The Regime’s Reformists Are Back, but Iranians Rejected Them Long Ago

Once more, the Islamic Republic cloaks repression in the guise of reform. The Islamic Republic, which has long banned public dancing, unveiled women, and mixed-gender celebrations, is now projecting an image of leniency. A regime-backed social media campaign has expanded to state television, where an October 27 broadcast showed two well-known actors dancing on air to a pre-Islamic Revolution song originally performed by a female artist.

This effort is part of a broader campaign to rally domestic support that began during the 12-Day War, when the regime tried to fuse nationalism with Islamism to win over a disillusioned population. It has since evolved into a reformist-style narrative. At home, these campaigns aim to project normalcy and weaken the shared anger that fuels protests. Abroad, they seek to ease criticism by portraying Iran as misunderstood, while reformists use the image to appear as pragmatic alternatives to Western policymakers.

The 12-Day War Made the Regime Realize the Extent of Its Unpopularity

During the June war, Iranians circulated videos celebrating Israeli strikes on high-ranking military figures, saying the attacks “targeted regime leaders, not the people.” Israel’s messaging was equally clear, striking the regime’s repression apparatus, such as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bases used to suppress protests. Authorities swiftly deployed security forces across major cities, not to confront Israeli aircraft, but to prevent demonstrations at home.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei even asked a well-known religious chanter to perform a patriotic anthem instead of a mourning elegy after the war in an attempt to appeal to nationalism. The gesture fell flat. One caller to a diaspora Persian-language channel said during the war, “We are not compatriots with those who execute our children.”

Offering a False Sense of Improvement

The regime’s attempt to fuse nationalism with theocracy quickly evolved into the familiar “reformist” facade. Regime-linked influencers flooded social media in August with staged images of men and women without hijabs standing beneath religious banners. One photo showed young men and women without hijabs beside a woman in strict hijab, while others showed unveiled women walking in Tehran under captions like “daily life in Tehran.” The message was clear: social restrictions are easing, and Iranians supposedly live harmoniously — and prosperously — under the Islamic Republic.

Former president and key reformist figure Hassan Rouhani made explicit what is usually left unsaid during his October 14 speech, calling for “political,” “social” and “media reforms” after the war to “restore public hope.” In line with the familiar reformist playbook, he called for superficial change meant to placate the public while the regime continues its core agenda of expanding internal intelligence operations to capture alleged “Mossad spies” and reinforcing deterrence against the United States and Israel.

This reformist campaign hasn’t changed anything on the ground. Nineteen people were arrested in August in Fars Province for attending a mixed-gender celebration with music and dancing, and two girls were detained the same month for violating the compulsory hijab law. Fifty venues, including cafes, restaurants, wedding halls, and boutiques, were shut down between late June and early October 2025 for “improper hijab” violations.

Iranians Have Rejected Fake Reform

By contrast, chants of “Reformist, hardliner, the story is over” have echoed through protests since 2017. A survey by the Netherlands-based Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran, released on August 20, found that nearly 70 percent of Iranians oppose the continuation of the Islamic Republic and the dominant political orientation in society is “regime change as a precondition for change.”

The U.S. Should Amplify Iranian Voices for Change

Iranians have repeatedly shown they reject reform within the Islamic Republic’s framework and seek change on their own terms. U.S. public diplomacy should reflect this by fighting back against Tehran’s claims of normalcy. Washington should ensure its messaging exposes the regime’s human rights abuses and serves as a counterweight to its propaganda, amplifying the voices of Iranians who strive to define their own future.

Janatan Sayeh is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Iranian domestic affairs and the Islamic Republic’s regional malign influence. For more analysis from FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Janatan on X @JanatanSayeh. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.