{"id":330280,"date":"2025-04-08T19:58:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T18:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=330280"},"modified":"2025-04-08T20:03:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T19:03:28","slug":"internal-defections-cripple-irans-regime-ahead-of-high-stakes-u-s-negotiations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/nuclear\/internal-defections-cripple-irans-regime-ahead-of-high-stakes-u-s-negotiations\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal Defections Cripple Iran\u2019s Regime Ahead of High-Stakes U.S. Negotiations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hassan
Hassan Abedian, Friday Prayer leader of Ardabil, delivers a sermon on April 4, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

The Iranian regime is ensnared in a crisis of legitimacy, caught between a paralyzing fear of domestic rebellion and the looming threat of foreign pressure. While the question of whether to engage in direct or indirect talks with the United States continues to plague Tehran\u2019s highest circles, officials are struggling to justify their positions to their own disillusioned base. The mere suggestion of compromise has stirred anger, suspicion, and resentment among its loyalists, revealing a crisis of confidence that threatens to shatter the regime from within.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Fractured Message from the Pulpit\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

In recent Friday prayers, representatives of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei sought to reassure the regime\u2019s rapidly demoralizing forces through feverish rhetoric. But their attempts to rally the troops have only exposed a deeper sense of insecurity and decay.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hassan Abedian, the Friday Prayer leader in Ardabil, delivered a speech<\/a> on April 4, 2025, riddled with contradictions and admissions of fear. His words revealed a growing desperation among officials trying to keep their base from crumbling.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are more worried about the bullets that hit our minds than the bombs that fall on our heads. Now, they do not shoot bullets at our hearts, but rather at our minds,\u201d Abedian admitted. His language reflected the crumbling ideological cohesion of the regime.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Real Goal of #Iran<\/a>\u2019s Negotiations: Surviving, Not Settling\u00a0https:\/\/t.co\/TaSPUkGx6K<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n