{"id":347324,"date":"2026-08-15T12:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=347324"},"modified":"2026-08-15T12:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:01:39","slug":"editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_341967\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-341967\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-341967\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg\" alt=\"Iran Nationwide uprising 2026\" width=\"1000\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14-742x420.jpg 742w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14-696x394.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-341967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Iranian protester walks by a burning security forces motorbike on the street, which is acting as a barricade\u2014 January 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some observers in the West have treated the survival of Iran\u2019s clerical regime after the recent confrontation with the United States and Israel as evidence of strength. That conclusion mistakes endurance under bombardment for political stability.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The war was not designed to overthrow the regime, and regimes are rarely removed by air strikes alone. The real measure of Tehran\u2019s strength is not whether its institutions survived missiles from abroad, but whether it can survive the forces gathering inside Iran.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">By that measure, the regime\u2019s own words tell a very different story.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iranian state media and senior officials increasingly describe the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) and its <a href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/pmoi-resistance-units\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Resistance Units<\/a> not as a relic of the 1980s, but as an adaptive, decentralized network operating within a deeply dissatisfied society. Hawzah News, the official outlet of the Qom seminary, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawzahnews.com\/news\/1413397\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">acknowledged<\/a> that the Resistance Units have \u201calways played a major role in the nationwide protests inside the country\u201d. It described the organization\u2019s strategy as a combined political, intelligence, cyber and operational model adapted to changing circumstances.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That is not the language of a state facing a defeated adversary.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Iran\u2019s Qom Seminary Revisits 50 Years of <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Mojahedineng?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Mojahedineng<\/a> Struggle, Revealing Anxiety Over an Evolving Foe<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9KOknzgT7V\">https:\/\/t.co\/9KOknzgT7V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/iran_policy\/status\/2086779754791706819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The contradiction is striking. For public consumption, Tehran insists that the MEK is isolated, ageing and irrelevant. For its security apparatus, however, it warns about young recruits, student and professional networks, decentralized cells, social-media activity and the possibility that scattered public anger may become organized resistance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regime\u2019s execution policy exposes the same fear. Between March 30 and April 4, <a href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/the-fallen-heroes-of-the-resistance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">six MEK members<\/a> \u2014 Vahid Bani Amerian, Abolhassan Montazer, Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi \u2014 were executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison, a group that included university-educated professionals as well as veteran political prisoners. On April 20, the regime executed two more MEK members, Hamed Validi, a 45-year-old civil engineer, and Mohammad (Nima) Massoum Shahi, a 38-year-old technical worker. In July, Mehdi Khanaki, another young political prisoner linked to the MEK, was also sent to the gallows. The significance of these cases is not merely numerical; it is organizational and generational. After four decades of censorship, executions, demonization and repression, Tehran is still confronting committed members of an organized resistance, including a new generation that continues to find its way to the MEK and its Resistance Units.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">History offers an important clue to how Tehran calculates danger. During the Iran-Iraq war, the regime rejected repeated ceasefire efforts even as international pressure for an end to the conflict mounted. But in 1988, after the National Liberation Army linked to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-resistance\/meks-impact-on-the-iran-iraq-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MEK captured the city<\/a> of Mehran and declared \u201cToday Mehran, tomorrow Tehran\u201d, Khomeini, then the regime\u2019s supreme leader, finally accepted the ceasefire he had long resisted.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Inside Threat That Ended <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a>\u2019s Two Major Wars<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DX7lqBbq7j\">https:\/\/t.co\/DX7lqBbq7j<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1948119306249613570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The lesson is not that the military balance then is identical to today\u2019s. It is that Tehran has always judged foreign confrontation through the prism of internal survival.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is also where a common Western calculation goes wrong. The balance of power in Iran cannot be reduced to counting Revolutionary Guards on one side and MEK members on the other. The decisive equation is different: mass social discontent, a younger generation increasingly detached from the regime\u2019s ideological narratives, organized Resistance Units capable of connecting and directing protest, and a national crisis that weakens the state\u2019s capacity for control.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Iranian regime may possess the guns and coercive machinery, but it remains politically fragile when millions of Iranians reject it and an organized resistance can turn public anger into coordinated action.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That is why, for Tehran, prolonged war and crisis can be more useful than agreement and peace. External confrontation allows the regime to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org.uk\/latest\/tortured-disappeared-executed-how-iran-is-using-war-as-a-shield-for-systematic-repression\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">justify repression<\/a>, sustain a siege narrative and divert attention from its domestic failures. Its principal fear, however, does not come from abroad. It comes from within Iran: from a population that repeatedly rises against it and from an organized resistance capable of turning widespread anger into coordinated action. For the regime, therefore, an external crisis can be managed, and even exploited, while the real existential threat is the prospect of a nationwide uprising linked to organized resistance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The question, therefore, is not whether the clerical regime can survive another air campaign. It is whether it can indefinitely suppress a society that repeatedly rises against it while an organized resistance continues to adapt, recruit and endure.