London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 22, 2025

Signs of cracks within Iran’s government as protests endure

Signs of cracks within Iran’s government as protests endure

Unrest is enduring in Iran, with experts warning ‘cracks’ are showing within the embattled government, AFP reports.
Despite the regime’s fierce repression, involving hundreds of killings, mass detentions and four executions so far, protests are continuing in Iran, though in different forms and more sporadically.

“Revolutionary processes usually involve phases of relative calm and others of tumult,” said Ali Fathollah-Nejad, a political scientist at the American University of Beirut.

Though there has been a “relative decline” in the number of demonstrations, Iran is “at an impasse, neither the regime nor the demonstrators being able to impose themselves”, he continued, hinting further unrest as the country’s economic crisis deepens.

Protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022. The 22-year-old Kurdish woman died after being arrested by Iran’s so-called morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.

Protests soon morphed into a wider challenge to Iran’s Islamic government, which is deeply unpopular among large swaths of the population.

“With the considerable loss of value of the Iranian currency... one can expect demonstrations focused on the economy, which, as the past shows, could quickly become political”, said Fathollah-Nejad.

Millions of Iranians are being pushed to the brink, with the country’s currency taking a battering in recent months and years.

It dropped to a historic low of 370,000 Iranian rials to the US dollar in December.

Faced with violent oppression, strikes and other acts of resistance such as writing slogans or destroying government signs have increased, reports enqelab.info, which monitors protest activity.

“The national uprising is alive, although the way people express their dissent has changed due to the authorities’ deadly crackdown during [autumn],” enqelab said in a statement.

According to the Norwegian NGO Iran Human Rights, at least 481 people have been killed and at least 109 people are at risk of execution over the protests.

Four men have already been hanged. Authorities in Tehran say members of their security forces have also died. They denounce the protests are “violent riots” agitated by foreign powers.

The UN has also recorded some 14,000 arrests during the demonstration, which were initially against Islamic laws making it mandatory for Iranian women to cover their hair with a headscarf.

Protests have simply “decreased” because “citizens are more cautious”, said Roya Boroumand, co-founder of Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, an Iranian human rights NGO.

“But they are not over,” she continued.

In January, a massive rally took place outside Rajaishar prison in Karaj, near Tehran, amid rumors two protesters were to be executed. Both men are still alive.

The woman-led movement “changed the narrative the Islamic Republic has imposed for decades on Iranians, who they are and what they want,” Boroumand said.

However, there are few signs Tehran is ready to make significant concessions.

Repression may even intensify, with the appointment of Ahmad Reza Radan as head of the national police. He is a radical known for stifling 2009 protests against disputed elections.

Tehran’s brutal crackdown is pushing it even further from the West, putting any attempt at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal on ice.

Iranian authorities are also furious at the UN for launching a fact-finding mission into the crackdowns.

But divisions seem to be appearing within the authorities, while Tehran has not mobilized all its repressive paraphernalia, despite the bloodshed, according to observers.

Iran this month executed former Deputy Defense Minister Alireza Akbari, who had obtained British citizenship after leaving his post, for spying for the United Kingdom.

Cornelius Adebahr, a non-resident fellow at the Carnegie Europe research center, said this was an “unexpected verdict” possibly pointing to a “power struggle” among elites over how to handle the protests.

Alireza Akbari was seen as close to Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani and other figures, who advocated for some reforms to address protesters’ grievances.

“There are signs of cracks” in power, added Fathollah-Nejad. This execution shows that “mistrust has set in among regime insiders”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
×