The fundamental challenge between the Iranian people and the ruling regime revolves around a core clash between the needs and demands of the populace versus the regime’s structure, policies, and nature. This deep division is not merely the result of administrative decisions or policy implementations, but stems from the nature and philosophy of governance—a nature that defines itself through an authoritarian ideology. This ideology, with its political, social, economic, and regional outcomes, has reached an impasse and failure.
The government-run “Etemad” newspaper, in its December 25, 2024 edition, clearly described the regime’s encounter with a substantial deadlock. The newspaper stated, “Iran today faces a set of complex, intertwined, and structural crises. These crises necessitate radical policy changes, structural reforms in the economic, social, and cultural systems, and a redefinition of authoritarian relationships and governance.”
One way to examine the nature of the regime and its “power relations” is by aligning news events with the identity and performance of this structure. For example, a spike in the number of executions over a short period is not merely a judicial event but reflects the government’s recent strategy to control an explosive society. For instance, during the first 150 days of Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidency, 683 executions were carried out, averaging four and a half people per day. These numbers indicate a profound challenge between the government and the majority of the people. Despite Pezeshkian’s pleading rhetoric, the people no longer distinguish between different factions of the regime, as both ultimately support the structural frameworks that overlook the majority’s desires.
The manifestations of discontent among the people have transformed into a deep wound against governance. This wound results from accumulated oppression, disregard for human rights, widespread corruption, and economic inefficiency. The extensive repression and executions delay demands for justice but have never been able to stop or end them. This process indicates that the healing of social and political wounds in Iran has merged with the denial of governance.
The challenge between the people and the governance is not a conflict that can be managed within the current framework. Therefore, the people’s demands for justice can only be achieved through the complete overthrow of this structure. When the cracks in control and domination by the clerical regime reach millions, it signifies that there is no hope for a radical reconstruction of the power structure or the establishment of a system that represents the desires and rights of the majority. The government newspaper “Hamdeli,” in its December 25, 2024 edition, reflected the stagnation in any change in the regime’s structure.
The newspaper wrote, “Academic elites, university graduates, winners of local and international scientific competitions, doctors, and nurses are among the groups most likely to emigrate abroad. Emigrations are taking on new dimensions every day… The Financial Times reported new information about Iranian emigrations abroad, indicating that Iranians had the fastest growing rate of emigration in the world between 2020 and 2021, with an increase of 141%.”
The wounds between the people and governance have shifted from a discontinuous black line to a continuous red line. The government newspaper “Jahan Sanat,” in its December 25, 2024 edition, painted a painful picture of living conditions and a ticking time bomb under the clerical regime’s building.
According to the newspaper: “In 2024, according to official reports, the poverty line was set at 200 million rials while the basic monthly wage for workers that year was 71.66 million rials… More than 60 to 70% of the society found themselves below the poverty line, a serious alarm in the country.”
This reality is an unceasing slap. A wound that does not heal. A bone that does not mend. A call that goes unheard. A demand for justice that does not end, except with the complete overthrow and reversal of the regime.
