Rasoul Falahati, the Iranian regime’s Friday prayer leader of Gilan Province, referred to a meeting of 31 Friday prayer leaders with regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during this week’s Friday prayer sermon in Rasht. He stated, “A few days ago this week, we, the representatives of the Supreme Leader, held a gathering in Tehran. Then on Monday, these 31 provincial representatives met with Khamenei, where he said, ‘Encourage the people and distance yourselves from anything that causes despair.’” (Regime television, January 11, 2025).
Indeed, from the perspective of Khamenei, the situation is so critical and fragile, and the atmosphere of despair and defeat among regime forces is so heavy and pervasive that he did not leave the task of instructing the representatives and Friday prayer leaders of the 31 provinces to the “Policy Council of Friday Prayer Leaders.” Instead, he summoned them all to the capital to personally dictate the line they should follow. The results of Khamenei’s directives to his appointees can be observed in their statements during this week’s Friday prayer gatherings.
Hassan Ameli, the regime’s Friday prayer leader in Ardabil, echoed Khamenei’s recent concerns in his sermon, crying out in fear about the “enemy’s propaganda” influencing public opinion. He stated, “A thousand [PMOI members] are sitting behind computers targeting a population of over 80 million; every day, they bombard us with bad and worrying news.”
Lotfollah Dezhkam, the regime’s Friday prayer leader in Shiraz, addressed the regime forces, saying, “Do not worry about what will happen; the house of sorrow will one day turn into a rose garden. Do not fear, do not let grief into your hearts, and do not be deceived by these media games and media fabrications.”
Ahmad Mahmoudi, the regime’s Friday prayer leader in Isfahan, stated, “We must be very vigilant now; the enemy is creating a triangular strategy: despair, fear, and division. This is the enemy’s triangular strategy.”
Morteza Motei, the regime’s Friday prayer leader in Semnan, remarked, “May God forbid that these media and propaganda attacks weaken the resolve of us believers.”
Khamenei’s propaganda mobilization is not limited to words and speeches. Under his orders, a series of drills and maneuvers have been launched from Tehran to western Iran to, as Tehran IRGC commander Hassan Hassanzadeh put it, “show their power.”
On Saturday, IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami, during a staged visit to the regime’s so-called underground missile cities, broke from his usual bravado to lament, “In recent weeks, due to developments in the region, a false euphoria has emerged among our enemies, leading to a mistaken judgment and flawed calculation… that ongoing developments have weakened the power and authority of the [regime].” (Regime television, January 11, 2025).
During an IRGC maneuver in Kermanshah, Salami also said, “The enemy first tries to instill doubt in our hearts and capture our minds, creating an image of its own power and trying to convince us that we are weakened, whereas we are here. In none of our dimensions of power compared to before are we weaker; on the contrary, we have become much stronger.” (Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, January 9, 2025).
While these statements from Khamenei’s IRGC chief portrayed a clear picture of the regime forces’ depleted state, he foolishly swore, “Compared to before, we are not weaker, but indeed much stronger!”
The reality is that with the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the collapse of more than four decades of investment and tens of billions of dollars spent by Khamenei, the massive and comprehensive blow to the regime has been so heavy and crushing that the rhetoric of the Supreme Leader’s representatives in Friday prayers and the IRGC’s hollow shows of power only further highlight the regime’s weakness.
Behrouz Esbati, head of the cyberspace command of the Armed Forces General Staff, who witnessed firsthand the regime forces’ defeat and the collapse of Khamenei’s strategic depth in Syria, admitted, “I don’t consider it an honor that we lost Syria; no! We were hit, we lost, and we lost badly! We lost! We were hit, and it was very hard for us.” (Tabnak, January 8, 2025).