{"id":335689,"date":"2025-08-17T19:05:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T18:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=335689"},"modified":"2025-08-17T19:05:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T18:05:59","slug":"friday-sermons-officials-statements-and-snapback-fears-signs-of-deepening-crisis-in-tehran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/iranian-regime-infighting\/friday-sermons-officials-statements-and-snapback-fears-signs-of-deepening-crisis-in-tehran\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Sermons, Officials&#8217; Statements, and Snapback Fears: Signs of Deepening Crisis in Tehran"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_226940\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-226940\" style=\"width: 996px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-226940\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Iran-newspapers-1-e1601384980946.jpg\" alt=\"Iran state-media reflect mullahs\u2019 fear of MEK\" width=\"996\" height=\"637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Iran-newspapers-1-e1601384980946.jpg 594w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Iran-newspapers-1-e1601384980946-300x192.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 996px) 100vw, 996px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-226940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">File Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><em>Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"116\" data-end=\"572\">In recent days, a series of official remarks and warnings have laid bare a regime grappling with shaken confidence. Following heavy military blows and a string of regional setbacks, the clerical dictatorship now faces a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/irans-leaders-bristle-at-signs-of-strategic-retreat-in-region-and-at-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deepening morale crisis<\/a> within its ranks. From the pulpit of Friday prayers to the interventions of sidelined diplomats and uneasy insiders, officials are scrambling to spin narratives that mask these vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"565\" data-end=\"611\">Friday Prayers as a Barometer of Anxiety<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"612\" data-end=\"799\">Friday sermons, delivered across the country by clerics appointed by the regime&#8217;s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, are often used to project unity and defiance. Yet this week\u2019s messages betrayed unease.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"801\" data-end=\"1067\">In Khorramabad, Ahmadreza <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mehrnews.com\/news\/6560911\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shahrokhi urged officials<\/a> to guard their words carefully, warning: \u201cTheir statements have international repercussions. They must not send a message of weakness to enemies, and their behavior and words should inspire hope among friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1069\" data-end=\"1423\">In Bojnourd, <a href=\"https:\/\/ana.ir\/fa\/news\/991142\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reza Nouri<\/a>, Khamenei\u2019s representative in North Khorasan Province, cautioned: \u201cNo official should say anything against unity or the authority of the Supreme Leader.\u201d He described velayat-e faqih (the rule of the Supreme Leader) as the regime\u2019s \u201cpoint of strength\u201d and \u201caxis of unity,\u201d insisting that silence was preferable to criticism.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iranian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iranian<\/a> Officials and Analysts Sound Alarm Over Imminent Social Explosion<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ag4aIychti\">https:\/\/t.co\/Ag4aIychti<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1905939204820918730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 29, 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;\" data-start=\"1425\" data-end=\"1845\">In Shahrud, Ali Saeedi, head of the Ideological-Political Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etemadonline.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9\/729945-%D8%B1%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%82%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%DA%A9%D9%84-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%B3%D8%B9%DB%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lashed out<\/a> at a provincial governor who had reportedly voiced opposition to mandatory hijab. <em data-start=\"1630\" data-end=\"1722\">\u201c<\/em>What kind of governor says he does not accept hijab? You have no right not to accept it,\u201d Saeedi declared, adding that if he were a security guard, he would not have allowed such a person to enter the building.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1847\" data-end=\"2137\">Rather than projecting confidence, these sermons underscored the regime\u2019s fear of dissent \u2014 not only from society but from within the state itself. The emphasis on discipline, silence, and ideological conformity reveals an establishment increasingly worried about cracks in its own ranks.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2139\" data-end=\"2180\">Zarif Calls for a Strategic Rethink<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2181\" data-end=\"2678\">Adding to the sense of dissonance, former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif \u2014 recently<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/iranian-regime-infighting\/iranian-regime-infighting-deepens-after-removal-of-zarif-and-hemmati\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> sidelined from Masoud<\/a> Pezeshkian\u2019s administration \u2014 used the opportunity to call for a new diplomatic direction.