Part 5/18:
Perhaps the most crucial and insidious layer is internal—targeting Iran’s own government factions. While the regime’s hardliners, led by the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), push for escalation, internal divisions are deepening. Meanwhile, the Iranian populace languishes under economic hardship: fuel shortages, inflation, disappearing basic goods, and widespread protests. These demonstrations are spreading from urban centers to provincial towns, further eroding the regime’s social contract with Iran’s people.
The Regime in Disarray: Factions at Odds
Iranese society and institutions are now fractured into three major factions, each pursuing their survival strategies amidst chaos: