escalates Amid <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Economic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Economic<\/a> Crisis and International Tensions<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QaeyKbnTc7\">https:\/\/t.co\/QaeyKbnTc7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1892322478828966032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 19, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The so-called &#8220;<em>True Promise<\/em>&#8221; operations refer to the regime\u2019s retaliatory missile strikes, which Tehran portrays as grand strategic victories. His statement essentially promises further escalation, exposing the regime\u2019s reliance on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/irans-regime-feels-besieged-amid-regional-crises-and-internal-discontent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">militaristic posturing<\/a> as a distraction from internal failures.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the same speech, Hajizadeh went further, boasting, <em>\u201cIf we reveal a new missile city every week, we won\u2019t run out for two years\u2014there are that many.\u201d<\/em> He described Iran\u2019s missile production as a <em>\u201cthree-shift operation that has never stopped since 1983.\u201d<\/em> The statement is revealing not just in its aggressive tone, but in the fact that the clerical dictatorship continues to prioritize military expansion over economic stability. While ordinary Iranians struggle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/economic-meltdown-in-iran-becomes-a-security-crisis-for-the-clerical-regime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">with economic collapse<\/a>, runaway inflation, and food shortages, the regime takes pride in building more missiles.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The louder Iranian officials shout about foreign conspiracies, internal infiltrators, and the supposed strength of their government, the clearer it becomes that they are losing their grip. When a government sees simple negotiations as a lethal threat, internet access as an act of war, and its own officials as potential traitors, it is no longer governing\u2014it is merely trying to survive. The clerical dictatorship in Tehran is entering a phase where fear dictates its every move, and history has shown that regimes ruled by fear do not last forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three-minute read Statements from Iranian officials over the past week reveal a regime increasingly trapped in paranoia and hysteria. While addressing different issues&mdash;nuclear negotiations, internal divisions, media control, and national [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":328856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5450],"tags":[287],"class_list":{"0":"post-328855","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iranian-regime-infighting","8":"tag-iran-terrorism"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iran\u2019s Ruling Clerics Descend into Hysteria as Fear of Collapse Grows - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three-minute read Statements from Iranian officials over the past week reveal a regime increasingly trapped in paranoia and hysteria. 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