Just over a month ahead of the presidential elections in Iran and the regime is facing another crisis; this time over infighting. Granted, it’s not exactly the same as deliberately failing to control the pandemic or destroying the economy, but it’s still pretty damaging for the mullahs.

So last week, an audio recording of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is from the so-called reformist faction, was leaked. Then, Government spokesperson Ali Rabie spoke on Saturday about a “destructive bipolar” in society and spying accusations. Soon after, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei attacked Zarif and the reformists in an attempt to increase his hold on power.

The state-run media has long been warning that the regime would be taken down by a “political tsunami”, as the state-run Etemad daily described it last Tuesday, but they probably weren’t expecting this.

But the increase in severity and scale of these factional feuds is down to the restiveness of Iranian society, thanks to the coronavirus and the economic crisis, which are both ignored by the regime in favour of funding terrorists and enriching officials.

Regarding the people’s righteous anger, sociologist Ahmad Bokharaie told the state-run  Eghtesad-e Pouya newspaper on Sunday: “80% of people are below the poverty line. Currently, our country has become bipolar, and these dipoles will lead to social collapse.”

Protests have increased significantly in 2021, with major rallies being held by pensioners, investors, and farmers, which covers both the middle and working classes and eliminates what is left of the regime’s base. Alongside this, there are increased activities by the Resistance, particularly when it comes to encouraging an election boycott.

The state-run Bulletin News wrote Saturday, that the daily activities of the people and their resistance range “from protests and strikes to writing graffiti, torching [regime’s] symbols, and hanging banners of [Resistance Leaders] Massoud and Maryam Rajavi”, all of which has frustrated the regime.

This is something that Khamenei seemed particularly afraid of during his Sunday speech, where he spoke a “the great sedition” and “the bedrock of security breaches”, whilst warning officials about the Resistance’s growing influence on the public, especially young people.

The Iranian Resistance wrote: “The rising trend of protests in the last four months and their rapid spread across Iran, with people chanting that “we will not rest until we get our rights,” are signs of Iran’s explosive society and foretell another uprising… In a nutshell, the regime is entangled in crises and has no way out.”