Iran’s War Within
The Iranian government is intensifying its domestic crackdown, executing protesters and using repressive tactics to maintain control. Despite international tensions, the regime's primary focus remains suppressing internal dissent, which some observers believe is weakening the state's overall stability.
Why it matters
The internal instability of the Iranian regime has significant implications for regional security and global geopolitical dynamics.
The Islamic Republic’s ultimate target remains its own people.
Kaveh Kazemi / Getty July 30, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save For the past few months, Iran has intermittently fought a war with the United States, Israel, and its Arab neighbors. But throughout this period, it has never stopped waging war on its own citizens. The Islamic Republic is executing Iranians in record numbers and has sharpened its tools of repression.
Such tactics have never succeeded in pacifying Iranian society for long. Today, some civil-society leaders, and even figures inside the establishment itself, fret that the regime’s heavy domestic hand is not only hurting Iranians but also weakening the country’s war effort.
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