Growing Iran protests rattle leaders as Trump threatens
Page 1 of 1 [ 11 posts ]
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
04 Jan 2026, 2:54 pm
Quote:
Widespread protests have rocked Iran for nearly a week and led to increasing violent clashes with security forces, prompting President Donald Trump to threaten intervention if a crackdown continues.
The protests, which started with economic grievances by shopkeepers in Tehran and quickly spread to remote cities in provinces like Fars and Lorestan, where protesters chanted slogans against the ruling clerics, have raised pointed questions for the country’s leaders about how much support they really enjoy.
Ali Larijani, who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, alleged Friday without providing evidence that Israel and the U.S. were stoking the escalating demonstrations. And Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a post on X that Trump’s threat of intervention makes U.S. bases in the region “legitimate targets.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump had said that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.” He did not specify what this would mean.
Iranian officials attempted to project a united front with ordinary citizens in June, when the Israeli military battered the country in a 12-day war, partly joined by the U.S. military. The war killed more than 1,000 people including top military leaders and nuclear scientists, according to state media, and wreaked havoc on its nuclear facilities.
On Monday, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump issued a fresh threat to “knock the hell out of” Iran if the Islamic Republic attempts to rebuild its nuclear program or expand its ballistic missile program.
Saturday’s capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, who enjoyed a warm relationship with Tehran, has also incensed Iran’s political elites, who have decried the U.S. operation as “a clear example of state terrorism.” But as tensions with the U.S. escalate once again, Iran appears far from having the unity projected last year.
“Iranians were facing bombardment by external powers and so they had no choice but to stick together. And I think that we should take that for what it was. Did [Iranians] coming together mean that they suddenly abandoned all of their contentious feelings towards the regime or its leadership? Absolutely not. They’re not mutually exclusive feelings,” Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, told NBC News in a telephone interview.
“And I think that Iranians still feel quite united amidst the many challenges that they face, challenges from abroad, challenges from their governance system and their leadership that isn’t willing to reform or change,” Vakil said.
Even before the joint Israeli and U.S. attack in June, Iran’s economy was in a tailspin, battered by sanctions, rising inflation and the devaluation of the Iranian currency against the U.S. dollar, which led to families struggling hard to make ends meet as the value of their savings plunged, analysts say.
The country’s problems were compounded by a water and energy crisis last year that led to dry taps and electricity blackouts.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has attempted to at least partly shoulder the blame for the country’s woes and even suggested on Monday that the interior minister should meet with leaders among the protesters to address their concerns and try to solve their problems.
“If the people are dissatisfied, we and you are to blame. Don’t look for America or someone else to blame,” Pezeshkian said on Thursday while visiting officials in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in central Iran, according to state media. “We need to serve properly so the people are satisfied with us.”
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a Norwegian-registered Kurdish watchdog that monitors rights violations across Iran, reported on Thursday that two protesters were killed by security forces in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, perhaps highlighting the limits of Pezeshkian’s powers in dealing with the protests.
“He is trying to limit, I think, the nature of the anger. He’s trying to say it’s all because of the currency collapse, because of inflation,” Abbas Milani, the director of the Iranian studies program at Stanford University, told NBC News in a telephone interview.
“I don’t think that people see it that way. I think the people see the currency collapse and the inflation as the consequence of the regime’s inherent corruption and incapacity,” Milani said. “They want the regime changed.”
Hengaw reported the death of 10 people during six days of protests, including one man who was killed by security forces on Friday in Kermanshah province in northwest Iran.
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s threats of intervention will encourage the protesters or lead security forces to hold their fire.
“People could feel slightly more confident and emboldened thinking that the United States might actually be more than rhetorically supportive,” said Vakil of Chatham House. “But I worry that they might be disappointed, not understanding that the United States is very much focused on outcomes and interests that benefit the United States and not really benevolent towards the Iranian people.”
Still, whether the protests expand and continue or are crushed by force like similar protests in 2022 and 2023 — when approximately 500 people were killed and thousands were arrested — will largely depend on the will of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, analysts say. He has not spoken publicly about the protests in the past week.
“They will have a scorched-earth policy,” Milani from Stanford said.
The protests, which started with economic grievances by shopkeepers in Tehran and quickly spread to remote cities in provinces like Fars and Lorestan, where protesters chanted slogans against the ruling clerics, have raised pointed questions for the country’s leaders about how much support they really enjoy.
Ali Larijani, who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, alleged Friday without providing evidence that Israel and the U.S. were stoking the escalating demonstrations. And Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a post on X that Trump’s threat of intervention makes U.S. bases in the region “legitimate targets.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump had said that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.” He did not specify what this would mean.
