In a candid reflection of the complex Iranian political landscape, the state-run newspaper Ham-Mihan highlights the deep strategic quagmire faced by regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei. In an article titled “Iran at a Crossroads from Every Side,” the publication summarizes the dismal state of the ruling clerical regime and suggests a scenario akin to life support for a ruling system that is barely hanging on to power.
Ham-Mihan’s narrative portrays Khamenei and his cronies in power as not only in a state of political, economic, and social stagnation but in a phase of existential crisis. This depiction goes beyond the usual rhetoric of state media, which usually try to shower praise on the regime while hinting at their criticism. In recent months, other newspapers and analysts have also warned about the dismal state of the regime as the mullahs’ rule inches toward its next showdown with an enraged population that is demanding change.
At the heart of the discussion, there’s an illustrative depiction of Khamenei stuck at a metaphorical crossroads, a scenario exacerbated by the government’s increasing reliance on a “purification” agenda. However, this strategy seems to only heighten tensions within a society growing more resentful as the regime tries to tighten its grip on power. The regime also faces tremendous challenges from the growing network and activities of the Iranian Resistance inside Iran.
Moreover, the article illuminates the dilemmas facing the political elite, caught between calls for policy change and the risk of inciting what the newspaper terms as aimless and leaderless revolutions. This quagmire highlights the deep divisions within the ruling factions, exacerbated by the recent sham parliamentary elections, which was massively boycotted by the Iranian people, reflecting widespread public disillusionment and demands for regime change.
The piece criticizes the regime’s tactical maneuvers to re-present reformists as a reasonable solution to the legitimacy crisis. The report views such tactics as likely to strengthen hardline elements in power, pushing them to intensify crackdown campaigns against opposition within the ranks and marginalize moderate voices. However, the reality is that the people are passed the stage of accepting any kind of reform from within the regime as they have made it clear in the slogans they chant in street protests.
At its core, while Ham-Mihan seems to acknowledge the critical stage at which Khamenei and his regime stand, the proposed solutions appear to revert to the status quo, avoiding radical change or confrontation. According to the article, this approach risks perpetuating the very conditions that led to the current impasse, indicating a tacit agreement with Khamenei’s strategy of survival through controlled opposition and limited reform. However, this is a path that has been dead on arrival and has only served as a decoy for the regime to deceive the Iranian people and the international community.
Ham-Mihan’s analysis reflects a complex interplay between recognition and avoidance, acknowledging the unstable position of the regime while simultaneously warning against the kind of decisive action that could fundamentally alter the Iranian political trajectory. This narrative serves as a reminder of the intricate rivalries between the regime’s factions. It’s clear that this newspaper’s writing reflects the views of the so-called moderates, and it’s evident to the Iranian people that this faction is not seeking revolution and change, nor are they looking to change the content of the constitution.
But this writing indicates a fear of changing the conditions governing society, dominated by this class while they well know that Khamenei’s path will inevitably lead to another confrontation between the regime and the people, and that the fate of all regime factions is intrinsically linked to Khamenei’s to the core. This type of acknowledgment in a government newspaper should be attributed to the radical circumstances of the society, which will sooner or later remove the corrupt rule of the mullahs from Iran and raise the flag of democracy in this country.
