Khamenei’s ‘Maximum Readiness’ Rhetoric: A Hollow Display Amid Talks With The US – OpEd
Amid negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program, the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared before top commanders of his armed forces on April 14, 2025, calling for “maximum readiness” and praising what he described as “unparalleled national progress.”
But behind the theatrical tone of defiance lies a regime shaken by international pressure, economic collapse, and growing internal dissent.
Contradictions and Empty Boasts
Khamenei’s speech, published on his official website, reflects a clear contradiction between reality and rhetoric. While claiming that “the enemies are frustrated by the Islamic Republic’s advancements,” he simultaneously admitted to “serious problems in the country’s economic sectors”—a rare acknowledgment of the dire domestic conditions crippling the regime’s foundations.
His attempt to portray his regime’s military as a model of strength comes at a time when the regime is forced into dialogue with its arch-adversary, a move that starkly contradicts years of hardline posturing against the West. Far from projecting strength, the speech exposes the regime’s growing fear of isolation and desperation.
Power Posturing vs. Real Decline
Rather than offering concrete achievements or military strategies, Khamenei resorted to flowery praise of his regime’s image abroad, claiming that “those familiar with international affairs admire Iran’s grandeur.” Yet on the global stage, Iran faces escalating condemnation from the United Nations, human rights organizations, and legislatures across Europe and North America for its systematic repression, executions, and support for regional militancy.
Khamenei’s declaration that “the number of missiles fired or their targets hit” is secondary to “the willpower of the Iranian people and armed forces” is nothing more than a diversion from repeated military embarrassments. These include failed operations and symbolic strikes that may stir nationalist sentiment at home but fail to shift the balance of power regionally.
The Real Audience: Iran’s Security Apparatus
It is clear that Khamenei’s message was not intended for foreign governments, but rather aimed at his own military and security forces, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His calls for “faith, conviction, and maximum courage” betray a growing anxiety over the morale and loyalty of his coercive institutions, amid increasing defections, disillusionment, and fear of internal collapse.
If the regime’s armed forces were indeed so confident and capable, why then is the regime quietly returning to the negotiating table with those it has labeled as enemies for decades?
Recycled Words from a Hollow Command
Echoing Khamenei’s speech, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the regime’s Armed Forces, issued familiar platitudes about “full preparedness” and “denying enemies their malicious goals.” The repetition of such slogans highlights the bankruptcy of strategic thinking within the regime’s military leadership, which now relies more on propaganda than on effective doctrine or planning.
The Curtain Falls on the Myth of Power
Khamenei’s speech, far from reassuring, is a reflection of a regime clinging to bombast as a substitute for real strength. In reality, Iran’s theocracy is beleaguered on all fronts: diplomatically cornered, economically bankrupt, and internally fractured. The spectacle of “maximum readiness” is not a show of power—it is a sign of desperation.
As domestic unrest grows and international scrutiny intensifies, time is no longer on the side of the Supreme Leader or his theocratic machinery. The days when fiery speeches could mask systemic decay are drawing to a close, and no amount of military bravado can delay the consequences of decades of tyranny.
