Khamenei photos released by Iran’s regime are drawing scrutiny from opposition groups who say the images were staged to conceal internal weakness and declining morale within the country’s security forces. The photos, published by state media on Jan. 31, marked the supreme leader’s first public appearance in weeks and coincided with renewed threats against the United States and Europe.
The images showed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praying at the tomb of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. According to Iranian opposition figures, the display was less about public reassurance and more about stabilizing a regime under pressure. Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the photos were designed to prop up struggling enforcement arms of the state.
“The images of Ali Khamenei were pure propaganda,” Safavi said. “He wanted to show that he is not afraid of dying, but at the same time he is desperately trying to boost the morale of his demoralized forces.”
Safavi pointed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the regime’s core power base, now strained after weeks of suppressing nationwide protests. “These images are intended to project strength and shore up the repressive forces,” he said. “But underneath, the regime is reeling from the reality that its criminal clique cannot break the will of the people.”
The photo release aligned with growing pressure from Europe. The European Parliament recently called for designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Tehran responded with a coordinated show of defiance, including lawmakers appearing in IRGC uniforms and banners praising the group, according to reports.
Khamenei also warned that any U.S. military action would spark broader conflict. “We are not the ones who start a war,” he said. President Trump responded Sunday, stating that if Iran fails to reach a nuclear deal, “we’ll find out” whether that warning holds.
