Iran President Says Dissident Citizens Defended Territorial Integrity Against US Aggression

Framing dissent as compatible with national defence lets Tehran claim broad legitimacy while acknowledging domestic discontent — a rhetorical move that matters more for internal cohesion than for markets. The reported return of Iranians abroad is the harder claim to verify, and it is the one to watch: return migration is often read as a confidence signal, but without independent data it remains an assertion rather than evidence. Whether that narrative holds up in practice is the open question.