On the anniversary of the 2017 and 2009 nationwide protests, top Iranian officials delivered a series of warnings reflecting a regime increasingly anxious about its stability. Senior clerics and politicians sounded alarms over domestic dissent and foreign influence, painting a picture of a state under siege by internal fragility and external pressures.
Mehdi Shabzendehdar, a member of the Qom Seminary, warned, “It is possible that, due to the negligence of officials and some people, we may face circumstances like those witnessed in Syria.” He accused foreign enemies of working covertly to influence public sentiment, stating, “Sometimes the enemy’s plans quietly and gradually affect the beliefs and emotions of the people.”
Similarly, Mohsen Araki of the Expediency Council referred to the 2022 protests as a “seditious rebellion” and demanded that officials openly describe them as such. “Tell the people, tell the media, tell the officials: this was a seditious rebellion,” he insisted. He went on to link the unrest to the deaths of security forces, saying, “We sacrificed martyrs like dear Arman and Rouhollah Ajamian to combat this sedition.” Araki also emphasized the dangers of an unregulated internet, claiming, “If cyberspace is left unchecked, it will be a path for the enemy to attack our nation’s independence and interests.”
Warning the regime’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, Araki said, “Wherever the government seeks to align itself with foreign powers, we will separate our path from that of the government—there are no compromises in this matter.”
Abdollah Haji-Sadeghi, the Supreme Leader’s representative in the IRGC, directed his criticism at revisionist officials, warning them against wavering in their loyalty to the regime. “If you falter in your service to the Supreme Leader or in fighting global arrogance, the people will bypass you and connect directly with the leadership,” he declared. He added ominously, “This nation will overcome anyone, regardless of their position, who stands in the way of the Islamic Revolution.”
Hamidreza Haji-Babaei, Vice Speaker of Parliament, highlighted the regime’s reliance on regional military projection for its domestic security. “If we do not preserve our security 2,000 kilometers away, explosions will occur in Khorramabad,” he stated. Babaei also threatened regional adversaries, saying, “We have powerful missiles, and if necessary, we will strike Tel Aviv from anywhere in the world.” He warned that the regime could become destructive in its decline, claiming, “If the day comes when we are forced to act, it will be so devastating that it will change many equations.”
In Mashhad, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Supreme Leader’s representative in Khorasan Razavi Province, urged vigilance against internal and external threats. “If our people fail to recognize sedition, the enemy will use it to overthrow the state,” he cautioned. Referring to the 2009 protests, he said, “On December 29th, the Supreme Leader clearly exposed the sedition, showing the people the truth. If the people remain unaware, the enemy’s deceptions will uproot everything.”
Hamidreza Moghadamfar, a cultural advisor to the IRGC, said on December 29: “We still have seditions; they haven’t ended. The sedition of 2009 wasn’t the last, nor was the sedition of 2022, and there will be future seditions.”
Mohammad Mokhtari, Friday prayer leader in Birjand, described the current challenges as a “soft war” targeting the hearts and minds of the nation. “This is a soft war. They may occupy our land, but more dangerously, they may occupy the hearts and souls of our people, infiltrate our homes, and take our children without us even realizing. One day we may wake up and find everything lost—God forbid, it is very dangerous,” he warned.
In Rasht, Friday prayer leader Mohammad-Hossein Safavi highlighted what he called an overt agenda of regime change. “As they themselves admitted and made clear in their slogans, the goal is to overthrow and transform the system,” Safavi said. “They want the regime gone; they reject the Supreme Leadership and demand a different system entirely. They don’t want religion to govern.” He also expressed concern over the alignment of some individuals with the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), lamenting, “We are troubled by those who lean towards the MEK.”
These statements, coming from senior regime figures, reveal a pervasive fear of collapse. With threats to unleash regional terrorism and project military power abroad, the clerical regime demonstrates how dangerous it can become in its weakness. As Hamidreza Haji Babaei warned, a desperate Iran could pursue actions with devastating consequences. This underscores the urgent need for the international community to confront Tehran’s provocations with strength and resolve before such threats become reality.
Source » ncr-iran