Iranian officials attempted to project a united front with ordinary citizens in June, when the Israeli military battered the country in a 12-day war, partly joined by the U.S. military. The war killed more than 1,000 people including top military leaders and nuclear scientists, according to state media, and wreaked havoc on its nuclear facilities.
On Monday, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump issued a fresh threat to “knock the hell out of” Iran if the Islamic Republic attempts to rebuild its nuclear program or expand its ballistic missile program.
Saturday’s capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, who enjoyed a warm relationship with Tehran, has also incensed Iran’s political elites, who have decried the U.S. operation as “a clear example of state terrorism.” But as tensions with the U.S. escalate once again, Iran appears far from having the unity projected last year.
“Iranians were facing bombardment by external powers and so they had no choice but to stick together. And I think that we should take that for what it was. Did [Iranians] coming together mean that they suddenly abandoned all of their contentious feelings towards the regime or its leadership? Absolutely not. They’re not mutually exclusive feelings,” Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, told NBC News in a telephone interview.
“And I think that Iranians still feel quite united amidst the many challenges that they face, challenges from abroad, challenges from their governance system and their leadership that isn’t willing to reform or change,” Vakil said.
Even before the joint Israeli and U.S. attack in June, Iran’s economy was in a tailspin, battered by sanctions, rising inflation and the devaluation of the Iranian currency against the U.S. dollar, which led to families struggling hard to make ends meet as the value of their savings plunged, analysts say.
The country’s problems were compounded by a water and energy crisis last year that led to dry taps and electricity blackouts.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has attempted to at least partly shoulder the blame for the country’s woes and even suggested on Monday that the interior minister should meet with leaders among the protesters to address their concerns and try to solve their problems.
“If the people are dissatisfied, we and you are to blame. Don’t look for America or someone else to blame,” Pezeshkian said on Thursday while visiting officials in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in central Iran, according to state media. “We need to serve properly so the people are satisfied with us.”
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a Norwegian-registered Kurdish watchdog that monitors rights violations across Iran, reported on Thursday that two protesters were killed by security forces in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, perhaps highlighting the limits of Pezeshkian’s powers in dealing with the protests.
“He is trying to limit, I think, the nature of the anger. He’s trying to say it’s all because of the currency collapse, because of inflation,” Abbas Milani, the director of the Iranian studies program at Stanford University, told NBC News in a telephone interview.
“I don’t think that people see it that way. I think the people see the currency collapse and the inflation as the consequence of the regime’s inherent corruption and incapacity,” Milani said. “They want the regime changed.”
Hengaw reported the death of 10 people during six days of protests, including one man who was killed by security forces on Friday in Kermanshah province in northwest Iran.
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s threats of intervention will encourage the protesters or lead security forces to hold their fire.
“People could feel slightly more confident and emboldened thinking that the United States might actually be more than rhetorically supportive,” said Vakil of Chatham House. “But I worry that they might be disappointed, not understanding that the United States is very much focused on outcomes and interests that benefit the United States and not really benevolent towards the Iranian people.”
Still, whether the protests expand and continue or are crushed by force like similar protests in 2022 and 2023 — when approximately 500 people were killed and thousands were arrested — will largely depend on the will of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, analysts say. He has not spoken publicly about the protests in the past week.
“They will have a scorched-earth policy,” Milani from Stanford said.
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
05 Jan 2026, 5:34 pm
US weighing intervention in Iran, indications received by ‘Post’ show
Quote:
The Jerusalem Post has received multiple indications that the US is considering some intervention in the ongoing Iran protests. At the same time, Israel is also checking if the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro will make action against the Iranian regime possible.
It appears that Israel was surprised by America's intervention in Venezuela and that this action scrambled Israeli calculations about what might be possible in the Islamic Republic.
Until the intervention by US President Donald Trump in Caracas, most Israeli officials did not view the protests against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as necessarily approaching the volume necessary to achieve regime change.
In fact, by themselves, the protests are likely still viewed by Israel and the US as insufficient to topple Khamenei.
However, following the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, this may have changed.
Washington and Israel explore regime change options in Iran
There are indications that Washington is weighing some targeted intervention to assist the protest movement to get over the top of the Iranian regime.
Likewise, Israel is also checking if the removal of Maduro will make action against the Iranian regime possible.
More specifically, the Mossad has publicly admitted on Twitter to assisting Iranian protesters in the field.
Iran has claimed it has even arrested one of these agents.
Further, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, who formerly was intelligence minister and had partial responsibility for certain Iran issues, recently wrote in the Post, "The world must...recognize the Iranian people as the key to lasting regional stability and support their aspirations for human rights, freedom, and self-determination, not only through words of sympathy, but through concrete actions whenever and wherever possible."
She continued, "History shows that regimes built on fear eventually collapse. When that moment arrives in Iran, the question will not be whether change was inevitable, but whether the world helped prepare the ground for a better future," showing support for concrete action, and not mere words of sympathy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also held a special security meeting after the US actions in Venezuela.
