SOURCE: Anatomia del col·lapse de la dictadura religiosa de l’Iran – directa.cat
AUTOTRANSLATED PRESS TEXT:
Anatomy of the Collapse of Iran’s Religious Dictatorship
Since late December, Iran has been immersed in a wave of protests that has been forcefully repressed by the religious regime. The popular uprising, however, is just one more in the many mobilizations the country has experienced over the years, demonstrating that throughout its history the regime has been incapable of responding to demands for social justice, human rights, and cultural diversity.
Bodies at the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center, south of Tehran | ARCHIVE
HOSSEIN ZOGHI
La Directa
PUBLISHED:
FEBRUARY 19, 2026
The Islamic Republic of Iran, built on the fusion of political and religious power, represents one of the most prominent examples of religious despotism in the contemporary era. This regime, born out of the 1979 Revolution, has faced internal and external challenges for decades and is now immersed in a profound crisis. What occurred in January 2026—a bloody January marked by widespread massacres—reveals the regime’s total loss of legitimacy and the naked brutality of its structural violence.
Every time I try to communicate with friends in Iran, messages are delayed or lost. I feel the catastrophe in every silence. I have closely followed the protests of previous years, from the Student Movement of the 1990s to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, and I have seen hope turn into fear. This bloody January is not just distant news: it is the stifled cry of people I know, of families waiting for answers that never come. This article examines the history of this government, its structural characteristics, and the current situation in February 2026, while underscoring the need for a transition toward a secular and federal system—one that recognizes Iran’s cultural and ethnic diversity and distributes power more equitably.
From Revolution to the Consolidation of Religious Power
The 1979 Revolution began as a massive mobilization promising independence, justice, and freedom from the Shah’s regime. Millions of Iranians participated in that movement, but after victory, religious forces led by Ruhollah Khomeini took control of the country. In the April 1979 referendum, the Islamic Republic was approved by a large majority, and the principles of velayat-e faqih, granting absolute power to the religious leader, became the core of the Constitution. This structure rejected the separation of religion and state, laying the foundations for the concentration of power in religious institutions.
In its early decades, the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) united the regime against an external threat, but it also devastated the economy and intensified repression against internal opponents, including leftists, liberals, and minorities. After Khomeini’s death in 1989, Ali Khamenei assumed leadership, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps consolidated its role as a fundamental pillar in maintaining power.
Reformist or moderate presidencies, such as those of Mohammad Khatami (1997–2005) and Hassan Rouhani (2013–2021), attempted to improve foreign relations and civil rights and to broaden the political spectrum. Yet internal reform efforts produced no lasting results. Whenever signs of openness appeared, the religious regime responded with harsher repression—from the persecution of press and activists under Khatami to unfulfilled promises and intensified crackdowns on protests under Rouhani. This pattern demonstrated that the structure of velayat-e faqih did not allow for fundamental change and neutralized any attempt at reform.
Recurring protests—from the Green Movement of 2009 to the nationwide demonstrations of 2017–2018, November 2019, and the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement—reflected deep dissatisfaction with corruption, inequality, and repression. These waves of dissent were met with extreme violence, leaving thousands dead and detained.
Characteristics of Religious Despotism and Structural Challenges
As the central pillar of the system, velayat-e faqih places the Supreme Leader in a position virtually above accountability or oversight. Any dissenting voice is not merely seen as political criticism but as a threat to the essence of religion and the regime. This structure has subjected daily life to multiple layers of control.
Culturally and ideologically, religious laws such as the mandatory hijab, mass media censorship, control over educational content, and severe restrictions on art and literature have become tools to shape social thought and behavior. These controls have drastically limited women’s rights, marginalized religious and ethnic minorities, and reduced freedom of expression to near zero. As a result, questioning and diversity of thought are treated as sin or betrayal.
Politically and in terms of security, the Revolutionary Guard and the Basij paramilitary force have become the main arms for preserving power. Protests—large or small—are met with mass arrests, systematic torture, public executions, and covert killings. This repressive machinery not only eliminates opposition but also generates a climate of fear that destroys any possibility of independent organization.
