Rattled regime |
Iran today stands at an uneasy intersection of internal decay and external pressure. The streets are restless, the economy is brittle, and the leadership is visibly unsettled. Yet the Islamic Republic is not collapsing. It is something more complex and, in many ways, more dangerous: a hardened state entering a prolonged phase of instability. The immediate trigger is domestic. Years of inflation, currency erosion and shrinking opportunities have hollowed out daily life for millions. What began as economic anger has matured into political resentment. The protests that now surface across cities and social groups are no longer confined to students or activists.
They cut across class, geography, and ideology. This breadth matters. It signals not a single grievance but a systemic loss of faith. The regime’s response has followed a familiar script: force, fear and information control. Arrests, internet shutdowns and lethal crackdowns........