Iran International
A fierce battle has erupted inside Iran’s political establishment over the country’s future, with moderates urging sweeping reforms and hardliners branding their proposals a thinly veiled bid for regime change.
The dispute was set off on August 15 when former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif published an essay in Foreign Policy titled “The Time for a Paradigm Shift Is Now.”
Zarif urged Iran to embrace “a new approach rooted in domestic reform,” warning that “warmongers benefit from closing every window to democracy.”
He called for a shift to a “possibilities paradigm” based on negotiation rather than confrontation.
Hardliners reacted with fury.
‘Delusional’
Outlets close to the Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guards — including Kayhan, Javan, and Vatan Emrooz — denounced the proposals as treasonous, delusional, and "capitulation" to the West.
Zarif was labeled an “anti-resistance liberal” who welcomed US and Israeli aggression as “blessings in disguise.”
Hardline commentator Abdollah Ganji accused moderates of “prioritizing personal power over national interests,” while Kayhan’s chief and supreme leader appointee Hossein Shariatmadari charged they were “ignoring global power dynamics.”
The clash comes as economic strain, political discontent, and renewed external pressure after the war with Israel sharpen the stakes for both camps.
‘Will of the people’
In recent weeks, former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi and allies have issued open letters demanding democracy, while the Reform Front — an umbrella group of moderate and reformist figures — called for measures including suspension of uranium enrichment.
Former president Hassan Rouhani has also weighed in, advocating a “national strategy based on the will of the people.”
Beyond politicians, 180 economists urged a reordering of “Iran’s economic and political paradigms,” and 78 former diplomats pressed for a foreign policy more in tune with public sentiment.
The apparently concerted effort has been met by increasingly harsh reactions from the opposite camp.
In parliament, ultraconservatives such as Amir Hossein Sabeti and Hamid Rasai insisted the Islamic Republic must rely on resistance, not diplomacy, to survive.
Ganji also went after Rouhani personally, reminding readers that he once called for executing monarchy-era army officers in 1979, and warning he could “ultimately betray the revolution” like some of the Prophet’s disciples.
The battle is likely to intensify as pressure mounts, with the looming prospect of UN sanctions snapping back into place, the shadow of another war with Israel, and growing public frustration at home.
But as the reformist outlet Rouydad24 concluded, the exchanges have left “conservatives enraged, reformists uncertain, and the idea of national reconciliation in a state of lull.”
Farshchian, 95, passed away on August 9 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, where he had lived since 1983. His body was returned to his hometown for burial beside the poet Saeb Tabrizi, in accordance with his wishes.
At the funeral, mourners filled the streets as Farshchian’s coffin was carried from the Conservatory of Fine Arts. Culture Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi praised him as both a “sage of artists” and a creative genius who gave “a special color and flavor to Iranian art.” President Masoud Pezeshkian also issued condolences, underscoring his stature as a national figure.
The tributes highlighted Farshchian’s towering legacy, even as questions over his relationship with the Islamic Republic continue to spark controversy online.
Public reactions
On social media, responses ranged from praise to condemnation.
“He held the hands of those from whose hand the blood of the country’s youth flowed,” one post on X read. “The people’s historical memory never fades. We will neither forgive nor forget.”
“Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic used him for its propaganda, and sadly, he complied and showed no resistance,” another user wrote.
Others defended him: “Farshchian has painted several panels from the Shahnameh, each more beautiful than the other. His beliefs are his own. We don’t have the right to question his art even if we assume he was a government-affiliated artist. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were also court artists, serving the monarchy and the Christian Church.”
Themes in Farshchian’s work
His miniatures often explore Shiite traditions, while others interpret Persian literature, including the national epic Shahnameh. He also designed new metal lattice enclosures for Shiite shrines in Mashhad and Karbala.
Farshchian’s works are on permanent display at a museum named after him in Tehran’s Saadabad Palace.
Iran's polarized cultural landscape
Collaboration or opposition to the state carries heavy personal and professional consequences in Iran.
Artists who work with state entities, like television, are often labeled “state-affiliated” by dissidents and exiled communities, while appearing with political leaders can spark backlash.
A notable case is singer Alireza Eftekhari, whose embrace of the populist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a concert went viral and provoked outrage among critics, resulting in his isolation in the artistic community and loss of his fans.
Conversely, artists challenging the official narrative risk being blacklisted, banned from work, or imprisoned.
One prominent example was the legendary traditional vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian.
He performed a song urging security forces to lay down their weapons during the widespread anti-government protests of 2009. This act of defiance drew the ire of authorities.
The state media banned the broadcast of Shajarian’s songs, image, and his name. Even his iconic Ramadan prayer performance—beloved among religious audiences—was permanently removed from radio and television broadcasts, and he was barred from concerts or album releases.
"Curse the Islamic Republic, which always pits the people against each other … Artists like Farshchian or Shajarian—whatever they may have been—were ultimately artists. The Islamic Republic has even violated the very concept of art and the artist," a post on X stated.