In a situation where Iran’s regime is struggling with different crises, regime president Massoud Pezeshkian tried to stage a display of “accord and unity” in the Majlis (parliament). This act, intended to address structural crises and reduce deep rifts between power factions and public opinion, only added to the regime’s scandals and failures.
On December 1, in parliament, Pezeshkian called for “accord and unity” as a “common pact” and urged representatives to “join hands” to address economic and social issues. He claimed that if unity is achieved among factions and the pillars of the system, “there will be no problems in the country.” These statements stand in stark contrast to the harsh reality of profound crises in all economic, social, and political dimensions.
The “unity and accord” show in the Parliament is less a genuine plan to solve problems and more an attempt to project internal harmony, despite widening rifts and contradictions among regime factions. Meanwhile, public dissent and social crises such as rampant inflation, widespread poverty, and general mistrust challenge this baseless claim.
Pezeshkian and other regime officials attempt to gloss over regional crises with “hollow repentance” from perpetuating war and bloodshed. The regime’s president called on Islamic countries to intervene in the Syrian crisis and prevent “exploitation by the U.S. and Israel,” revealing the regime’s strategic deadlock in the region.
Pezeshkian’s claim that “we are by no means seeking to expand war and bloodshed” is contradicted by the regime’s military interventions in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza, which blatantly violate the rights of nations of the region. These statements expose not only the regime’s contradictory foreign policy but also its blatant deceit in concealing its destructive role in fostering regional instability.
The regime’s president exploits the Palestinian issue as a tool to divert public attention from the dire state of human rights in Iran and cover up the wave of executions and egregious violations of human rights domestically.
Pezeshkian said, “I wonder how they claim to advocate for human rights. How can they assert whether we observe human rights in the region and country? The question is, do they have the right to tell us whether we observe human rights or not? What are you doing fighting women and children?” (Source: Regime TV, December 1)
While the regime claims to advocate for “human rights” in Gaza, the high rates of executions, torture, and widespread oppression of women and minorities in Iran paint a contrasting picture. In recent months alone, a broad wave of executions has been carried out in Iran. This glaring contradiction highlights the regime’s lack of credibility in its professed defense of human rights.
The shallow show of “accord and unity” in the regime’s parliament between the government and parliament is an attempt to escape the structural crises threatening the regime’s survival. When Pezeshkian implores the Majlis representatives to “stop making noise so he can speak,” the rest of the scenario is predictable. These scenes clearly demonstrate the regime’s inability to establish any genuine unity.
The performance of unity and accord is an effort to project an image of cohesion within the system and distract public opinion from the regime’s deep internal divisions and widespread inefficiencies. However, this portrayal failed to conceal the fundamental crises with which the regime is grappling.
The reality is that the regime is facing a legitimacy crisis domestically and is increasingly encircled internationally due to its destructive policies and isolation. This situation has driven the regime’s leaders to resort to propaganda tactics such as staging “unity and accord” masquerades.
A regime built on oppression, deception, and violence cannot withstand the Iranian people’s demand for freedom and democracy. As history has shown, repression and deceit have never prevented the downfall of authoritarian regimes.
The chaos in the Parliament and the contradictory statements by Pezeshkian and other officials underline the fact that economic, social, and political crises on one side and international pressures on the other have brought the regime to the brink of collapse.