Gaza War Deepens Divisions in Iran

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned in mid-October of the unstoppable mobilization of Muslims if Israeli bombardment of Gaza continued. To be sure, there have been numerous demonstrations of solidarity with the Palestinians in Muslim-majority countries, but significantly a good portion of Iranians have distanced themselves from the conflict, aligning themselves with Israel. The complicity of the Islamic Republic's leadership with Hamas and other militias of the so-called axis of resistance is widening the gap between the regime and society.

Zionist regime's crimes have crossed the red lines, which may force everyone to take action. Washington asks us to not do anything, but they keep giving widespread support to Israel. The US sent messages to the Axis of Resistance but received a clear response on the battlefield.

— سید ابراهیم رئیسی (@raisi_com) October 29, 2023

The gap between official policy and public opinion was immediately apparent. The day after Hamas launched its savage attack on Israel, the Persepolis football club hosted Gol Gohar from Sirjan (Kerman province) at Tehran's Azadi Stadium. Those responsible for the event wanted to raise the Palestinian flag as a sign of support for the attack. The response from the stands was not long in coming. Almost in unison, the crowd (women are still banned from the stadiums) chanted: "Put the Palestinian flag in the c...".

The anecdote is pertinent because football stadiums are, along with mosques, one of the few public spaces where Iranians are allowed to congregate. The rudeness (which in Persian sounds even worse than in English) rejected the use of football for political purposes, while denouncing the Iranian regime's involvement in regional conflicts at the expense of the needs of its population. I wasn't surprised.

During my travels in Iran as a correspondent for EL PAÍS, I frequently heard complaints about aid to Palestine and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, especially from ethnic and religious minorities who perceived it as a comparative grievance. Now, with the country shaken by a severe economic crisis resulting from both international sanctions and mismanagement, the diversion of funds for foreign war adventures is intolerable.

Iranian people chanting to the directors of the game who raised the Palestinian flag during a football match momens ago:
"Shove the Palestinian flag up your ass!" #IraniansStandWithIsraelpic.twitter.com/TMwYfoa9ns

— Persian God (@RealPersianGod) October 8, 2023

Since the day of the match, the hashtag #IraniansStandWithIsrael (Iranians are with Israel) has become popular on social media. Under this slogan, users denounce the Islamist regimes of both Iran (Shiite) and Hamas (Sunni), equating their brutality. This is not an automatic rejection of the Palestinian cause. In fact, some add the label #FreePalestineNow (Free Palestine Now). But more often they express support for Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah, without whose (unlikely) return to Iran they consider peace in the Middle East impossible. From the images they disseminate, it is clear that most of the accounts belong to Iranian exiles. Still, his criticism has alarmed the Islamic Republic's rulers.

The attorney general announced on October 31 that it is a crime to make any pro-Israel demonstration on social media. The warning came after the committee tasked with establishing criminal content cases updated a 2020 law to "confront the Zionist regime's hostile actions against peace and security." The review also specifies that any relationship with Israeli citizens, even friendship, is prohibited. Earlier, Iranian athletes were banned from competing with Israeli rivals and filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf (self-exiled since 2005) was punished for participating in a contest in Jerusalem, withdrawing his prizes from the Museum of Cinema.

It is not a step in the anti-Israel policy that Shiite Islamists implemented when they came to power after the 1979 revolution. In contrast to the good relations that monarchical Iran had with Israel, the Islamic Republic rejects its existence as a state, and its leaders frequently make bombastic calls for its destruction. On this occasion, however, the zeal to silence the slightest expression of sympathy for the victims of the Hamas attack goes beyond official anti-Zionism and the self-serving use of the Palestinian cause.

The tone exudes concern about the internal impact of this policy, just as the regime faces a growing social protest. Those in power want to prevent the opposition's campaign abroad from permeating the interior. "So much fear because they know that the majority hates them," interprets an exile in the face of such a drastic measure.

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