“Establishing national reconciliation and changing current governmental procedures are the aspirations of the majority of the Iranian people, whose choice it is to create ties with the international community, to live in peaceful coexistence with their neighbors, to foster development and to live in security and prosperity… This is the moment for a great decision, to leave the past behind and open the gates to a different future. Tomorrow may be too late.” (From the declaration of the ‘Iranian Reformist Front,’ August 17, 2025)
The process of political change in Iran, which began with Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s call for a referendum on a new constitution, has been gaining momentum in recent weeks. What started as a lone voice has become a growing chorus of voices from the front ranks of Iranian politics. Mousavi’s call was joined by former President Hassan Rouhani, who advocated for formulating a new national strategy based on the people’s will rather than authoritarian whims. Shortly thereafter, a statement was published by the ‘Iranian Reformist Front,’ which unequivocally emphasized that “the only way to save the country is change and a return to the people.”
This dynamic is not confined to the corridors of politics. Political polls from recent months paint a clear picture: public support for the reformist camp’s approach is steadily expanding, while the foundation supporting the conservative camp is crumbling. The data reveals that only between 12% and 20% of the public still express confidence in the conservatives. The regime, accustomed to claiming it represents the people, is now forced to confront reality—the people have withdrawn their legitimacy from it.
Citizens in Iran, who take pride in their people’s glorious history and cultural heritage, are compelled to grapple with the grim reality of a third-world state. A country unable to provide water and electricity to its residents reliably, a country mired in spreading poverty, rising prostitution, brain drain, and the ongoing suppression of basic freedoms. For many, the picture is clear: the Islamic Revolution that promised justice and prosperity has failed.
The Iranian regime, as is its custom, attempts to deflect the discussion outward. It cultivates a narrative of external enemies, boasting slogans about “helping the oppressed of the world,” but it cannot indefinitely evade the issue that truly preoccupies its citizens—who will save them from the regime’s ongoing oppression? It appears that the day is not far off when polite calls for holding a referendum will change their tone and materialize as a broad and determined demand. A demand that will roll from the political corridors to Iran’s streets, where the masses will stand and make their voices heard, after having been silenced for decades.
The comparison to the 2009 elections is inevitable. Then, the regime succeeded in falsifying the results and imposing its will on the public. But today the picture is entirely different; the results of the coming referendum will no longer be possible to falsify. The disparity in support between the two camps is too clear and prominent to claim otherwise.
A referendum is no longer a question of ‘if,’ but only of ‘when.’ The political revolution is already here and continuing to expand. Now the regime must choose: acknowledge reality and march toward a new future—or continue to deny it, until the Republic’s tyranny is swept away by the unstoppable tide of change.
Photograph: Hamed Saber, Wikimedia Commons