Like any country with a political system, it is unrealistic to expect an entire population to unanimously agree on one leader, one regime, or one political vision. That is simply not how societies work. What is clear, however, is that a large proportion of Iranians want this dictatorship gone. What comes after is uncertain, but ideally it would be a future where people are finally able to decide for themselves. I have said before that I do not support any figure currently positioned to take power. The reality is that there is no coherent or unified alternative at present. Someone needs to be a credible voice of opposition, a figure who can say these people are protesting and I stand with them. One of the main reasons past movements have failed is that people took to the streets without leadership capable of translating protest into political change
What also needs to be addressed is the repeated claim that these protests are the result of foreign interference. These movements have been increasing in frequency over the past decade, well before current political figures became relevant. Examples include the 2017–2018 nationwide protests, the November 2019 fuel price protests, the January 2020 protests following the downing of Flight PS752, the 2022–2023 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, the 2025 farmers’ and bakers’ protests, and now these demonstrations. During most of these uprisings, they were understood as grassroots responses to domestic repression, corruption, and economic hardship, not foreign orchestration
The recent fixation on foreign interference has largely emerged because of Reza Pahlavi’s visibility and his perceived closeness to Israel. That is a separate issue and one of the reasons many Iranians do not support him as a viable alternative. Conflating this with the origins of the protests is misleading. There was no foreign interference that created these movements. They were initiated by the people and they continue because those same people are still out on the streets. Are outside actors now attempting to influence events behind the scenes? Possibly. No one is naïve about how international politics works. But the foundation of this movement is internal and driven by lived reality, not foreign agendas
also re relaxed enforcement in certain areas, such as women appearing without hijab, this presents a distorted picture of life in Iran. These visible freedoms exist almost exclusively in wealthier neighbourhoods where money and influence offer protection. In most parts of the country, people continue to live in fear. A glimpse of superficial freedom is not the same as living with real, guaranteed rights.
It is about basic, everyday freedoms. Owning and walking a dog is illegal for goodness sake, yes people do it but if the police feel like it they can definitely take the pet away and have it put down again this comes down to the wealthy and them having protections but why should people have to pay for basic things like dressing how they want or owning a dog etc. Women are barred from attending football matches in stadiums. These are ordinary aspects of life elsewhere, yet they remain forbidden. The poorest and most vulnerable suffer the most under these restrictions. People in Iran are not asking for anything extraordinary. They are asking for the simple freedoms many in the West take for granted. The fact that this is still so difficult for some to understand is part of the problem.
What is especially infuriating is watching some of the most religious and regime-sympathetic Muslims ( my own so called friends) living comfortably in the West, enjoying every freedom it offers, while arguing that Iranians do not deserve those same rights. I have seen comments online saying that if Iran becomes free, it would somehow be bad for Palestine, and that the Iranian people are an acceptable sacrifice as long as Palestine remains “resistant.” The level of moral detachment required to think like that is staggering.
I even know people within our own circles who openly support the regime, and that in itself is not the issue. As I have said, no society will ever agree on one political position. What makes it hypocritical is that these same people left Iran shortly after the regime came to power, have built their lives in the West, and enjoy freedoms that they now see to think is too much. Many of them have not even returned since. If the system they defend is truly so just and righteous, the question is simple. Why are they not living under it themselves
( sorry for my long boring essays guys 😰)