{"id":328903,"date":"2025-02-23T21:21:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T20:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=328903"},"modified":"2025-02-23T21:21:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T20:21:03","slug":"internal-rifts-and-mek-threat-leave-irans-regime-in-a-state-of-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/internal-rifts-and-mek-threat-leave-irans-regime-in-a-state-of-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal Rifts and MEK Threat Leave Iran\u2019s Regime in a State of Fear"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Iranian regime Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi admitted on state TV on February 17, 2025, that the regime has had no peace in the past 45 years<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The clerical dictatorship in Iran is gripped by deep internal conflicts, reflecting a regime increasingly consumed by paranoia and fear of penetration within its own ranks. The factional disputes once kept within closed-door power circles, are now erupting into public confrontations, exposing the cracks in the regime\u2019s foundations. Meanwhile, the looming shadow of the People’s Mojahedin Organization<\/a> (PMOI\/MEK) continues to haunt the regime, as officials openly acknowledge their persistent fear of infiltration and ideological subversion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Infighting Among the Regime\u2019s Clerics and Loyalists<\/h3>\n

A striking example of this internal discord is the conflict between Mohammad Ashrafi<\/a> Esfahani, son of a former Friday prayer leader in Kermanshah, and cleric Alireza Panahian, a close associate of the regime\u2019s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Ashrafi Esfahani recently wrote a letter to Alireza Arafi, head of the religious seminaries, exposing a violent attack by a group of clerics on his religious institution. In his letter, published on February 23, he questioned whether these attackers were truly religious students or mere “thugs and hoodlums.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The power struggle stems from a dispute over the control of a highly lucrative religious complex, the Amir al-Momenin Institute, which manages significant financial resources, including a loan fund that disburses billions of tomans<\/a> annually. Panahian, backed by the Endowments Organization, has attempted to wrest control of this religious site, leading to a prolonged five-year confrontation. This internal strife is emblematic of the broader rift within the ruling elite, where personal interests and factional rivalries override any semblance of unity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Key Infighting Events in Iran\u2019s Regime (2024)
July: Raisi\u2019s death and Pezeshkian\u2019s appointment as president ignited factional rivalries
Aug-Dec: Cabinet vetting and budget debates became battlegrounds
Dec: Mandatory hijab enforcement divided factions, with clerics demanding\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/zD2czqJblP<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n