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tehran\u2019s own security discourse suggests that it already knows the answer is far from certain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some observers in the West have treated the survival of Iran&rsquo;s clerical regime after the recent confrontation with the United States and Israel as evidence of strength. That conclusion mistakes endurance under bombardment for political stability. The war was not designed to overthrow the regime, and regimes are rarely removed by air strikes alone. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":341967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,61],"tags":[222,847],"class_list":["post-347324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iran-resistance","category-editorial","tag-iranian-resistance","tag-editorial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some observers in the West have treated the survival of Iran\u2019s clerical regime after the recent confrontation with the United States and Israel as\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Iranian protester walks by a burning security forces motorbike on the street, which is acting as a barricade\u2014 January 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An Iranian protester walks by a burning security forces motorbike on the street, which is acting as a barricade\u2014 January 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-15T11:01:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"566\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Editorial Board\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Editorial Board\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Editorial Board\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2297668126640a622fcef43788217d85\"},\"headline\":\"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-15T11:01:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":780,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Iranian Resistance\",\"editorial\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Iran Opposition &amp; Resistance\",\"Editorial - National Council of Resistance of Iran\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/\",\"name\":\"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran - NCRI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-15T11:01:39+00:00\",\"description\":\"Some observers in the West have treated the survival of Iran\u2019s clerical regime after the recent confrontation with the United States and Israel as\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":566,\"caption\":\"An Iranian protester walks by a burning security forces motorbike on the street, which is acting as a barricade\u2014 January 2026\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/editorial\\\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"NCRI\",\"description\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"alternateName\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"width\":402,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/iran_policy\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2297668126640a622fcef43788217d85\",\"name\":\"The Editorial Board\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/52940d9ed9667cdc4187d5a0c6ab261e445323ca269732d9cd6c42dcbc8e26c2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/52940d9ed9667cdc4187d5a0c6ab261e445323ca269732d9cd6c42dcbc8e26c2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/52940d9ed9667cdc4187d5a0c6ab261e445323ca269732d9cd6c42dcbc8e26c2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"The Editorial Board\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/editor01\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran - NCRI","description":"Some observers in the West have treated the survival of Iran\u2019s clerical regime after the recent confrontation with the United States and Israel as","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"An Iranian protester walks by a burning security forces motorbike on the street, which is acting as a barricade\u2014 January 2026","og_description":"An Iranian protester walks by a burning security forces motorbike on the street, which is acting as a barricade\u2014 January 2026","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/","og_site_name":"NCRI","article_published_time":"2026-08-15T11:01:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":566,"url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"The Editorial Board","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@iran_policy","twitter_site":"@iran_policy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Editorial Board","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/"},"author":{"name":"The Editorial Board","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/2297668126640a622fcef43788217d85"},"headline":"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran","datePublished":"2026-08-15T11:01:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/"},"wordCount":780,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg","keywords":["Iranian Resistance","editorial"],"articleSection":["Iran Opposition &amp; Resistance","Editorial - National Council of Resistance of Iran"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/","name":"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran - NCRI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-15T11:01:39+00:00","description":"Some observers in the West have treated the survival of Iran\u2019s clerical regime after the recent confrontation with the United States and Israel as","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Iran-Nationwide-uprising-2026-14.jpg","width":1000,"height":566,"caption":"An Iranian protester walks by a burning security forces motorbike on the street, which is acting as a barricade\u2014 January 2026"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/editorial\/editorial-the-real-battle-is-inside-iran\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Editorial: The Real Battle Is Inside Iran"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","name":"NCRI","description":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","alternateName":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","width":402,"height":100,"caption":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/iran_policy"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/2297668126640a622fcef43788217d85","name":"The Editorial Board","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52940d9ed9667cdc4187d5a0c6ab261e445323ca269732d9cd6c42dcbc8e26c2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52940d9ed9667cdc4187d5a0c6ab261e445323ca269732d9cd6c42dcbc8e26c2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/52940d9ed9667cdc4187d5a0c6ab261e445323ca269732d9cd6c42dcbc8e26c2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"The Editorial Board"},"url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/author\/editor01\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":347325,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347324\/revisions\/347325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}