After June’s war, Iranians ask the forbidden question: what if the regime itself is the enemy?
In a Nutshell
On 22 August 2025, the Financial Times reported on a growing wave of discontent within Iran. Writers, clerics, and reformists dared to speak openly of change. The war with Israel had exposed the regime’s weakness, and the public — weary from economic collapse — demanded answers.
For the first time in years, cracks appeared not just in the streets but in the ruling elite itself.
Source: Financial Times
The Main Course
Wars are supposed to unify nations. For Iran, June’s conflict with Israel did the opposite. Instead of rallying behind the regime, many Iranians asked: why are we fighting at all? Why are our children sent to die in Gaza or Syria while our own economy collapses? Why are we funding Hezbollah while pensions go unpaid?
The whispers grew louder. Reformist voices in parliament spoke of “a new path.” Clerics, usually silent, spoke of “moral failure.” Even some within the Revolutionary Guards leaked discontent. These are not yet calls for regime change. But they are heresies in a system that demands silence.
The Media Recommends
The Financial Times called it “post-war reflection.” The BBC spoke of “tentative reform.” The Guardian described it as “debate.”
The words are polite. But the reality is revolutionary. When an authoritarian elite begins to question itself, it is already weakened.
The Merlow View
History offers parallels. In the Soviet Union, dissent began with intellectuals whispering in the 1980s. In Eastern Europe, cracks appeared not with tanks but with books and debates. In Iran today, the same tremors can be felt.
The fantasy is that reform is possible within the Islamic Republic. The reality is that the system cannot reform without erasing itself. Its very structure is built on repression. But the fact that elites dare to imagine reform is itself a sign of collapse.
What comes next is uncertain. But the debate alone shows the regime is no longer confident. And confidence, once lost, is rarely regained.
The invitation is simple: listen to the whispers. They matter more than the shouts. A system begins to fall when even its servants question its survival. Iran’s post-war society is asking questions the regime cannot answer. To notice this is to understand that the end, though not yet here, has already begun.
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