{"id":336168,"date":"2025-08-29T14:49:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=336168"},"modified":"2025-08-29T14:49:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:49:01","slug":"senior-regime-insider-faces-prosecution-after-comments-seen-as-undermining-morale-amid-escalating-crises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/iranian-regime-infighting\/senior-regime-insider-faces-prosecution-after-comments-seen-as-undermining-morale-amid-escalating-crises\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Regime Insider Faces Prosecution After Comments Seen as Undermining Morale Amid Escalating Crises"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Expediency
Expediency Council member Mohammad Sadr (right) speaks to Iranian regime’s FM aid Mohammad-Hossein Ranjbaran (left)\u2014 mid-August 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a dramatic escalation of Iran\u2019s internal power struggles, Tehran\u2019s Prosecutor\u2019s Office has announced criminal charges against Mohammad Sadr, a senior member of the Expediency Council and former deputy foreign minister, after he made controversial remarks<\/a> that authorities say cross \u201cred lines\u201d and damage the regime\u2019s image at a critical moment.<\/p>\n

Sadr, a veteran diplomat and influential figure appointed to the Expediency Council by the regime\u2019s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, came under fire after a recent interview where he made a series of explosive statements. He suggested that Israel\u2019s precision strikes on Iran\u2019s air defenses during the recent 12-day conflict<\/a> indicate the possibility of intelligence leaks by Russia, raised doubts about the official narrative surrounding former president Ebrahim Raisi\u2019s helicopter crash, and warned that Iran risks triggering the snapback of UN sanctions if it refuses to engage in negotiations with the West. He warned such a scenario would turn Iran into a \u201cplague state\u201d isolated from the international community.<\/p>\n

The remarks immediately provoked backlash across regime institutions and state-controlled media. Tehran\u2019s Prosecutor\u2019s Office<\/a> confirmed that a judicial case has been opened, accusing Sadr of spreading \u201cfalse and baseless claims.\u201d The newspaper Kayhan accused<\/a> him of damaging \u201cnational security\u201d and undermining the regime\u2019s position at a time when, in its words, Iran\u2019s enemies are \u201cseeking to exploit internal discord.\u201d Another pro-Khamenei outlet, Farhikhtegan, charged<\/a> that Sadr\u2019s statements \u201cfuel division within the system\u201d and warned that allowing such dissent risks destabilizing decision-making at the highest levels.<\/p>\n

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#Iran<\/a>\u2019s Regime Struggles to Mask Post-War Weakness with Rhetoric and Repressionhttps:\/\/t.co\/ITcBED4e0M<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n