Iranian regime enters ‘survival mode’ as protests intensify

Senior figures in Tehran have privately conceded that the leadership lacks a coherent strategy to stabilize the situation.

By World Israel News Staff

Senior figures in Iran’s leadership have entered what officials privately describe as “survival mode” amid a widening wave of protests and unrest sweeping the Islamic Republic, according to a report published Sunday by The New York Times.

The report described the current crisis as the most severe challenge the regime has faced to date, with Iranian officials acknowledging in closed-door discussions that the state has few remaining tools to confront mounting economic collapse or to prevent another round of military strikes.

According to the Times, senior figures in Tehran have privately conceded that the leadership lacks a coherent strategy to stabilize the situation, with President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly admitting that he has “no ideas or solutions.”

The assessment comes as protests across Iran enter their second week, marked by growing participation, spreading unrest, and an increasingly heavy-handed response by security forces. Iranian officials quoted in the report said the combination of economic pressure, internal dissent, and external threats has left the regime dangerously exposed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the unrest over the weekend, expressing cautious optimism that the demonstrations could represent a turning point. Speaking at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said the expanding protest movement may succeed in toppling the Islamist regime.

“The government of Israel, the State of Israel, and my policy identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom, liberty, and justice,” Netanyahu said, as protests entered their eighth day. “It is very possible that we are standing at the moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”

The Israeli leader’s remarks followed a sharp warning from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Friday that Washington would respond forcefully if Iranian authorities kill demonstrators.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump warned that if Iran “shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States would “come to their rescue,” adding that the U.S. was “locked and loaded and ready to go.”

Against this backdrop, voices from inside Iran have begun speaking more openly. In interviews aired Saturday night on Channel 12 News, Iranian regime opponents from multiple cities described a collapse of fear among protesters and a growing belief that outside pressure from the United States and Israel could help tip the balance against the ruling clerics.

Taken together, the assessments from Tehran, Jerusalem, and Washington point to a volatile moment for the Islamic Republic, as internal unrest converges with external pressure and increasingly blunt international rhetoric.