گمراه
Gomrah means misguided, lost from the path. The soft religious-framed dissent label in Iranian clerical speech, less common in court rulings than harsher slurs.
Glossary
ضد انقلاب
Zedd-e enghelab means counter-revolutionary. Iran’s catchall for political opposition: leftists, monarchists, MEK, ethnic activists, rights advocates.
منافق
Monafegh is Arabic for hypocrite. The regime uses the plural monafeghin as code for the MEK opposition. The 1988 mass executions targeted those so labelled.
فتنه گر
Fitneh-gar means seditionist, the person-form of fitneh. Applied to leaders of 2009 Green Movement and anyone the state wants out of legitimate politics.
فتنه
Fitneh means sedition. Iranian state discourse uses it for the 2009 Green Movement and every protest wave since, framing dissent as illegitimate revolt.
فاسد
Fased means morally corrupt. The Iranian state deploys it against dissidents, journalists, and women refusing to comply, opposite to the regime’s self-image.
مستضعف
Mostazaf means the oppressed. Khomeini built a class category around it in 1979; the regime still uses mostazafin to frame state support as defending the poor.
فرماندار
Farmandar is Iran’s appointed provincial governor, named by the Interior Minister. Modern appointments skew toward Khamenei loyalty.
خاتم الانبیا
Khatam-ol-Anbia is the IRGC’s main construction conglomerate, founded 1989. Holds major oil and infrastructure contracts. US Treasury sanctioned since 2007.
پاک سازی
Paksazi is the Persian word for purge. In Iran it names the ongoing institutional cleansing of dissident academics, journalists, and civil servants.