Are we to believe that Iranians, all Iranians, a people numbering more than 93 million in the latest count, share the opinions, creed, and discourse of Vahidi, Rezaei, Qalibaf, and Abdollahi, and of course of the hidden Supreme Leader, Khamenei the son?
Even within the political elite of Khomeinism's supporters, there are differing views and criticisms. They arise from the present war, which for Iran is an existential and decisive one. It is reasonable to imagine debates and bold questions equal to the existential and fateful nature of the moment. But why imagine?
There are striking signs, collected by our colleague Moussa al-Sharifi, who knows Iranian affairs well, and summarized on Al Arabiya's website. Here are some of them. In an interview published by the Iranian newspaper Etemad, Ali Jannati, a former minister of culture and Islamic guidance and a former diplomat, called for a review of the foundations of state administration. He is the son of the regime's hardline figure, Ahmad Jannati. He stressed that the starting point must be a return to the spirit and the text of the constitution.
Ali Jannati warned of the consequences of the war, the naval blockade, and the economic challenges. He said that continued attrition could expose Iran to harsher internal and regional pressures and reduce its capacity to protect its interests.
Mostafa Kavakebian, a former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, called for a referendum as soon as possible on changes to the structure of the system. He did so in an interview published on Iran24 News.
Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the former secretary-general of the Executives of Construction Party and a former mayor of Tehran, criticized the discourse that exaggerates the damage done to the US compared with the losses Iran is bearing. He called for a realistic assessment of the balance of power.
He also warned against widening the circle of regional confrontation, urging that missiles not be aimed at Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE, so that regional countries do not line up against Iran.
These are striking examples of the kind of new debates and criticisms now underway. Some of them are old, but they are bold because they are being raised today by figures broadly counted as part of the regime. Does this mean the structure of the closed Khomeinist Iranian regime is cracking today?
It would be hasty to say so, as the report itself notes. But the collapse of large buildings can take some time. Cracks need their full span of time before they widen beyond the stage of repair and restoration.
There have been revolts and protests from within the system before, such as the Green Movement, and they were crushed. Indeed, shortly before the war, the regime killed tens of thousands of protesters. Ali Jannati said that 80 percent of them were young people under 18, and not the children of Zionists, as the Iranian regime's propaganda claimed.
Yes, from the outside the regime looks solid. But that is a deceptive picture. The smoke of war may have covered the truth of an image that does not hold together. Time will tell.
