MASS Protests Erupt in Iran: IRGC Demands Supreme Leader to RESIGN

THE COLLAPSING REGIME: Iran’s Internal Crisis and the Surrender That Shook the Nation—“When the People’s Betrayal Comes from Within”

The streets of Tehran are boiling with anger.

Massive crowds of regime supporters, not dissidents, have poured into the streets in protest.

But this time, the anger isn’t directed outward—it’s aimed inward.

Iran’s leadership made a decision that many view as unforgivable: they surrendered.

At least that’s how millions of their supporters see it.

A regime that for 47 years claimed it would “never back down” now found itself bowing to external pressures, and the betrayal has sparked a storm within the country.

On April 17th, Iran’s foreign minister, via a tweet, declared that all commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz had been fully restored.

This was Iran’s last bargaining chip—its control over the crucial shipping lane had been its main leverage, using rising oil prices as a tool to increase pressure on the West, particularly on President Trump.

But the moment Iraq released that tweet, all hopes of using the Strait as leverage evaporated, and the regime was left with nothing in return.

The shock of this surrender reverberated across the country, particularly in the military and political spheres.

The anger didn’t just come from the streets—it was felt at every level of the regime.

The military, which had held fast to its hardline stance, now found itself questioning the very people who had once championed their cause.

The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) had long been the backbone of the regime’s power, but now even they were divided.

Regime supporters are not just angry—they are feeling betrayed.

For years, they had been told that sacrifice was necessary, that they must endure sanctions and hardships for the greater good, but now they see that the leadership has backed down without any real guarantee of peace.

This is more than a political setback; it’s a cultural and psychological wound for the people.

As the streets filled with protests, the military and political elite began to fracture as well.

On the first front, the IRGC turned on the government, accusing foreign minister Iraqi of being a traitor and a diplomatic sellout, a charge that carried weight due to his involvement in the 2015 nuclear deal with Obama.

The accusation? That Iraqi had shown too much flexibility, especially in talks regarding Iran’s military and financial commitments to Hezbollah, a key ally of the regime.

The hardline factions in parliament were quick to criticize, calling for the IRGC’s 10 non-negotiable demands to be met, with no compromises on military aid to Hezbollah or the Houthis.

But the tension didn’t stop there.

On the second front, the parliamentarians, led by figures like MP Mortez Mahmoodi, began openly criticizing the regime’s handling of diplomacy.

Mahmoodi even suggested that if not for the war, he would have already resigned.

Meanwhile, the military is tightening its grip, further isolating the clerics who had ruled Iran for decades.

As the IRGC essentially takes control of the state, the once-dominant religious elite, the “Müllers,” find themselves irrelevant and powerless.

The question now is whether this marks the end of Iran’s theocratic rule.

What happens when the military takes over, and the clerics no longer have a say?

Former culture minister Ayatollah Mani sees this as a dangerous shift, especially as Iran’s security forces and civilian leadership become increasingly disconnected.

The one thing that everyone agrees on is that Iran is losing more than just the military war; it is losing the war for legitimacy.

And this crisis is now escalating into a full-blown three-front civil war.

On the third front, the streets are boiling with rage—not against the West, but against the regime itself.

Millions of Iranians who had once believed in the revolution are now questioning their loyalty to a system that promised resilience but delivered surrender.

They are watching as the very leaders they trusted are forced into concessions without any real benefit in return.

This isn’t just a protest—it’s the unraveling of the regime from within.

For weeks, the US blockade has been tightening its grip on Iran’s daily life.

Power outages in Tehran last for up to 12 hours, fuel lines stretch for miles, food prices have surged by over 40%, and hospitals are running out of medication.

Cancer treatments have halted, and basic medical supplies are in critical shortage.

The collapse is happening before their eyes, and the people are asking: why are we paying the price for this?

For years, the regime promised a self-sufficient “resistance economy,” claiming they didn’t need the West.

But the blockade has exposed the truth—this resistance economy was nothing more than a fairy tale.

Now, the Iranian rial has dropped to an all-time low against the dollar, and the regime has raised taxes by over 60% to compensate for the loss of oil revenue.

The people are feeling the full brunt of the collapse, and their frustration is boiling over.

The regime’s strategy of ignoring the realities of the economy, while investing heavily in foreign military commitments, is no longer sustainable.

As the economy crumbles, the regime’s ability to maintain control becomes more fragile.

In fact, the most shocking revelation came during the latest protests when the people began calling for the restoration of the monarchy.

This was a direct challenge to the very foundation of the 1979 revolution, which had overthrown the Shah and established the current theocratic regime.

Now, after decades of enduring hardship, the people are asking for a return to what was once thrown away.

This is a devastating blow to the regime’s legitimacy.

And as the economic situation worsens and the protests grow louder, the regime’s once-unshakeable foundation starts to crumble under its own weight.

The final blow came when the regime’s own Supreme Leader, Mujaba Kamei, fell silent for over 35 days after being selected as the new leader.

No image, no voice, just a few written statements.

His absence has left the country without a clear leader, further deepening the crisis.

In the power vacuum, Iran is being governed not by an elected government but by a three-person committee from the IRGC.

These figures have no legitimacy, no clerical backing, and no clear mandate from the people.

They are ruling by force, and it’s a regime more focused on military might than the promises of theocratic rule.

With the people, the military, and the elite all at odds, the country is plunging into a dangerous state of civil war.

Will the regime survive this internal collapse, or will Iran fall apart like so many other regimes before it?

The signs are clear—the cracks in the system are too deep to ignore, and history may be about to repeat itself.