Former defense minister Benny Gantz on Monday explicitly called for Israel and the US to intervene in Iran on behalf of the Iranian protesters to either cause the regime to surrender or topple it.
In June, both US and Israeli officials were universally opposed to seeking regime change, being focused on harming Iran's nuclear program and its ability to lash out in response to attacks on its nuclear program.
Yet, Tehran's weak attempts to recover from the June attacks, the protest movement, and America's quick ability to potentially influence the direction of Venezuelan policy by using military force, without having to mount a large ground invasion, may have changed the calculations.
Officials from both countries, as indicated above, now seem to be exploring new options. It is possible that the US may use some kind of threat of force and even limited force to prevent Khamenei from crushing the protest movement, in order to provide the movement more of a chance to grow.
Israeli officials, as indicated above, are exploring whether the removal of Maduro will make action against the Iranian regime possible.
There are no indications that a final choice has yet been made, especially with Trump still deciding how to handle the aftermath in Venezuela of having abducted Maduro.
It appears that Israel was surprised by America's intervention in Venezuela and that this action scrambled Israeli calculations about what might be possible in the Islamic Republic.
Until the intervention by US President Donald Trump in Caracas, most Israeli officials did not view the protests against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as necessarily approaching the volume necessary to achieve regime change.
In fact, by themselves, the protests are likely still viewed by Israel and the US as insufficient to topple Khamenei.
However, following the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, this may have changed.
Washington and Israel explore regime change options in Iran
There are indications that Washington is weighing some targeted intervention to assist the protest movement to get over the top of the Iranian regime.
Likewise, Israel is also checking if the removal of Maduro will make action against the Iranian regime possible.
More specifically, the Mossad has publicly admitted on Twitter to assisting Iranian protesters in the field.
Iran has claimed it has even arrested one of these agents.
Further, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, who formerly was intelligence minister and had partial responsibility for certain Iran issues, recently wrote in the Post, "The world must...recognize the Iranian people as the key to lasting regional stability and support their aspirations for human rights, freedom, and self-determination, not only through words of sympathy, but through concrete actions whenever and wherever possible."
She continued, "History shows that regimes built on fear eventually collapse. When that moment arrives in Iran, the question will not be whether change was inevitable, but whether the world helped prepare the ground for a better future," showing support for concrete action, and not mere words of sympathy.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also held a special security meeting after the US actions in Venezuela.
Former defense minister Benny Gantz on Monday explicitly called for Israel and the US to intervene in Iran on behalf of the Iranian protesters to either cause the regime to surrender or topple it.
In June, both US and Israeli officials were universally opposed to seeking regime change, being focused on harming Iran's nuclear program and its ability to lash out in response to attacks on its nuclear program.
Yet, Tehran's weak attempts to recover from the June attacks, the protest movement, and America's quick ability to potentially influence the direction of Venezuelan policy by using military force, without having to mount a large ground invasion, may have changed the calculations.
Officials from both countries, as indicated above, now seem to be exploring new options. It is possible that the US may use some kind of threat of force and even limited force to prevent Khamenei from crushing the protest movement, in order to provide the movement more of a chance to grow.
Israeli officials, as indicated above, are exploring whether the removal of Maduro will make action against the Iranian regime possible.
There are no indications that a final choice has yet been made, especially with Trump still deciding how to handle the aftermath in Venezuela of having abducted Maduro.
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
The_Face_of_Boo
Veteran
Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Age: 43
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 33,664
Location: Beirut, Lebanon.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
08 Jan 2026, 11:00 pm
Internet, phone services shut down across Iran as protesters attack state broadcaster offices
Quote:
Tehran and several other parts of Iran experienced a digital blackout on Thursday as internet connectivity dropped across multiple service providers, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said, during nationwide protests against economic hardships.
The Associated Press reported that attempts to call Iranian landlines and mobile phones from Dubai failed to connect, indicating that the regime may have suspended telephone service as well.
Footage seen by The Jerusalem Post and verified by BBC's Farsi channel appears to show that protesters set fire to an Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) office in Isfahan during the protests.
London-based anti-regime outlet Iran International reported that IRIB's Mashhad office was a focal point for protesters.
Anti-regime social media news and activist accounts shared footage that appears to show thousands marching through the streets in Mashhad, blocking a major boulevard in the northeastern city. Mashhad is notable as the birthplace of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as being the second-largest city in the country, after Tehran.
Footage from Tehran appeared to show vehicles overturned and burned during the protests.
Two Iranian regime officers were killed during protests in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported, citing Iranian state media.
Israel's Foreign Ministry's Farsi social media account has sent out various messages of support to the protesters, including sharing information on the internet outages.
