History rarely announces itself politely. It arrives in convulsions, in defiance, in moments when fear finally changes sides. Iran is now at such a moment. After 47 years of clerical dictatorship, corruption, executions, and economic ruin, the Islamic Republic is hurtling toward an irreversible end. Both Iranian society and the ruling regime are racing, at unprecedented speed, toward a new reality, one that the mullahs can neither control nor survive.

The nationwide uprising that erupted in Tehran's Grand Bazaar in the final days of 2025 has exposed the regime's fatal weakness. What began as a merchants' strike against price hikes and collapsing purchasing power has become a political revolt spanning more than 145 cities across 28 of Iran's 31 provinces. The chants heard on Iran's streets are not calls for reform or relief. They are demands for regime change: "Death to the dictator," "Neither Shah nor Supreme Leader," and "This is the year of blood – Khamenei will be overthrown."

For decades, the regime survived by alternating repression with false promises, while Western governments clung to the illusion that moderation might emerge from within. That illusion has now collapsed, just like Iran's economy. Annual inflation officially stands at around 43 percent, but for essential goods it exceeds 100 percent. The rial has lost roughly 70 percent of its value in a single year. Tehran and other major cities face chronic shortages of water, electricity, and gas. Extreme poverty is widespread, while air pollution kills an estimated 60,000 people annually. Ninety-two percent of Iranians, according to a poll conducted on behalf of the regime itself, are dissatisfied........

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