On social media, Iranians frequently ask: why did Iran supreme leader Ali Khamenei declare three days of national mourning for the leader of their Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Qassem Soleimani, who was blown away during the Trump administration, but five days for now-deceased Hezb'allah chieftain Hassan Nasrallah, who was done in by the Israelis a few weeks ago?

The answer could be that, from a strategic perspective, Nasrallah was far more critical to the regime’s survival.

Replacing him is much more difficult than finding a successor for Soleimani. According to the regime, Hassan Nasrallah was the "leader of the axis of resistance," referring to Iran’s proxy forces, with their stronghold in Lebanon.

After five years, on October 4, Ali Khamenei participated in Friday prayers in Tehran, under a heavily secured environment that resembled undeclared martial law. He made every effort to prepare his forces for potential Israeli attacks and to boost their morale.

The drop in morale came from the fact that the regime’s defensive lines had shifted from Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, to Tehran and Isfahan.

According to regime leaders, if they fail to secure their defense in the Mediterranean, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, their grip on power in Tehran will collapse. This characteristic of the Velayat-e Faqih regime is a reality that those who have resisted it for years know all too well.

Today, it has become clearer why warmongering and terrorism beyond Iran’s borders are so crucial to the regime’s survival.

Rooted in medieval dogmas and incapable of addressing the needs of the 21st century, the regime, from its inception, began suppressing its own people internally and turned to war and terrorism in the region to mask its internal repression.

Beating the Drums of War

Without any national necessity, Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, beat the drums of war against Iraq for eight years. When he was eventually forced to accept a ceasefire, he described it as "drinking poison."

Recently, the religious dictator Ali Khamenei admitted that the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, which cost a trillion dollars and led to millions of deaths and injuries, served as a cover for an internal war and the survival of Islam [the regime]. In December 2016, he stated, "If we hadn’t stopped the seditionists [freedom-seekers] in Syria, we would have had to confront them in Tehran, Khorasan, and Isfahan," referring to the Iranian people's resistance.

Warmongering and crises are intertwined with the mullahs' regime, which uses them to conceal its suppression of the national resistance, manage deep socio-economic crises, and fuel its expansionist agenda to revive a medieval empire under the guise of Islam, through its so-called policy of exporting the revolution. This regime is inherently a source of anarchy, war, and crisis in the Middle East, the world's most sensitive region, and it understands no language other than force.

The Fall of the Iranian Regime Can Only Be Achieved by the Iranian People

The responsibility for toppling the Iranian regime lies with the Iranian people and their resistance. Throughout Iran, the regime's forces are on high alert because they are acutely aware of how much they are despised by the population. In the two most recent elections, despite all the pressure exerted on voters, 90% of the population boycotted them. With the first serious blow, the regime will lose its balance, and at that moment, thousands of resistance units scattered across Iran will be able to dismantle the regime. These units will also be able to dissolve the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and dismantle Iran’s nuclear ambitions, allowing the region to experience peace and stability once again.

Resistance Units 

The Resistance Units saw the day following a strategy for combating dictatorship. This strategy is based on the formation of insurgent teams within cities. Over the past decade, these units have been created and expanded across Iran by the People’s Mojahedin (MEK), sworn enemies of the mullahs. They now have the capability to carry out operations and activities at any time and in any location across Iran.

The Resistance Units serve as the initial spark for uprisings, paving the way for the next stages. Ultimately, through coordination and expansion, they will prepare the ground for the formation of a functional army capable of crushing repressive forces such as the IRGC.

During the 2022 uprising, the courage of Iranian women and girls, who played a leading role, was remarkable. They have been instrumental within the Resistance Units, participating in a wide range of activities, including organizing, managing, recruiting members, forming women-only units, gathering intelligence, engaging in propaganda and awareness campaigns, and carrying out anti-repression operations.

The Role of Women in the Resistance Units

In recent years, a wave of arrests has targeted those involved in the Resistance Units. An analysis of the imprisoned members offers a clear picture of the composition of these units. While the insurgent cells include people of all ages and backgrounds across Iran, there is a significant presence of young girls and students among the Resistance Units. Moreover, some cells consist of academics, including university professors and doctors. According to statistics, 12 female prisoners in Evin Prison, arrested for supporting and participating in the Resistance Units, are aged between 55 and 65. This shows how deeply embedded the Resistance Units are in the Iranian society.

Under the misogynistic dictatorship, women and girls face numerous obstacles when engaging in the activities of the Resistance Units. Each of these challenges must be addressed and overcome for them to continue their efforts. Women in the Resistance Units pay a much higher price than men. They must constantly contend with issues related to their husbands, children, jobs, and the difficulties of leaving their homes due to morality police patrols, among other countless hurdles.

However, it is precisely this confrontation with numerous challenges in the course of their struggle that has made these women strong, highly effective leaders, capable of overcoming any obstacle. Today, they stand at the forefront of the fight against the Iranian regime.

The discontent is palpable now. Some Iranians even are backing a return to Iranian royalty on social media.

I support the National Council of Resistance, this resistence I describe, whose platform rejects both the Shah and the Sheikh, meaning we stand against all forms of dictatorship. Iranian society will not regress.

The son of the Shah has never condemned his father’s dictatorship. He still refers to himself as a prince, even though he sometimes claims to be "personally a republican." His connections with the current Iranian regime are highly questionable, and he has never denied his links with the IRGC. Recently, the Daily Telegraph reported that the Iranian regime is attempting to use Reza Pahlavi to build ties with Trump. If he has stirred up Twitter, it's important to note that the Iranian regime has the second or third largest cyber army in the world. The regime is promoting Reza Pahlavi, who poses no real threat to them, to undermine and neutralize its true opposition.

Image: National Council of Resistance, via Wikipedia // CC BY-SA 2.0