{"id":342432,"date":"2026-02-09T18:39:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T17:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=342432"},"modified":"2026-02-09T18:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T17:39:09","slug":"khameneis-expanding-crackdown-reflects-deepening-fear-of-revolt-and-regime-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/khameneis-expanding-crackdown-reflects-deepening-fear-of-revolt-and-regime-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"Khamenei\u2019s Expanding Crackdown Reflects Deepening Fear of Revolt and Regime Collapse\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_333890\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-333890\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-333890\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iran-irgc-basij-patrols.jpg\" alt=\"Basij paramilitary forces patrol the streets at night amid heightened security crackdowns across Iranian cities \u2013 July 2025\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iran-irgc-basij-patrols.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iran-irgc-basij-patrols-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iran-irgc-basij-patrols-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iran-irgc-basij-patrols-746x420.jpg 746w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iran-irgc-basij-patrols-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iran-irgc-basij-patrols-696x392.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-333890\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Basij paramilitary forces patrol the streets at night amid heightened security crackdowns across Iranian cities \u2013 July 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Three-minute read<\/span><\/i><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As Iran confronts mounting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/\">domestic unrest<\/a> and growing international isolation,\u00a0the regime\u2019s supreme\u00a0leader Ali Khamenei has overseen an escalating crackdown that now reaches beyond street protesters and into the regime\u2019s own political ranks. A pattern\u00a0emerging\u00a0across state-linked reporting and confirmed arrests suggests\u00a0a leadership\u00a0acting out of acute fear and despair.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Legitimacy Crisis<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Warnings from state-aligned commentators\u00a0indicate\u00a0that upcoming local council elections risk historically low participation. Political commentator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.khabaronline.ir\/news\/2179629\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mohammad Mohajeri said<\/a> assessments point to participation \u201ceven below 10%,\u201d arguing that the result would be councils that are \u201crepresentative of only a limited few percent\u201d \u2014 even \u201ctwo or three percent\u201d \u2014 of society.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">State-linked media have also reflected mounting anxiety, repeatedly warning that unrest is \u201cfire\u00a0under the ashes\u201d and cannot be ignored, while cautioning that unresolved grievances can re-emerge as social, economic, and even security crises.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Khamenei&#39;s desperate call for elite endorsement after <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>&#39;s bloody crackdown exposes regime fractures: silence from insiders, prolonged internet blackout, and fear of ongoing resistance. Analysis by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HakamianMahmoud?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@HakamianMahmoud<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0zxnoeYkvY\">https:\/\/t.co\/0zxnoeYkvY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/2014613512509686010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 23, 2026<\/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;\">Elite Alarm: Uprising Framed as Overthrow, Not Reform<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A former Iranian ambassador, speaking on state television\u2019s \u201cKhabar\u201d channel, described recent protests as a revolt aimed at \u201coverthrowing the system.\u201d The wording underscores the regime\u2019s internal assessment: this is no longer treated as a narrow economic grievance or manageable \u201creformist dissent,\u201d but as a direct challenge to the Supreme Leader\u2019s rule.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Simultaneously, reports of severe factional tensions within parliament portray a governing body marked by infighting, procedural coercion, and public discredit. One lawmaker, quoted in reporting,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irna.ir\/amp\/86072051\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">complained<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">: \u201cWhy do we deliver these big lies to the people?\u201d while invoking Khamenei\u2019s demand for \u201cunity\u201d and warning about those \u201cwho want the country to fall apart.