{"id":338557,"date":"2025-10-25T16:05:03","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T15:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=338557"},"modified":"2025-10-25T16:05:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T15:05:03","slug":"irans-regime-scrambles-to-contain-what-it-now-calls-a-war-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/irans-regime-scrambles-to-contain-what-it-now-calls-a-war-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran’s Regime Scrambles to Contain What It Now Calls a \u2018War\u2019 at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"President
President Masoud Pezeshkian seen in a moment of deep concern, as images of past nationwide protests loom behind him<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Iran\u2019s clerical establishment is openly signaling fear that the next wave of unrest could move beyond protest and threaten the survival of the system itself. In recent days, senior officials, Revolutionary Guard\u2013aligned media, and state economic figures have described a state that is broke, volatile, and \u201cat war,\u201d while security forces roll out new neighborhood-level control structures designed to manage \u201csocial incidents\u201d without outside support. The message is clear: the regime no longer trusts its ability to absorb another nationwide shock.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want me to lie so you feel good?\u201d<\/h2>\n

On October 25, 2025, the regime’s president Masoud Pezeshkian told officials<\/a> in West Azerbaijan that the state is effectively insolvent. He said there are roughly \u201csix million billion tomans\u201d (about six quadrillion tomans) of unfinished projects \u201cand no money,\u201d adding that even if the government launched nothing new and focused only on the backlog, \u201cwe would still need 15 years of work.\u201d Confronting local demands, he asked: \u201cDo you want me to lie so you feel good? Let me tell the truth and you get angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pezeshkian called this \u201cthe worst credit situation,\u201d citing oil budget assumptions blown apart by prices closer to $51 a barrel versus $70 on paper, leaving \u201ca $10 billion shortfall.\u201d He admitted the state is pushing basic services onto citizens\u2014\u201cwe built the schools with the people\u2019s money; we have no money\u201d\u2014and framed the moment bluntly: \u201cThe reality is we are in a war and under sanctions,\u201d while refusing \u201cto give too much detail\u201d lest it be \u201cexploited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

#Khamenei<\/a> and his squad try to say \u201cthe unrest is under control\u201d.
Other state officials offer indications that "more riots lie ahead".
Watch and judge the signs of #IranRevolution2023<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/UTiTXxHakN<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 5, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n