{"id":343455,"date":"2026-03-12T21:52:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=343455"},"modified":"2026-03-12T21:52:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T20:52:49","slug":"facing-war-abroad-and-anger-at-home-irans-rulers-tighten-their-grip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/facing-war-abroad-and-anger-at-home-irans-rulers-tighten-their-grip\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing War Abroad and Anger at Home, Iran\u2019s Rulers Tighten Their Grip"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AI-generated image of an inner-city checkpoint in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

As the war entered its 13th day, Iran\u2019s clerical regime appeared to be pursuing two parallel objectives: escalating its threats abroad while tightening coercive control at home, in an effort to keep wartime strain from tipping into open unrest.<\/p>\n

The clearest indication came in the first written and televised message by Mojtaba<\/a> Khamenei after the announcement that the Assembly of Experts had selected him. He said he had learned of the decision at the same time as the public, through state television \u2014 a claim that strained credulity in a system defined by closed-door clerical power and carefully managed succession. The statement was less an act of transparency than an attempt to dress an opaque transfer of power in the language of humility and surprise.<\/p>\n

Mojtaba Khamenei warned that no damage must be allowed to \u201cthe unity of the people in all classes and sectors,\u201d and argued that if the people\u2019s power was not visibly present, \u201cneither the leadership nor any of the institutions\u201d would function effectively. He called for an \u201ceffective presence in the field,\u201d not only in wartime sacrifice but in social, political, cultural, educational and even \u201csecurity\u201d roles. He called for maximum turnout in the coming Quds Day observances and said the element of \u201cbreaking the enemy\u201d had to be emphasized.<\/p>\n

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"The regime did not pick #Mojtaba_Khamenei<\/a> in spite of his security face. It picked him because of it. His notoriety, far from disqualifying him inside the ruling core, made him useful: he is legible to the regime\u2019s own forces as a continuity candidate who will neither surrender\u2026<\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n