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NCRI Editorial: Why <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>\u2019s Protests Are Different This Time<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yebCth9jtQ\">https:\/\/t.co\/yebCth9jtQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/2011354209669562837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2026<\/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;\">Crackdown Turns Inward<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Perhaps the\u00a0clearest indicator of insecurity is the\u00a0widening\u00a0repression against figures long considered within the regime\u2019s political ecosystem. State-linked media reported a \u201cnew wave\u201d of arrests targeting so-called reformist activists, including Azar Mansouri, Ebrahim\u00a0Asgharzadeh, and Mohsen Aminzadeh. The IRGC-affiliated\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/farsnews.ir\/politics\/1770573752849156885\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Fars News Agency confirmed<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0the detentions, saying they were carried out by \u201csecurity and judicial bodies.\u201d Separate\u00a0reporting\u00a0citing Fars described a \u201cjoint operation\u201d by IRGC Intelligence and the Ministry of Intelligence.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fars also publicly justified the arrests with sweeping political-security accusations, alleging acts such as \u201ctargeting national cohesion,\u201d \u201ccoordinating with enemy propaganda,\u201d and creating \u201chidden overthrow mechanisms\u201d\u2014language that signals deep fear of organized political rupture inside the regime\u2019s own camp.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">By targeting historical conformists and insiders, Khamenei signals a shrinking tolerance even for controlled dissent. The crackdown is no longer selective; it is defensive consolidation.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Khamenei Pulls Strings in Coordinated Crackdown as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>\u2019s Revisionist Faction Refuses to Yield<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KPbDxjMj8L\">https:\/\/t.co\/KPbDxjMj8L<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1960817109690384714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 27, 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;\">Media Tone Signals Institutional Fear<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A compilation of regime media coverage reveals repeated references to instability, internal division, and social unrest. The emphasis on warnings, \u201csedition\u201d framing, and \u201cfire under the ashes\u201d language reflects an establishment bracing for escalation.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When state-affiliated outlets repeatedly warn that protests and grievances can trigger renewed, high-cost crises, it suggests official recognition of vulnerability \u2014 and fear that the next eruption could be harder to\u00a0contain.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The regime is simultaneously confronting acute economic strain and external pressure. On state television,\u00a0Hossein\u00a0Samsami,\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aryanews.com\/Print\/120260208134231238\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">sitting lawmaker said<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0unpaid non-oil export currency commitments have risen to \u201cabout\u00a0$85 billion,\u201d adding that the exchange rate has surged from \u201c70\u201d to \u201c130\u2013140\u201d (tomans, as stated), while prices for many goods have jumped \u201c30 to 50 percent.\u201d On the international front, senior officials have doubled down on the nuclear standoff, with remarks reported from parliamentary proceedings that \u201czero enrichment\u201d will not be accepted \u2014 a posture that sustains Iran\u2019s isolation and sanctions exposure.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The widening scope of repression suggests not strength, but fear \u2014 specifically fear of a population that has moved beyond episodic protest toward open rejection of the governing system.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 1981, following a bloody crackdown on a peaceful <a href=\"https:\/\/wncri.org\/2025\/09\/02\/day-of-martyrs-and-political-prisoners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">protest on July 20<\/a>, then Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini started a nationwide terror campaign by cracking down on every group and every individual that opposed his rule. He used the excuse of a war with Iraq and a foreign enemy to justify crimes beyond comprehension. It appears Khamenei, faced with what even regime-linked voices describe as an \u201coverthrow\u201d threat, is following the same playbook. But this time, the regime is more fractured, dissent is more organized and widespread, and Iranian society is more outraged than at any time in its contemporary history.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three-minute read&nbsp; As Iran confronts mounting domestic unrest and growing international isolation,&nbsp;the regime&rsquo;s supreme&nbsp;leader Ali Khamenei has overseen an escalating crackdown that now reaches beyond street protesters and into the [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":333890,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5450],"tags":[130,5482],"class_list":{"0":"post-342432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iran-protests","8":"category-iranian-regime-infighting","9":"tag-iran-protests","10":"tag-iranian-regime-infighting"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Khamenei\u2019s Expanding Crackdown Reflects Deepening Fear of Revolt and Regime Collapse\u00a0 - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three-minute read\u00a0 As Iran confronts mounting domestic unrest and growing international isolation,\u00a0the regime\u2019s supreme\u00a0leader Ali Khamenei has overseen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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