Rather than acknowledging the deep-rooted dissatisfaction of the Iranian people with his leadership and the government, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei continues to deny reality. He attributes the widespread discontent to what he calls “propaganda” from cyberspace and foreign media, dismissing the legitimate grievances of Iranian society.
However, the voices of the Iranian people speak for themselves. They openly express their frustration with the regime’s oppression, tyranny, incompetence, and corruption. Khamenei’s speech on Monday was a clear admission of the regime’s declining legitimacy.
Instead of addressing the root causes of public dissatisfaction, he claimed that foreign “enemies” are attempting to sever the bond between the people and the Islamic Republic through misinformation.
But is foreign propaganda truly responsible for the widening rift between the government and its citizens? Or is it the everyday realities of life in Iran—poverty, repression, corruption, and inefficiency—that have fueled this growing discontent?
Khamenei is fully aware that he has lost his social base, yet he refuses to accept this truth. He blames the media and cyberspace for the erosion of public trust, despite the fact that these platforms merely reflect the struggles and sentiments of ordinary Iranians.
The regime’s failure to retain public support is not the result of foreign media operations but a consequence of its own governance failures.
Today, the majority of Iranians openly voice their dissatisfaction, with Khamenei himself becoming the direct target of criticism and protests.
These expressions of discontent are not foreign conspiracies; they are the genuine frustrations of a population that has endured decades of oppression and corruption. However, rather than acknowledging this reality, Khamenei insists that enemy media is manipulating public perception.
In response, he has mobilized the regime’s vast propaganda apparatus to manufacture content designed to alter public opinion.
This strategy highlights Khamenei’s fundamental misunderstanding of media and cyberspace. In today’s world, credibility attracts an audience, and people gravitate toward sources that reflect their lived experiences.
Yet, the Iranian regime has chosen a contradictory approach—aggressively filtering social media platforms such as Instagram, Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube while simultaneously attempting to flood these very spaces with state-sponsored content.
If Khamenei had the capability, he would likely cut off the internet entirely. However, given the technical and economic impracticality of such a move, he has resorted to a strategy of stringent control.
This is not a new tactic; it is an extension of the same approach he took toward independent journalism two decades ago. Just as he ordered the closure of 16 newspapers in a single night in the 1990s, he now seizes every opportunity to impose further restrictions on media and cyberspace.
Despite these efforts, Khamenei has consistently failed to suppress the truth. The forced shutdown of independent newspapers did not stop Iranians from turning to alternative domestic and foreign media.
Similarly, internet censorship has not prevented people from accessing news and information. A media outlet that fails to reflect reality loses its credibility, and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is a prime example. Despite its vast resources, it has lost public trust because it refuses to acknowledge and report on the realities of Iranian society.
Khamenei expects Iranians to reject independent media while simultaneously forbidding state media from reporting the truth. This glaring contradiction is the primary reason for the regime’s failure to control public opinion.
Amidst recent regional setbacks and the weakening of Iran’s geopolitical standing, Khamenei has resorted to another desperate tactic—an appeal to nationalism.
In his recent address to the people of Tabriz, he attempted to invoke nationalist sentiments to regain public support. However, this shift in rhetoric exposes yet another contradiction in the regime’s policies.
No entity has worked harder to undermine Iranian nationalism than the Islamic Republic itself. For decades, the regime, under Khamenei’s leadership, has actively suppressed national identity and prioritized ideological allegiance over national interests.
Khamenei’s refusal to acknowledge the genuine causes of public discontent and his reliance on repression, propaganda, and censorship only deepen the regime’s crisis of legitimacy. Instead of confronting the truth, he continues to blame external forces, further alienating the very people he seeks to control.
