Iran’s former president says the regime must make major reforms or face more protests as cracks emerge within the Islamic Republic’s leadership.
Hassan Rouhani said the regime must make quick and significant changes or risk further mass demonstrations, such as those threatening to overthrow the ayatollah.
In a rare intervention, Rouhani criticized the regime for addressing minor issues while ignoring broader demands, echoed by other bold reformist politicians.
“People have demands and we must respond to them with major reforms, not small reforms,” Rouhani said after nationwide protests that killed at least 6,000 people, according to human rights groups.
“If you make a small change, God forbid, we could have problems again in two or three months or even 10 days,” he added.
His comments triggered a backlash within the regime, with hardline lawmaker Nasrollah Pejmanfar saying: “Today is the time for major reforms, which is to arrest and execute Rouhani.”
New talks with the United States aim to end the civil strife, with Washington’s envoy Steve Witkov set to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Türkiye on Friday.
“The president has been calling on them to make a deal. This meeting is to hear what they have to say,” a U.S. official said on Monday.
The Istanbul conference will kick off diplomatic action in the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear program and will also be attended by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The latest unrest in Iran began with an economic setback but has since evolved into calls for the ayatollah to be deposed.
Former President Hassan Rouhani (right) and former Iranian Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri – 2025 Anadolu Agency
These calls were brutally suppressed, with the internet shut down and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shooting at protesters.
Rouhani said the Islamic Republic must address underlying discontent. Reformist politicians also say they can no longer justify the regime’s handling of the demonstrations.
Jawad Imam, spokesman for the Reformist Front, an alliance of moderate politicians, said the reformists must stand with the people and that the current situation has nothing to do with their vision for the Islamic Republic.
Mir Hossein Mousavi, leader of Iran’s Green Movement, described the crackdown as a “black page” in Iran’s history.
Iranian politicians wear Islamic Revolutionary Guards uniforms and chant slogans during a parliamentary session in Tehran – ZUMAPRESS.com /Avalon
He called on security forces to put down their guns and let people “chart the path to freedom.”
Mr Mousavi, who has been under house arrest since 2011, said internal repression left the country open to external interference.
Reformist cleric and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi said Iran’s current “dire situation is a direct result of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s destructive domestic and international interventions and policies.”
Mr Karroubi, who spent years under house arrest before being released last year, cited the “costly and fruitless nuclear program and the severe consequences that sanctions over the past two decades have had on the country and its people” as examples of failed policies.
Referring to the killing of thousands of protesters this month, Karroubi said, “The gravity of this tragedy runs so deep that there can be no excuse or justification for this horrific, callous massacre and disrespect for the bodies of the victims.”
He said the only peaceful way out of the crisis was “to turn to the people and recognize their right to self-determination in a free referendum”.
Internal tensions are growing
Reformists have been shut out of politics in recent years due to the mass disqualification of candidates in elections.
Public statements by former President Rouhani and other reformist figures are a break in the regime’s united front, as moderates now openly criticize the establishment’s handling of dissent.
These developments point to growing tensions within Iran’s political structure, with hardliners facing unprecedented challenges to their authority.
Protester Erfan Soltani was released on bail after facing possible execution for his role in anti-government demonstrations, in one of the signs of concessions from the government.
Mr. Soltani, 26, was arrested on January 10 at his home in Fadis, west of Tehran. He faces charges of “assembly and collusion endangering the internal security of the state” and “propaganda activities” against the regime.
His case attracted international attention amid widespread protests that swept Iran last month.
Relatives said authorities planned to execute him, but Iran’s judiciary dismissed the reports as fabrications.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military strikes against Iran and warned them not to carry out executions.
Inside the country, internet access was slowly restored over the weekend after weeks of blackouts. Videos from Iran showed protesters’ funerals and widespread grief.
But state television sparked criticism after a program aired in which a presenter mocked the slain protesters.
One presenter asked viewers where the Islamic Republic stores the bodies of dead protesters and offered multiple-choice answers, including “side-by-side refrigerators” and “ice cream machines.”
The broadcast drew condemnation on Iranian social media.
The violent crackdown prompted the European Union last week to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
Riots and protests in Iran started due to economic setback – MAHSA/AFP
Iranian lawmakers retaliated on Sunday by designating all EU troops as terrorist organizations. Lawmakers, wearing Islamic Revolutionary Guard uniforms, chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
On Monday, 10 individuals and one organization were sanctioned for their role in supporting and promoting atrocities and violence against the Iranian people.
These include Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is in charge of Iran’s police force, and Iran’s Public Security Police Chief Seyed Majid Feiz Jafari, who directed the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters.
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