The Islamic Republic of Iran is no stranger to crises, but recent years have been exceptionally difficult for the country and its political masters.
In 2022-2023, it faced the most widespread protests in its four-decade history. The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement challenged the establishment’s mandatory hijab policy, as millions of women continue to disregard it even today. Last year, it exchanged fire with two nuclear states, Pakistan and Israel. It also watched helplessly as Israel severely degraded the Axis of Resistance, its coalition of armed proxies across the Arab world. This year, it had a full-on war with Israel and the US that led to hundreds of Iranian civilians being killed.
With 2026 round the corner, the country faces something even more challenging: a year of the unknown.
Iran finds itself in limbo. For decades, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was firmly in control. Even though he remains at the top of the country’s leadership chain, much of his authority has been undermined as a consequence of Israel’s aggression. His long-held policy of avoiding both rapprochement and military confrontation with the West has unravelled.
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