海角大神

In June, facing a military defeat, the leaders of Iran muted their rhetoric and agreed to a truce with Israel, ending the 鈥�12-day war.鈥�

A month later, a government largely controlled by ruling Muslim clerics has signaled another kind of truce 鈥� this time with its own people, and within a period of just 10 days.

On July 20, President Masoud Pezeshkian鈥檚 Cabinet sought to fast-track a sweeping internet censorship bill. Parliament passed it July 27. But, following public backlash, Mr. Pezeshkian abruptly withdrew it three days later.

The bill was 鈥渘ot designed to fight lies, but rather to eliminate independent narratives, restrict freedom of expression,鈥� and target critics, wrote formerly jailed journalist Alireza Rajaei.

The rapid about-face signals that the government is learning to acknowledge the power of popular sentiment. And what popular sentiment wants is freedom of expression 鈥� the ability to access and share information and viewpoints in real time. (The Iranian leadership regularly blocks internet access, as it did during the June conflict and during times of upheaval such as the 2022 protests over women鈥檚 rights.)

The Islamic state鈥檚 reputation and legitimacy are shaky. Israel鈥檚 attacks laid bare defense weaknesses. International economic sanctions have made everyday life more expensive. And five years of severe drought have heightened hardships.

Iran is nearing 鈥渨ater bankruptcy,鈥� according to Amir AghaKouchak, a University of California, Irvine professor of engineering. But the roots of the problem are not just environmental; they are 鈥渄eeply political and systemic,鈥� he told CNN last week. 鈥淚ran鈥檚 water crisis cannot be separated from its broader governance crisis.鈥�

Mr. Pezeshkian鈥檚 election a year ago came at a point when Iran鈥檚 ruling elite was largely distrusted. With promises of greater social and civic freedoms, the relative moderate was elected to renew Iran鈥檚 social contract.

Though Mr. Pezeshkian has occasionally appeared unable or unwilling to rock the boat, he recently spoke out about restrictive policies and past 鈥渋mbalances.鈥�

鈥淭oday, we are even prepared to hold dialogue with the opposition based on fairness and justice,鈥� he said, indicating such outreach is essential to resolving national challenges. He has some backing for this view now. Even a conservative news outlet, aligned with a supporter of Iran鈥檚 supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called the offer 鈥渉istoric,鈥� an opportunity to replace 鈥渮ero-sum confrontations鈥� with 鈥減olitical consensus.鈥�

If genuine, this outlook could enhance civic engagement and enable Iranians to take a step forward on the path to restoring trust in the social contract between a government and its people.