By Pishtaz | 2023-11-08

The Iranian regime is often seen as not making its own people a priority, leading many Iranians to express indifference and even hostility toward its global causes and priorities, including the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, observers and analysts say.

Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and the regime's senior officials want people to share their priorities, prominent Iranian university professor of political science Hatam Ghaderi told Euro News's Persian website in late October.

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Iranian regime wants people to condemn Israel and support Hamas, said Ghaderi, who has in the past praised the Islamic Revolution and the regime.

But in reality, just as the regime has increasingly turned its back on the public, the public has turned its back on the regime, he added.

Over time, he said, Khamenei has become more possessive of Iranian society and people, to the extent that he appears to believe citizens are "his servants" and they should hold or respect the same priorities he does.

"Don't pay any attention to the Islamic Republic's constitution," he said, pointing out that the constitution, which values individuals and allows them certain rights, is "nothing but a window dressing" for the government, and is not upheld.

Echoing the views of a few other prominent analysts, Ghaderi said the regime fixates on "certain foreign adventures" to detract from Iran's grave issues.

Iranians face widespread unemployment, a crackdown on women, disillusioned university students, academics and artists, and an ongoing brain drain, among other issues, he said.

Instead of focusing on the nation's woes, the regime is instead fixated on Hamas, he said, which is an escape from reality.

Indifference in Iran

"The more officials talk about the plight and suffering of the Palestinians, the Yemenis, or other Muslims around the world who we should think, care about or help, the angrier most average people become," said a nurse.

"Most Iranians I know inside or outside the country are on Israel's side," said the nurse, on condition that his name not be used.

"As a nurse, I feel bad about the human tragedy that has been unfolding in Gaza in the past weeks, but due to the regime's undying support for Hamas, I can't bring myself to care," he told Pishtaz.

"Most Iranians were deeply shocked and saddened when the United States was attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001," he said.

"Within a few hours, a group of people gathered for a vigil at a major square in Tehran, and I was one of them."

"Hamas must have known the consequences of such an attack on Palestinians," he said, adding that "the Iranian regime should focus on its own people, who need and crave its attention."

The most visible reaction in Iran to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war is indifference, former Iranian diplomat Cyrus Ahmadi said, according to a Monday (November 6) report in Shargh daily, a Reformist newspaper.

Though not defensible, this is understandable, he said.

"Most people I know are still quite emotional in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine," said Maryam, a dental hygienist.

"Part of it may be because most Iranians are against Russia and Tehran's relationship with Moscow," she told Pishtaz, on condition that her full name not be used.

"The way most Iranians reacted to the war on Ukraine is in stark contrast with the way people are reacting to the Israel-Hamas war, and the way they reacted during the Bosnian war," she said.

"I was a kid at the time, and I recall the constant pro-Bosnia propaganda, and the regime's insistence that we need to donate money to Bosnians, as they were Muslim," she said.

"After a while, everyone around me got sick of hearing about Bosnia."

"The same is true in this case; the regime has attempted to brainwash Iranians of all ages into thinking that Israel is evil," she said. "Most ordinary Iranians have long been pro-Israel, and have retained that stance since October 7."

'National spite'

"These days, Iranians refrain from supporting Palestinians amid the ongoing war, even verbally," said former president Hassan Rouhani's Labor Minister and government spokesman Ali Rabii, according to several Iranian media outlets.

Their reaction could be described as "national spite" for the regime as they grapple with mounting pressures on a daily basis, he said, adding that their indifference "is the regime's fault for being inattentive to the nation's needs."

"In Iran, it is a well-known fact that most people who participate in demonstrations for pro-regime causes are government employees or members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," said Pouneh, a librarian.

"Afraid of losing their jobs, most participants are mandated to take part in gatherings such as pro-Hamas or pro-Palestinians, and some reportedly get paid for their appearance," she told Pishtaz, asking that just her first name be used.

"The number of ordinary folks who choose to join these rallies is quite low."

"I personally know many people who would gather on the streets in solidarity with Israel if they could, just as the Iranian diaspora has in several cities of the world," she said.

"If I find out that even one of my friends or relatives overseas has marched in a pro-Palestine rally, I wouldn't want to remain in contact with them, as that would make me very angry," she added.

"I'm certain that most average Iranians feel the same way."