Economically, the influence of religious foundations and entities tied to the Supreme Leader has diverted national wealth toward groups close to power. Structural corruption, mismanagement, monopolization of resources, and international sanctions have produced uncontrolled inflation and massive unemployment, making life extremely difficult for millions of Iranians. Public welfare has been sacrificed in favor of ideological and political priorities.
In foreign policy, support for regional groups and pursuit of the nuclear program have placed the regime in permanent confrontation with the West. Though sometimes presented as resistance, this confrontation has imposed enormous costs on the population, from increased sanctions to economic isolation and intensified internal pressures.
When legitimacy rests on a closed and non-negotiable ideology rather than the will of the people, every dissenting voice becomes an existential threat, perpetuating a cycle of repression and crisis.
An Unprecedented Massacre
In February 2026, Iran is still recovering from the massive national protests that began in late December 2025. Initially triggered by the dramatic collapse of the rial, runaway inflation, and a subsistence crisis, the wave quickly transformed into political demands to end religious rule. Protests spread across numerous cities and regions and were met with brutal repression: thousands were killed (including children) and countless others detained.
In early January, with the mass shutdown of internet and telecommunications networks and severe interference with Starlink satellites through jamming, an “operational blackout” was imposed on the country. This blockade created ideal conditions to conceal crimes and reduce the costs of repression, as condemned by human rights organizations. Although partial internet access has since returned, it remains unstable: extreme filtering, difficult-to-use circumvention tools, and increased digital surveillance through facial recognition and wiretapping. The few images that have emerged speak of unprecedented violence—direct live ammunition at close range, use of heavy weapons, piles of bodies, and rapid executions by military tribunals.
I remember an image that briefly circulated before being deleted: a schoolgirl in uniform sitting on the ground beside a pool of blood, staring into the void. I do not know whether it was real or symbolic, but it does not leave me. It represents what this regime can no longer hide: it is killing the future.
The regime no longer pretends legitimacy. Khamenei described the protests as an “enemy conspiracy” and declared he would not retreat. President Pezeshkian labeled demonstrators “foreign terrorists.” This language is rooted in physical extermination. The government blames the protests on Daesh, Israel, and the United States—a lie used to justify violence. Iraqi Shiite forces were also reportedly sent in support. Streets in cities such as Tehran, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Rasht, and Karaj smell of blood, and traces of repression are being erased. Doctors report massive numbers of bodies. People no longer dare to go outside.
Yet collective anger and grief persist. Teachers speak of murdered students; university students boycott exams in honor of the dead; society is filled with despair and rage. Repression continues: arrests of political activists—including reformists—threats against families, and mass death sentences issued in swift group trials. Street protests have decreased, but fear and anger remain. Internationally, rallies supporting the Iranian people have taken place in various cities worldwide, increasing pressure on the regime. The United States has sent thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran to maintain communications, and nuclear negotiations in Oman and Geneva continue amid high tensions.
Transition to a Secular and Federal Republic
Throughout its history, the Islamic Republic has demonstrated its inability to respond to demands for social justice, human rights, and cultural diversity. The current situation—deep economic crisis, widespread massacres, and loss of legitimacy—marks a turning point that could lead to fundamental change. This cruelty signals structural collapse; a regime that, like a wounded snake, has poured its venom onto its own people.
Iran’s future must be based on the separation of religion and state to guarantee civil liberties and equal rights. Moreover, a federal structure could recognize Iran’s ethnic and linguistic diversity—from Kurds and Baloch to Turks and Arabs—distributing power from the center to provinces and regions and avoiding excessive centralism. Such a model, preserving territorial integrity, would strengthen national unity and lead to a democratic, inclusive, and stable Iran. The collective demand is for freedom and democracy—an Iran where people freely choose between options such as a democratic constitutional monarchy or a secular republic.
Hossein Zoghi is currently part of the No Callarem–Barcelona Artists at Risk residency, which hosts artists in danger in their home countries.
