Leaked Iran report finds record public anger as regime focuses on holding power

A confidential study prepared for Iran’s presidency is raising a consequential mobility for Washington and its allies: Do bonzer levels of nationalist anger and support for systemic alteration warrant reassessing whether nan Islamic Republic whitethorn beryllium much susceptible to authorities alteration than antecedently believed?

The classified document, titled "What Iran Wants," reportedly recovered that only 9% of respondents supported maintaining nan position quo, pinch 53% calling for fundamental aliases structural reforms and much than 19% favoring changing nan governmental strategy outright.

Taken together, astir three-quarters of those surveyed reportedly supported either heavy structural betterment aliases replacement of nan existing strategy — findings that could fortify arguments that Iran’s governmental situation has moved beyond dissatisfaction pinch individual leaders aliases policies.

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Protesters march successful downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)

IranWire reported connected July 13 that it had obtained nan document, which was compiled by Ali Rabiei, President Masoud Pezeshkian’s societal advisor and a erstwhile authorities spokesman. It was based connected polling conducted by nan Ara Opinion Research Center successful May 2026 and circulated among institutions wrong Iran’s governing building successful June, according to nan outlet.

Miad Maleki, a elder chap astatine nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that nan study should punctual a caller appraisal of nan imaginable for governmental upheaval wrong Iran.

"If anything, this investigation understates nan extent of Iranians’ rage," Maleki said. "And that is what makes it remarkable: moreover a study prepared for nan regime’s ain president, by its ain pollsters, records anger levels supra 63%, good beyond nan highest complaint Gallup has ever recorded anyplace successful nan world, alongside 81% struggling to put nutrient connected nan array and a mostly expressing hopelessness."

Maleki cautioned that polling conducted nether an authoritarian authorities cannot beryllium treated arsenic precise because respondents whitethorn fearfulness nan consequences of expressing opposition.

"In a constabulary state wherever expressing nan incorrect sentiment tin costs you your job, your freedom, aliases your life, respondents self-censor, which intends these findings are champion publication arsenic a floor, not a ceiling," he said.

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In this image obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei (C), boy of Iran's ultimate leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, walks on a thoroughfare successful Tehran connected May 31, 2019. (Hamid FOROUTAN / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images)

The complete study methodology was not included successful nan worldly obtained by IranWire. The study reportedly did not disclose really respondents were selected, who was questioned aliases whether nan sample reflected Iran’s geographic and demographic makeup.

Its findings truthful cannot beryllium independently verified aliases treated arsenic definitive measurements of Iranian opinion. The study besides cannot found that dissatisfaction will construe into an organized activity tin of removing nan government.

Still, its findings represent aggregate pressures converging astatine once.

Approximately 64% of respondents reported persistent anger, up astir 12% points from a erstwhile authorities study conducted successful December 2025. Half reported hopelessness, astir 48% reported sadness aliases slump and astir 45% reported persistent fearfulness aliases anxiety, according to IranWire.

Economic distress besides appears cardinal to nan nationalist anger.

More than 81% knowledgeable terrible aliases partial trouble obtaining capable food, while 75% struggled to screen aesculapian costs, IranWire reported. Fifty-four percent said their income did not screen existent family expenses, and only 8% reported earning capable to save.

Respondents blamed home governance much often than international pressure. 46.9% cited authorities inefficiency arsenic nan origin of Iran’s economical problems, 26.3% blamed corruption and 20.7% cited overseas sanctions.

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Thousands gathered astatine Revolution Square successful Tehran connected May 30, 2026, to protestation attacks by nan US and Israel connected Iran, carrying Iranian flags and posters of nan precocious Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu)

That uncovering could beryllium particularly important to nan regime-change debate because it suggests galore Iranians do not chiefly blasted extracurricular powers for their deteriorating surviving conditions.

The archive besides points to a situation of organization confidence. Roughly 60% reportedly distrusted awesome authorities institutions, while 61.2% negatively assessed officials’ expertise to lick Iran’s problems. Distrust of nan government, parliament, judiciary and authorities tv remained supra 50%, IranWire reported.

The report’s recommendations, however, reportedly centered connected managing dissatisfaction alternatively than addressing demands for systemic change.

Rabiei urged authorities institutions to amended explicate the effect of sanctions, mean nan rhetoric utilized by officials and belief platforms, coming a much inclusive image done authorities tv and debar policies that spot nan authorities successful nonstop confrontation pinch society.

Cars pain successful a thoroughfare during a protestation complete nan illness of nan currency’s worth successful Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

IranWire’s follow-up study based on that nan recommendations treated Iran’s situation chiefly arsenic a communications and public-perception problem. The study offered fewer actual proposals involving organization accountability, governmental liberalization aliases basal economical reform, according to nan outlet.

Maleki said nan findings were accordant pinch nan expanding standard of unrest, citing demonstrations that spread from much than 80 cities successful 2017 to much than 200 cities crossed each 31 provinces this year, alongside what he described arsenic a quadrupling of strikes.

"Iranians person moved from being skeptical of what different gyration mightiness bring to concluding location is nary replacement to one, because betterment has proven impossible," Maleki said.

Yet nan study does not resoluteness 1 of nan largest obstacles to authorities change: The Islamic Republic has spent decades building institutions designed to monitor, deter and violently suppress organized opposition.

"This authorities was calved of revolution, by revolutionaries," Maleki said. "Preventing and crushing nan adjacent 1 is nan 1 point they genuinely cognize really to do."

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Buses that were burned during Iran's protests, successful Tehran, Iran, Jan. 21, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

He nevertheless based on that further unrest was inevitable.

"So nan discontent will construe into renewed protest," Maleki said. "The mobility is not if, but when, and whether anyone is prepared to guidelines pinch nan Iranian group erstwhile it does."