Sharp policy swerve needed to avoid ruin, Tehran moderates warn
Behrouz Turani
Iran International
Voices are growing in Tehran that warn the ruling system has only a narrow window left to launch reforms essential for its survival.
Iran International
Voices are growing in Tehran that warn the ruling system has only a narrow window left to launch reforms essential for its survival.
In recent interviews with the centrist Entekhab website, media expert Hadi Khaniki, historian Hashem Aghajari, and former minister Abbas Akhoundi all cautioned that time for meaningful change is rapidly running out.
“The war reset societal connections, reducing individualism,” said Hadi Khaniki, an academic and former adviser to President Mohammad Khatami. “This is a moment for reorganization, but the opportunity for change is limited.”
Khaniki pointed to the temporary surge of unity during the June–July war with Israel, urging authorities to build on that momentum by fostering public satisfaction rather than relying solely on control.
“Before the war,” he noted, “issues like gasoline shortages, water scarcity, sanctions, and inequality had eroded social capital and trust in institutions. The war, however, triggered a ‘people’s war’ dynamic, fostering temporary solidarity and patriotism.”
To avoid a return to pre-war discontent, he warned, the government must reduce threats, revise failed policies, and prioritize public well-being.
Iranian Reformation
Historian Hashem Aghajari echoed similar concerns.
Best known for his 2002 blasphemy trial, he called for a “Protestant-like” overhaul of Iranian Shiism to meet contemporary needs.
“Islam in Iran needs its own Reformation, not to abandon faith, but to liberate it from clerical monopolies. Just as Luther challenged Rome, we must question the absolutism of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurisconsult),” he said.
Turning to the economic despair gripping the country, Aghajari added: “Sanctions and mismanagement have turned hope into hunger. The youth see no future unless we democratize the economy and end the kleptocracy.”
He warned the window for transformation is rapidly closing: “This opportunity is fleeting, measured in months, not years. Seize it with inclusive policies, or watch the society splinter into irreconcilable tribes.”
‘Weak mandates’
Although Aghajari’s interview was later redacted, presumably under official pressure, its transcript remains accessible through a related Entekhab interview with former minister Abbas Akhoundi.
In his September 6 interview, Akhoundi argued that Iran’s leaders operate with weak mandates and short-term horizons.
“A president elected by roughly 30% of eligible voters, and lawmakers who won less than 5%, can only pursue short-term goals,” he said.
This mode of governance, he added, had failed for nearly five decades and is unlikely to bear fruit now.
“Tehran faces three options to break the deadlock: pursue a comprehensive agreement with the West, escalate tensions to force a resolution, or continue the current inertia, ‘a suspension within a suspension,’ which would further damage livelihoods and financial stability.”
Colonel Einollah Jahani, the former deputy head of Iran’s traffic police, told ISNA news agency on Wednesday that Article 20 of the country’s traffic law currently tasks the police with issuing motorcycle licenses for men but is silent on women.
“From a legal perspective, this article only clarifies the police’s duty toward men and does not prohibit issuing licenses to women,” he said. “The silence of the law has created a gap that must be resolved by parliament.”
The government has submitted a bill to parliament to address the issue, state media has reported, but Jahani said that some lawmakers remain uneasy over how women would observe Islamic dress codes while riding.
He argued the concern was misplaced: “Both men and women must wear helmets, and helmets provide the necessary coverage to meet hijab requirements. This is a safety obligation that also addresses religious concerns.”
Iran’s traffic police chief, Brigadier General Teymour Hosseini, said earlier this week that any licensing of women would require formal changes to bylaws and law, and that the force was “awaiting an official notification on women’s motorcycling so we can proceed.”
Women have been legally allowed to own and register motorcycles in their name, but licensing has been withheld, leaving many to ride without permits in a legal gray zone.
Jahani said this inconsistency should be corrected: “There is no prohibition for women to own motorcycles under the constitution. They can hold official registration papers in their own name, so logically they should also be able to obtain licenses.”
He added that women have increasingly demanded the right to ride motorcycles, citing economic pressures, traffic congestion and the need for affordable transportation.
“In the past there was no demand, but today motorcycling has become a social demand,” he said, noting that research shows women generally drive more cautiously than men.
The debate comes against the backdrop of wider calls for women’s rights in Iran since the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody, which ignited nationwide protests.
Conservative clerics have resisted moves to permit public motorcycling by women, arguing it could breach social norms, but reformist officials say formal training courses can provide a workable compromise.