The escalating conflict between Iran and Israel now includes the United States, and fears are growing that it could become a regional war. But, in a new JoD essay, Ladan Boroumand argues there’s another war that people aren’t talking about: the Islamic Republic’s brutal campaign against its own people. The clerical regime has been violently repressing Iranians since its inception in 1979. The Woman, Life, Freedom movement that began in 2022 revealed just how little legitimacy the regime has, and the lengths it will go to maintain its rule.
The JoD essays below illustrate the growing fragility of the Islamic Republic and the growing determination of Iranians to regain their freedom.
The Islamic Republic’s War on Iranians
Iran’s theocracy has waged a brutal campaign against its own citizens for years. Now that the Woman, Life, Freedom movement has stripped the regime of any legitimacy, the mullahs have had no response but to sharpen their instruments of repression.
Ladan BoroumandIs Iran on the Verge of Another Revolution?
There have been numerous waves of protest against the country’s corrupt theocracy. This time is different. It is a movement to reclaim life. Whatever happens, there is no going back.
Asef BayatIran’s Republic of Repression
The Islamic Republic is in a volatile, even prerevolutionary situation, hammered by foreign opposition and sanctions from the outside, and the disillusionment and discontent of its own people from within. But a catalyst needs to appear.
Misagh ParsaIranians Turn Away from the Islamic Republic
Iran is in the midst of an ideological crisis. Growing numbers of Iranians are rejecting the religious underpinnings of the Supreme Leader’s rule, and turning their backs on the Islamic Republic. The regime’s only response is harsher repression — a response that will deepen the anger that is bringing everyday Iranians out into the streets.
Ladan BoroumandThe Authoritarian Resurgence: Iran’s Paradoxical Regime
Iran’s authoritarianism is more flexible and more durable than its detractors would hope, yet more fragile and endangered than its defenders claim.
Abbas MilaniThe Empty Promise of Iran’s New President
Masoud Pezeshkian won’t be a “reformer” in any genuine sense. Like all Iranian presidents, he has pledged his loyalty to Iran’s supreme leader. What he really offers is a softer version of Iran’s grim repression.
Ladan BoroumandWhy Women Are Leading the Fight in Iran
Iran’s women were the Islamic Republic’s first target for repression. This is the newest chapter in their struggle to win back their rights.
Ladan Boroumand
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