Public hatred and the rift between the people and Iran’s regime, which mostly is targeting the supreme leader Ali Khamenei these days, has alarmed state media and government officials from both regime factions.
They describe such hatred and rift as mistrust or damage to the public’s trust and see the priority of Ebrahim Raisi’s government to be rebuilding and repairing this loss.
In a meeting with the government of Raisi, Khamenei expressed his fear about the people’s hatred and the people’s increasing distance with the regime, admitting, “The greatest asset is for a government that can win the trust of the people, which, of course, unfortunately, is damaged somehow and need to be repaired.” (State TV Channel One, August 28, 2021)
Khamenei’s remarks have recently become the subject of debate and scrutiny by media outlets affiliated with his faction, and they warn the Raisi administration that, ‘regarding the challenges and obstacles facing the government contained key and helpful materials,’ were in Khamenei’s speeches.
The Kayhan daily on September 2, 2021, warned the government too and wrote, “Social gaps and intensification of social confidence loss”, and “a blatant, risky and even perishing conspiracy”, must be considered, that can overthrow Raisi’s government or any other if it fails to reach its goal and promises given to the people.
The hatred of the people has a devastating outcome for the regime, which is its downfall, as we have witnessed in the past years in the people’s protests.
That is why the Kayhan columnist wrote with concern about people’s hatred and the rift between them and the ruling power that this is “irreparable damage that simply throws a devastating fire on the social capital of a country.”
The Mardom Salari newspaper on September 2, 2021, showed the same fear in an article entitled, “Iran’s recent movements” and said that the leadership of these movements is “not anymore in the hands of the middle class, and the leaders of these movements are aware people from the lower and poor classes.
“Movements in Iran in 2017 and 2019 and somehow in 2021 have fallen into the hands of the poor and lower classes. People who suffer a lot and are wounded by their movements the society and the government.”
Then it admitted that the main opposition of this regime the MEK/PMOI, “is leading the middle class to a politic of violence.” Something that is very dangerous and is remembering the “events of 2017, 2019, and 2021” which had the same nature, which means a movement of the poor classes with a violent and subversive character.
Then while trembling it suggests Raisi “get this situation out of this dilemma and crisis and think of a solution.”
In the impossible assumption, if Raisi wants to take a step, the first step is to address the supercritical state of the economy and people’s livelihoods. But according to state media, the government is more disabled than imaginable.
“The government does not have a well-planned and acceptable economic plan for reforming the country’s economic affairs, and what ministers have promised in the economic debate and the construction of a million housing, and other cases, is more slogan than the program.
“Economists in the country, with every economic point and vision, will say that there are a few percent hopes for reform, but we have not seen a plan yet. Some things are said that have not been studied at all, the capacity of the country has not been studied, the country’s facilities are not estimated, and they promise what is not feasible with these conditions and because it is not practical, it will cause disappointment.” (State-run daily Arman, September 2, 2021)
Therefore, all these promises and the latest moves of the regime’s president, like traveling to poor and deprived areas of the country like Khuzestan and Baluchistan province, can be considered as the regime’s fear of more uprisings, once the people overcome the coronavirus.
