Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian Faces Fierce Online Backlash after Urging ‘National Unity’

Segun Atanda/

Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, has triggered a wave of angry reactions online after insisting that the country “has not come to a halt” and calling national unity Iran’s “main asset” amid what he described as “special conditions”.

In a post published on X, Pezeshkian wrote: “We are in direct contact with the governors. The situation is special, but the country has not come to a halt. Ongoing activities are continuing across the country… National unity is our main asset,” adding the hashtag translated as “Government Standing With the People.”

The remarks, which appeared aimed at projecting stability and continuity, were met with a barrage of hostile replies from critics who accused the president of incompetence, repression and betrayal.

One widely shared response declared: “Iran’s history will remember you as the most contemptible, incapable and treacherous figure of recent centuries, on par with or lower than the Qajar kings. You know neither politics, nor honour, nor courage.”

The post concluded with the hashtag “IranRevolution2026”, signalling alignment with a growing online protest slogan.

Another critic wrote: “Criminal. Was the massacre of thousands of Iranians in Dey not enough? Every hour that the remnants of the criminal Islamic Republic insist on clinging to power costs the lives of our compatriots. Hand power over to the people.”

A separate reply addressed the president directly: “Mr Pezeshkian, have some shame. Climb down from your stubbornness and surrender to the people’s demands. If you think today’s conditions are special, believe that soon your own circumstances will be far worse. National unity exists only for transition beyond the Islamic Republic. Submit to the people’s will.”

The tone of the backlash was frequently personal and uncompromising. One user accused him of having “dragged the country into blood and soil”, claiming that instead of centralising efforts for peace and forming a transitional government, he had “taken it back to the Qajar era through obstinacy”.

The same post asserted: “Iran will remain, but your faction and your generation will be a bloody line in history.”

Others questioned his credibility and leadership.

“You speak of unity while being irresponsible and evasive,” one critic wrote. “You did not even resign when you admitted incapacity. You talk of cohesion after forming alliances for votes and now allying with killers for personal protection.”

Some responses included warnings about his political future, with one post urging him to contact the United States in hopes of avoiding execution, claiming: “This government ends in death.”

The intensity of the reaction highlights the depth of polarisation surrounding Pezeshkian’s presidency at a time of heightened political tension.

While the president sought to reassure the public that provincial authorities had been granted delegated powers to enable swift, locally tailored decision making, opponents online framed his message as detached from realities on the ground.

The hashtag “IranRevolution2026” has gained traction among critics calling for systemic change, though it remains unclear whether the online rhetoric reflects coordinated political organisation or a broader swell of public anger.

Iranian authorities have not publicly responded to the backlash, and it is difficult to independently verify the scale or representativeness of the online sentiment within the country, where internet access and social media activity are often subject to restrictions.