IRAN INTERNAL DISSENT & CRACKDOWN
Protests, civil unrest and government repression inside Iran, including security crackdowns, arrests of activists and restrictions on public assembly
5 articles
Is Iran's regime at a breaking point?
DEUTSCHE WELLE3/17/2026, 6:16:00 PM
Eighteen days into the conflict, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continues to function despite suffering significant military setbacks. Its decentralised command structure has enabled operations to persist even under heavy pressure. Analysts, however, detect mounting signs of strain within Iran's power structures that could signal deeper instability ahead.
Netanyahu: Killing Larijani Gives Iranians a "Chance to Take Their Destiny Into Their Own Hands"
FRANCE 24Israël donne aux Iraniens une "occasion de prendre en main leur destin", selon Netanyahu
3/17/2026, 3:29:14 PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a video statement that by killing Ali Larijani, Israel was giving Iranians an "opportunity to take their destiny into their own hands." The remarks frame the targeted killing as an act intended to empower the Iranian people against their leadership. The statement signals Israel's continued strategy of decapitating senior Iranian political figures to accelerate internal pressure on the regime.
Nurses Who Treated Protesters in Iran Were Raped, Others Shot Dead — Harrowing New Accounts
YNET"אחיות שטיפלו במפגינים באיראן נאנסו, אחרות נורו למוות" | קשה לקריאה
3/17/2026, 10:10:41 AM
New reports detail atrocities committed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards during the suppression of January 2026 protests, including a raid on a Tehran hospital where staff were shot and two nurses were raped. According to opposition outlet Iran International, the nurses were subsequently forced to sign statements claiming they had been harmed by "rioters." The accounts add to a growing body of evidence of systematic violence by security forces against both protesters and medical personnel.
Why only two of Iran's footballers chose to stay in Australia
BBC WORLDWhy did only two Iranian football players stay in Australia?
3/17/2026, 5:22:11 AM
Australia offered humanitarian visas to seven members of an Iranian football team, but only two players ultimately decided to remain in the country. The BBC's Katy Watson examines the complex personal and political pressures that led the other five to return to Iran. The episode sheds light on the difficult choices facing Iranian athletes caught between the risks of defection and concerns for family members left behind.
Khamenei's Aide Writes Open Letter to "Muslims of the World"
NDTV"In The Name Of God": Khamenei's Aide's Letter To "Muslims Of The World"
3/16/2026, 4:56:53 PM
Ali Larijani, a senior aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has penned an open letter addressed to "Muslims of the world." The letter is characterised as a mix of theological rebuke, religious indictment and strategic political appeal. The move is widely seen as an effort by Tehran to rally Islamic solidarity amid Iran's deepening regional and international pressures.