From National Unity to Iranian Bonapartism

Immediately after the ceasefire, in an effort to project an image of a “united nation,” the regime brought figures such as Mohammadreza Jalaeipour onto state television as representatives of so-called national unity. In a live broadcast on the IRIB 6, Jalaeipour described what he called the “moment of becoming a nation” through a highly sentimental scene: The performance of the patriotic anthem Ey Iran, during which women of differing app