By Mazdak Razi | 2023-11-13

A clear majority of Iranians are opposed to their government, several polls indicate, at a time when widespread national protests and the regime's angry response to them are shaking up the status quo in Iran.

The results of a recent survey on the Iranian regime's popularity among the public published by the Netherlands-based Goman Research Institute indicate that a large majority of Iranians are opposed to their government.

To the question, "Islamic Republic, yes or no?" 81% of respondents inside the country said "no" and 15% answered "yes."

Separately, the hacker group Black Reward published a leaked report that had been prepared by Fars News for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Hossein Salami.

The report by IRGC-affiliated Fars News demonstrated that 81% of the Iranian public believes street protests are effective in reducing their social woes.

Iranian media outlet Ensaf News asked the people of Tehran, Khorasan, Khuzestan, East Azarbaijan and Esfahan provinces for their current take on the 1979 Islamic Revolution, publishing its findings in 2022 report.

Without giving a number, Ensaf News said "many" who responded to the question said they wished the Islamic Revolution of 1979 had not occurred, and expressed their hatred of the status quo in Iran.

History of protests

The demonstrations of 2022 were not the first series of protests through which Iranians expressed their dissatisfaction with the regime.

January 2018 saw a series of de-centralized anti-government protests across Iran that started in Mashhad and other major cities of Khorasan province.

These began with slogans such as "No to high prices" as people protested the policies of then president Hassan Rouhani's administration.

The protests grew as they gained traction on social media, initially opposing the corruption within the regime and the high rate of unemployment.

The scope of the protests gradually transcended economic complaints to include grievances with Iran's political system, mostly targeting Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

One of the protests' popular slogans was, "Reformist, Principlist, it's over now!" in reference to the two main political camps in Iran after the revolution.

The slogan showed the public's break from the pillars of the regime -- even with the more moderate group, the Reformists.

More widespread protests took the regime by surprise in November 2018, later referred to as "Bloody November."

This time, the demonstrations started after gasoline was rationed once again, and the government increased its price by 200%.

The Iranian government's intelligence department itself reported that protests were widespread in 29 provinces and hundreds of cities after the drastic increase in gasoline prices.

As usual, the Iranian regime resorted to its familiar accusation -- that "foreign enemies" fomented unrest in the country.

'Destructive regime'

"Hatred for the Islamic Revolution and the current regime, in all forms and across all political spectrums, was one of the most obvious characteristics of Iran's nationwide, months-long protests of 2022," said US-based Iran affairs analyst Behzad Kasmaei.

"The Iranian regime attributed the uprising to 'foreign elements' once again," he told Pishtaz.

"The administration of ultra hardline Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi blamed the Reformist faction and the previous government [Rouhani's administration] for the public's woes, which it reduced to solely economic difficulties," he said.

"The Islamic Republic has destroyed the country and brought it to an impasse," Kasmaei said.

Many Reformist political figures in Iran have emphasized the people's dissatisfaction with the government and warned the authorities about the impending "danger" of more widespread protests.

Among them is Hossein Marashi, secretary-general of the "Executives of Construction" Reformist party, who has held various positions in previous governments.

In a May interview following the crackdown on the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, Marashi said "75% of Iranians are dissatisfied with the regime, and if they decide to take to the streets once again, no one could stop them."

Many in Iran feel there is no way forward with the current regime, among them a 41-year-old schoolteacher who spoke to Pishtaz on condition of anonymity.

He pointed to "the paralyzed economy, global isolation, lack of a future for the youth, corruption and discrimination."