{"id":339878,"date":"2025-11-28T16:51:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T15:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=339878"},"modified":"2025-11-28T17:00:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T16:00:39","slug":"irans-clerical-regime-shows-its-cracks-as-fuel-hikes-white-internet-and-purges-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/irans-clerical-regime-shows-its-cracks-as-fuel-hikes-white-internet-and-purges-collide\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s Clerical Regime Shows Its Cracks as Fuel Hikes, \u2018White Internet\u2019 and Purges Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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File photo: Fierce argument among MPs in the Iranian regime’s parliament (Majlis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

On Friday, November 28, 2025, Iran\u2019s state media delivered an unusually candid picture of a system under strain: loyalists accusing government insiders of \u201clying to the Leader,\u201d parliamentarians clashing over collapsing services, toxic air blanketing the capital, and the government preparing for the fallout of its new 5,000-toman gasoline tier<\/a>. Meanwhile, the \u201cwhite internet\u201d scandal \u2014 unrestricted access for officials while the public pays for VPNs \u2014 deepened a sense of structural injustice.<\/p>\n

Across these stories, one thread stands out: a clerical establishment tightening internal discipline while shifting economic and environmental burdens onto citizens.<\/p>\n

Loyalty Tests and Foreign-Policy Fear<\/h3>\n

Former MP Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi went on state television demanding \u201csevere and deterrent\u201d punishment for officials who, according to him, had falsely claimed<\/a> that Pezeshkian \u2014 with Khamenei\u2019s approval \u2014 had exchanged messages with Trump.<\/p>\n

Kayhan\u2019s editor, Hossein Shariatmadari, sharpened<\/a> the attack, warning that \u201cthose who spread this lie \u2014 despite the denial issued by four main government centers \u2014 are themselves inside the government, holding sensitive and even very close positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simultaneously, the IRGC-aligned daily Javan<\/em> denounced<\/a> talk of \u201creal negotiations\u201d as na\u00efve, publishing an editorial telling deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi that European politicians embody a \u201cwild mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former diplomat Mohammad-Qassem Mohibali, speaking to Bahar News<\/em>, warned<\/a> that if incendiary rhetoric \u2014 such as recent talk of \u201cno path but the destruction of Israel\u201d \u2014 ever aligns with policy, \u201canother war\u201d becomes plausible and \u201cthe balance is not in Iran\u2019s favor.\u201d His critique is aimed not at reforming the system but at preventing a confrontation it may not withstand.<\/p>\n

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Khamenei Retreats to Televised Message as Regime Faces Deepening Rifts and Denials Over U.S. Overtureshttps:\/\/t.co\/dSz1tDr3R3<\/a><\/p>\n

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