Iran masks increased repression through ostentatious hospitality - Reuters

November 13, 2025 at 05:35 PM • 3746 переглядiв

The internet has seen an increase in videos showing signs of "freedom" in Tehran: women, without chadors, in jeans and sneakers, sitting together with men in cafes.

Reuters conducted an investigation and found that amidst these pleasant scenes, a darker reality is unfolding in Iran, where repression against dissidents prevails, UNN reports.

Details

The internet has seen an increased flow of glossy videos painting a picture of a vibrant, welcoming Iran. At the same time, the country invites foreign influencers, and some of them, government-sponsored, publish enthusiastic reactions.

Women without chadors, in jeans and sneakers. Cafes where men and women sit together. Or young Iranians dancing in the streets. All this is shown through numerous videos featuring foreign influencers who come to Iran at the invitation of the regime.
- the material states.

However, beneath this surface, a darker reality is unfolding.

As four activists from Iran told Reuters, Iran's clerical rulers are intensifying repression. Political dissidents are being pressured to instill fear and prevent unrest.

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The authorities' strategy is well-thought-out, the publication writes:

to ease visible restrictions to appease public opinion amidst Iran's growing economic isolation;
at the same time - subtly intensifying the suppression of political dissent. This was stated by three Iranian officials and one former high-ranking reformist official.

"On the one hand, the regime gives the population a voice, and on the other hand, it takes a hard line against genuine dissent."
- says Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

According to human rights groups and activists, hundreds of journalists, lawyers, students, writers, and human rights defenders have been harassed, summoned, detained, or subjected to other punitive measures in recent months.

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The regime is trying to overcome the most difficult challenge in over 40 years.

Iran's clerical rulers face one of the toughest challenges since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The conflict with Israel in June severely damaged Iranian military and nuclear facilities, and also fractured Iran's regional network of allies – from Hamas in Gaza to Lebanese Hezbollah and militias in Iraq.

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Domestically, the economy is suffering from the collapse of the rial, soaring inflation, and current energy and water shortages.

"Iran is in uncharted territory, and the regime's current approach is more a consistent strategy than a series of short-term experiments aimed at surviving an unstable moment."
- the publication writes.