\u00a0Writing in <em data-start=\"72\" data-end=\"88\">Foreign Policy<\/em>, Zarif argued: \u201cFor Iran, this change begins at home and will extend to its neighbors. The time has come for a fundamental shift in thinking, and building a different future requires a conscious decision to free ourselves from historical determinism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"60\" data-end=\"364\">He presented renewed engagement with Europe and the United States as a \u201cbold diplomatic initiative\u201d and the sole path to resolving Iran\u2019s mounting crises, framing it as pragmatism when in reality it echoed the regime\u2019s long-standing tactic of luring the West into appeasement while buying time at home.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"522\" data-end=\"939\">Yet Zarif\u2019s intervention goes beyond personal rehabilitation. It betrays his fear of the regime\u2019s possible overthrow and his calculation that Khamenei\u2019s weakened position after successive defeats provides a narrow window to press for retreat.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nationwide Protests in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> Expose a Regime in Crisis <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FreeIran2025?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#FreeIran2025<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NCRIAlternative?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NCRIAlternative<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ResistanceUnits?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ResistanceUnits<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IranThirdOption?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IranThirdOption<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rk5UK5sNU4\">https:\/\/t.co\/rk5UK5sNU4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Javad Dabiran (@JavadDabiran) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JavadDabiran\/status\/1956771921502052586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 16, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3109\" data-end=\"3151\">Hashemi Rafsanjani Warns of Snapback<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3152\" data-end=\"3490\">Perhaps most striking was the candid admission by Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of the late president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who appeared on state television on August 12. Reflecting on the regime\u2019s past assurances, he recalled: \u201cEven the Supreme Leader used to say that we will neither negotiate nor face war \u2014 but war happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3492\" data-end=\"3805\">Hashemi <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/EI2ehEgKXd0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rafsanjani warned<\/a> that the reactivation of the UN\u2019s \u201csnapback\u201d mechanism under Resolution 2231 could expose Iran to Chapter VII sanctions, which allow for military enforcement measures. \u201cThis situation is dangerous. If we don\u2019t make hard decisions now, it could bring us undeniable losses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3807\" data-end=\"4008\">His remarks underline what many in Tehran fear: that international isolation, compounded by miscalculation, could leave the regime facing sanctions far more devastating than unilateral U.S. measures.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">How the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iranian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iranian<\/a> Regime\u2019s Fear of the Uprising and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Mojahedineng<\/a> Signals Its Imminent Downfall<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qvvUKqH5p0\">https:\/\/t.co\/qvvUKqH5p0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1946223599578223078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4010\" data-end=\"4039\">A Regime Under Pressure<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4040\" data-end=\"4350\">Taken together, these developments sketch a portrait of a government struggling to maintain coherence. Friday sermons highlighted insecurity about dissent at home, Zarif\u2019s comments pointed to elite fractures over diplomacy, and Hashemi Rafsanjani\u2019s warning made plain the dangers of renewed global sanctions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4352\" data-end=\"4697\">The clerical dictatorship has long relied on unity at the top to withstand external pressure. Today, however, that unity looks increasingly fragile. In the words of Ahmadreza Shahrokhi, even leaders inside the system now fear that careless words could \u201csend a message of weakness\u201d to the outside world \u2014 a sign that weakness is already felt inside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three-minute read In recent days, a series of official remarks and warnings have laid bare a regime grappling with shaken confidence. Following heavy military blows and a string of regional [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":226940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5450],"tags":[5482],"class_list":{"0":"post-335689","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iranian-regime-infighting","8":"tag-iranian-regime-infighting"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Friday Sermons, Officials&#039; Statements, and Snapback Fears: Signs of Deepening Crisis in Tehran - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three-minute read In recent days, a series of official remarks and warnings have laid bare a regime grappling with shaken confidence. 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