Basij chief: Change has begun in US and Israel as aggression backfires
The head of Iran’s Basij Organization has said the United States and the Zionist regime are facing growing internal challenges, arguing that their efforts to reshape West Asia have backfired and that a process of change has begun within both societies.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 19th International Resistance Film Festival in Tehran on Thursday, Hojjat al-Islam Hossein Taeb said Washington had long sought to transform the region’s political, economic, and social landscape and impose a new order centered on American dominance.
“Today, we say that change has begun in America and Israel, and we will soon see it across different areas,” he said, according to reports by Fars and other Iranian news agencies.
Hojjat al-Islam Taeb noted that American strategists had envisioned creating a “global village” under their leadership by 2025, aiming to reshape geography, public opinion, and the economy of West Asia into what they called a “new American Middle East.”
He said this project, along with the attempt to export the American way of life, had instead encountered serious contradictions inside the United States itself.
He highlighted protests by American students, university professors, and artists against the war and attacks on civilians, describing them as signs of growing opposition to Washington’s policies.
Hojjat al-Islam Taeb also stated that the American people are increasingly tired of the war.
“Seventy percent of the people say we do not want this war and this war has brought us no benefit,” he said, adding that if political changes fail to address public demands, the pressure could evolve into broader social transformations, including street protests and economic disruptions.
The Basij chief’s remarks come amid the ongoing consequences of the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression launched against the Islamic Republic in February 2026.
Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that the campaign failed to achieve its stated objectives, shattered the perceived prestige of the US military, and forced Washington and Tel Aviv to shift from direct confrontation toward economic pressure, proxy tactics, and media warfare after encountering Iranian resilience.
Hojjat al-Islam Taeb also emphasized the role of resistance cinema in this context, saying that by depicting the crimes of the United States and the Zionist regime -- particularly attacks on civilians and children -- alongside the dignity and steadfastness of the resistance front, filmmakers can disrupt the enemy’s media monopoly and present an alternative narrative to global audiences.
The 19th International Resistance Film Festival, held under the shadow of comprehensive threats, featured works from more than 100 countries and underscored the continued cultural dimension of the resistance.
Iranian authorities have long maintained that the combination of military resilience, popular steadfastness, and cultural production has accelerated the erosion of US and Israeli positions both regionally and domestically.