The New York Times recently analyzed the new wave of protests in Iran, highlighting the unprecedented situation facing the Islamic Republic amid rising public anger and external pressures. It notes that while the regime has historically suppressed dissent through violence, the current circumstances are markedly different.

The combination of economic collapse, the plummeting value of the national currency, sanctions, chronic mismanagement, and widespread corruption has severely diminished the government's ability to respond effectively. Recent protests are primarily occurring in smaller cities, impoverished areas, markets, and universities, with chants targeting the regime as a whole and directly challenging the Supreme Leader.

The article cites regime officials, including Massoud Pezeshkian, who openly admit to lacking solutions for the country’s accumulated crises. Limited actions by the government, such as changing the central bank president and manipulating currency policies, have had negligible impacts on citizens' lives. The report asserts that resolving the crisis without a nuclear agreement and lifting sanctions seems practically impossible, with the government showing little inclination toward such negotiations.

Concerns are growing within the upper echelons of power that if security and military forces feel economic strain, the pillars of repression may crumble. Following Trump's threats of intervention in the event of violent crackdowns, the Supreme National Security Council convened an emergency meeting to both reduce violence and prepare for potential foreign attacks.

Three unnamed government officials conveyed to the Times that the regime's leaders are currently focused not on addressing the crisis but merely on surviving this phase. Analysts suggest that the government lacks a coherent strategy and may even allow public discontent to boil over, as the moment of potential explosion is deemed imminent.

The report also highlights Khamenei's harsher rhetoric, labeling protesters as rioters and demanding decisive action. In certain western regions, protests have turned more organized and violent.

Ultimately, the New York Times emphasizes that the current crisis is the result of decades of repression, corruption, and inefficiency—issues that cannot be resolved through further suppression or empty promises. Until the Islamic Republic provides real answers to public demands, social anger will not abate, leaving the future of the regime more uncertain than ever.