In his first public address since the regime’s defeat in the 12-day war, Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered a speech not of strength, but of desperation. Speaking to the regime’s judicial authorities on July 17, Khamenei attempted to project a facade of “sham power” to boost the collapsing morale of his loyalists. However, his words only succeeded in revealing a leader trapped by military failure, consumed by internal division, and haunted by the specter of a popular uprising. The speech was a desperate attempt to encourage his forces to continue their suppression, even as the regime sinks deeper into a vortex of crises.
Hollow military boasts to hide a humiliating defeat
Khamenei began with outlandish claims of military prowess, designed to reassure his frightened audience. “We entered the war firmly,” he asserted, adding, “The clear proof is that the Zionist regime, which was the opposing side in the war, was forced to resort to America. It realized it could not handle the Islamic Republic.” He continued his bluffs by claiming a major victory against the United States itself. “The counter-strike we dealt to America was a very sensitive blow… when the censorship is lifted in a few months, or a few years, it will become clear. The center that was attacked by Iran was an exceptionally sensitive American center in this region. The blow was a big one.”
This bluster, however, cannot conceal the truth. The reality of his supposed “big blow” needed no waiting period to be revealed; the time, location, and even the number of pre-agreed missiles were exposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on the very night of the ceasefire the mullahs’ regime had begged for. Khamenei’s own vague, censored, and deeply embarrassed retelling of the events speaks volumes about the humiliating military and political defeat he is trying to hide.
A desperate plea to quell internal regime infighting
After failing to project strength externally, Khamenei turned his attention inward, revealing the profound crisis gripping the regime’s leadership. Facing the disastrous consequences of squandering trillions of dollars on a failed nuclear weapons program and foreign terrorism, he openly begged his officials to cease their infighting. “Raising unnecessary criticisms and debating and creating scandals about them is harmful,” he warned. He pleaded for unity, stating it is “harmful” to amplify disagreements by attributing them to one faction or another. He went on to dictate the terms of any dissent, demanding that if anyone has an objection to a military or diplomatic official, “firstly, the tone chosen to express the objection and criticism must be an acceptable tone. Secondly, it must be done after investigation.” This is the desperate call of a leader trying to hold together a system that is fracturing under the weight of its own corruption and failure.
An inadvertent confession of fear of the PMOI
The most telling moment of Khamenei’s speech was his unintentional admission about the true source of his fear. While attempting to slander the opposition by lumping them in with disparate groups, he inadvertently confessed his terror of the organized resistance. He revealed the enemy’s calculation: “Their calculation was that when they attacked sensitive centers and took a number of personalities from the system, the system would naturally be weakened. It is then that the dormant cells of the [PMOI], monarchists, mercenaries, and thugs would become active and, in short, finish the job for the system.”
This was no mere smear. For any informed observer, these words are a clear and undeniable admission of the existential threat the regime faces from a popular uprising spearheaded by the PMOI/MEK and its network of Resistance Units inside Iran. By trying to reassure his forces, Khamenei instead confirmed that the organized resistance is poised to act and that he knows his regime’s survival is on the line.
The sentinel of the uprising is awake
Khamenei’s speech ultimately achieved the opposite of its intent. It exposed a regime weakened, divided, and terrified of its own people. The truth is that Khamenei is happy that he wasn’t overthrown, and his comments are a clear admission to the threat to his regime’s existence. His hollow boasts and panicked warnings cannot change the reality on the ground. For the Iranian people and their resistance fighters for freedom, the path forward is clear. The inevitable overthrow of the mullahs’ regime at the hands of the people and their Resistance is near.