Iran’s rulers turned a messianic belief into a political system. That blend of faith, force, and state control still shapes how the regime sees its enemies and its mission.
A recent analysis lays out how Tehran paired brutal street repression with a fast, staged information campaign. The goal was to crush dissent at home and keep shaping opinions abroad, especially against Israel and the United States.
Iranian MPs in military uniforms chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" during a state-broadcast session, a public show of defiance that complicates Tehran's talk of negotiations with Washington.
U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone after it approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in international waters. CENTCOM says de-escalation failed and an F-35C intercepted the unmanned aircraft. Later, two IRGC gunboats confronted a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
The real leverage the U.S. has over Iran is not bombs. It is the ability to disrupt the tools Tehran uses to track, block, and crush protests. That quieter pressure can raise the cost of repression while limiting risks of wider war.