Political Rivalries and Sanctions: Iran Faces Pressure at Home and Abroad - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. Iran is feeling the squeeze from renewed sanctions and the ongoing risk of conflict with Israel, and inside the ruling circles there’s a clear struggle for influence while leaders try to appear resolute.
European powers used the 2015 nuclear deal’s “snapback” mechanism this month to reintroduce UN sanctions. Talks between Iran and the E3 (France, Germany, UK) didn’t stop the move, and Tehran has signalled it won’t accept the Western terms. Officials see demands like a total ban on enrichment as an unacceptable surrender.
Those sanctions are hitting an economy already in trouble - inflation is above 40 percent - and public frustration is growing. That pressure is pushing the government to find measures to reduce criticism, even as factions inside the system jostle for position.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taken a defiant tone toward the US and its allies, saying Iran won’t submit to foreign impositions. He also publicly mocked US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about the Gaza ceasefire trip. Iran’s military leaders say they have recovered from losses during the recent clashes and remain prepared to respond with missiles or other strikes if attacked. IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour warned any future response would be stronger than the one to the 12-day confrontation.
To rally popular support, authorities have leaned more on nationalist symbolism than they usually do in peacetime. In several cities, statues and banners showing pre-Islamic kings and legendary heroes have been displayed alongside modern military images. For example, a large Rostam statue was unveiled near Isfahan, and public displays have shown historical Persian victories and missile imagery.
But along with this show of readiness and pride, everyday life is getting harder. The rial is near record lows against the dollar after Khamenei rejected direct US talks, and sanctions are blamed by Iran, China, and Russia as illegitimate because they argue the original measures expired under the 2015 deal. Yet the diplomatic back-and-forth offers little comfort to people facing rising prices and stagnant wages.
Domestic controls remain tight. The government of President Masoud Pezeshkian says it has not been able to lift internet restrictions it once promised to remove because of the war environment, and there’s no clear timeline for restoring access to most global social media, messaging apps and thousands of websites. Longstanding limits on connectivity have only been intensified recently.
There’s also renewed debate inside Iran about enforcing the mandatory hijab. Hardliners push for stricter policing of the dress code, while the government - struggling with a budget gap and an energy crunch - says it isn’t allocating funds for broad new enforcement. Still, there are reports that morality police patrols have returned in some cities. The memory of Mahsa Amini’s death in morality police custody and the nationwide protests that followed remains a painful backdrop; those events led to mass unrest, deaths, and later state executions tied to the protests.
Wary of more unrest, successive governments have spent billions in subsidies to avoid raising fuel prices despite runaway inflation. This week the president denied plans to hike fuel costs after rumors and hardline accusations. The administration also ratified a bill to conditionally join the UN convention on countering terrorism financing, a move tied to long-standing disputes over Iran’s compliance with international anti-money-laundering rules and pressure from bodies like the FATF.
Prominent figures have been at the center of public debates amid these tensions. Adviser Ali Shamkhani and former president Hassan Rouhani have drawn particular attention. A leaked video showing Shamkhani’s daughter at a private women-only wedding without a headscarf sparked accusations and counterclaims about hypocrisy and foreign meddling. Rouhani, who no longer holds office, has been blamed by hardliners for the collapse of the 2015 deal and labelled a traitor by some politicians; he has also faced personal attacks over past decisions and financial controversies.
Other controversies have flared: a UK court upheld a ruling allowing seizure of a London property linked to Iran’s oil company to satisfy a $2.4bn arbitration award, tied to an old gas deal with an Emirati firm. And remarks by Major-General Yahya Rahim Safavi expressing a wish for a ‘good martyrdom’ if killed by foreign enemies angered the family of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and further stirred political debate.
All of this leaves Iran balancing shows of defiance, internal power struggles, and an economy under severe strain - while ordinary families continue to face daily hardship. May Allah grant ease to those suffering and guide leaders toward wisdom and justice.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news