Could Iran's 'sadistic' regime still collapse from within?

LISTEN: What's Really Going on Inside Iran? Listen to the latest Daily Mail Deep Dive podcast READ MORE: What's really happening inside Iran... and why its evil leaders are not as safe as they thinkSee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JOSEPH LUKE PALMER Published: 16:47 BST, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 17:41 BST, 16 July 2026

On a special episode of the Daily Mail's Deep Dive podcast, Middle East Correspondent Natalie Lisbona and Chief Foreign Correspondent Andy Jehring exchange stories from inside a teetering Islamic Republic.Lisbona and Jehring collaborated on a recent investigation for the Daily Mail, which shared correspondences each had with regular people living in Iran.These brave men and women, who were anonymised in the piece for their safety, painted a picture of a society governed by 'complete repression', Lisbona said, where public executions, sexual violence and state surveillance are a daily occurrence.The regime's repression has only worsened since mass protests swept the country in late December and January. During the bloodiest 48 hours of the crackdown, on January 8 and 9, more than 30,000 protest-related deaths were reportedly registered in civilian hospitals.