The republic of magic: How Iran turned the unseen into an instrument of rule

Key Points:

• The Islamic Republic of Iran has institutionalized occult and religious beliefs as part of its statecraft, using unfalsifiable claims to justify political legitimacy, security decisions, and public spending.
• Iran's governance is framed as representing the absent "Imam of Time," a hidden religious figure, making clerics interpreters of his will and placing the Supreme Leader's accountability beyond public reach.
• The state has built sanctity around its leaders through rituals, media, and religious sites, turning invisibility and mystery into symbolic capital, exemplified by the absence of Mojtaba Khamenei's public image.
• Oil wealth initially funded this religious-political apparatus, which now relies heavily on taxation, with significant budget allocations supporting seminaries and religious institutions that reinforce obedience and legitimacy.
• This system transforms political and economic crises into divine tests, sustaining the regime's survival as a sacred promise while shifting the financial burden increasingly onto ordinary Iranians.