On June 2, Massih Mohajeri, the editor of daily newspaper Jomhouri Eslami (The Islamic Republic), wrote a “performance report” detailing how the Iranian people were not satisfied with the Regime and how it was running Iran.

He wrote: “We are surrounded by a group of ‘yes men’ who praise us for what we do, but the people are not happy with our performance. The people’s dissent is because of us, not because of the revolution and the political system. They expect us to correct our behaviour.”

It is true that the Iranian people are dissatisfied with the situation in Iran; they’ve been protesting in the streets for nearly six months. However, they don’t expect the Regime to reform, which is why they are demanding regime change.

Mohajeri also said that “the political system” had “alienated Khomeini’s best and closest allies,” by giving the leadership of Iran to a group of ultraconservatives for eight years, which “created long-lasting problems for the country”.

While this does make the false distinction between hardliners and moderates in the Iranian Regime, it also shows the elections in Iran are little more than a farce, as the presidency was given to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The holiday weekend

While the Iranian Regime marks the anniversary of Khomeini’s death and the anniversary of a significant revolt against the monarchy (June 5, 1963) over a five-day period each year, most Iranians do not spend the time remembering their fallen dictator. Instead, they take short breaks to the Caspian Sea or spend time with family and friends.

This year, the Iranian Regime called on Iranians to partake in ceremonies in order to put on a brave front to the US following Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. But this has not worked.

Even as state-run media predicts that millions will show up to ceremonies marking Khomeini’s death, they neglect to mention that many more will refuse to take part in a ceremony for a man who destroyed their country.

Indeed, the Iranian people see Khomeini’s political legacy as:

• The disastrous Iran-Iraq war that cost over a million lives
• The US embassy hostage-taking that led to a loss of diplomatic relations with the United States
• An unjustified hatred for other countries in the Middle East
• The suppression of political activists, including the 1988 massacre of 30,000 members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)