"Qom, Mashhad, Tehran, Dezful. All of Iran is under the feet of the people of Iran," the ministry wrote on X/Twitter.
"The Islamic Republic has cut off people's internet. Why?" the ministry accused.
Iran's economy is facing high inflation and other challenges, partly due to US sanctions, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, underscoring Washington's concerns about Tehran cracking down violently on anti-regime protests.
"The Iranian economy is on the ropes," Bessent told the Economic Club of Minnesota, underscoring President Donald Trump's warning to Tehran to avoid harming protesters.
"It's a very precarious moment. He does not want them to harm more of the protesters. This is a tense moment," he added, referring to US President Donald Trump's threat on Sunday to hit Tehran if it began killing protesters.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch denounce regime's violent clampdown on protesters
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch denounced the Islamic Republic's regime's violent clampdown on protesters in a joint statement on Thursday evening.
The rights organizations found that protesters have been "largely peaceful," but have been "gravely injured" by IRGC and police (FARAJA) clampdowns, and faced "mass arbitrary arrests," since the protests began on December 28.
"Iranian authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown on protesters across the country since 28 December 2025, marked by security forces’ unlawful use of force and firearms and mass arbitrary arrests," the statement opened.
"People in Iran daring to express their anger at decades of repression and demand fundamental change are once again being met with a deadly pattern of security forces unlawfully firing at, chasing, arresting and beating protesters, in scenes reminiscent of the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022," Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, added.
"The frequency and persistence with which the Iranian security forces have unlawfully used force, including lethal force, against protesters, combined with systematic impunity for members of security force who commit grave violations, indicate that the use of such weapons to crush protests remains entrenched as state policy," Michael Page, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, said.
Pahlavi thanks 'leader of free world' Trump for support during protests, calls on European leaders to follow suit
Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi thanked Trump, who he called "the leader of the free world," for "reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account."
"It is time for others, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence, and act more decisively in support of the people of Iran," Pahlavi affirmed.
"I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen. Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced," referring to the nationwide suppression of internet access by the regime in an attempt to clamp down on protest activity and the spreading of anti-government footage.
Pahlavi warns regime: 'Trump, world watching you closely'
Pahlavi's praise for Trump was referring to a statement made earlier on Thursday, issuing a warning to the Islamic regime. In this statement, Pahlavi warned the regime that "the world and Trump are closely watching you."
"Suppression of the people will not go unanswered," Pahlavi added.
During an interview on the Hugh Hewitt show on Thursday, Trump said that if the Iranian regime forces "start killing people," the US will "hit them really hard."
When asked what point the US would intervene, given that over 30 protestors have been killed so far, Trump claimed that many protestors have been "killed by problems with crowd control" and that he "isn't sure [he] can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that."
Crowds of protesters fill the streets across Iran
Videos shared on social media showed crowds of protesters gathering in cities across Iran, chanting anti-regime slogans.
One such video, shared by an opposition-affiliated outlet, IranWire, showed a large crowd walking down Kashani Boulevard in Tehran.
Thousands of protestors filled the streets of Tehran, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Tabriz, and numerous other cities, with crowds walking between cars stopped on the road.
Unverified videos circulated by opposition outlets show protestors setting fire to a municipal building in Gorgan, a city to the northeast of Tehran.
In Shadabad, Tehran, videos emerged of protesters lighting fires, chanting "Long live the Shah."
On Wednesday, Pahlavi reiterated his call for nationwide protests across Iran, urging demonstrators to maintain their presence in the streets and warning that the regime may attempt to cut Internet access to stifle unrest.
In a message posted on social media, Pahlavi said that public participation across Iran earlier in the day had been “unprecedented,” describing it as a signal of readiness for the next phase of protests planned for Thursday evening.
“My fellow countrymen, today, Wednesday, January 7, your presence across Iran was unprecedented,” Pahlavi wrote. “And this constitutes a declaration of readiness for tomorrow’s plan.”
The prince referred to his earlier call for coordinated chanting and demonstrations at 8 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, with additional protests planned for 24 hours later, adding that reports indicated the Islamic Republic was “deeply frightened” and considering another nationwide Internet shutdown.
“Know that our communication will not be severed,” Pahlavi said, pointing to alternative channels including satellite internet access and Iran-based Persian-language television networks operating from abroad.
Regime shutting Internet signal start of harsher crackdowns
Pahlavi warned that any attempt by the regime to cut off Internet access would only further energize the protest movement.
“If the regime commits such a mistake and cuts the Internet, that itself will be another call to continue your presence and to take over the streets,” he wrote. “In this way, you will drive yet another nail into the coffin of this regime.”
Internet shutdowns by the regime often signal the beginning of harsher crackdowns in Iranian protests. The Islamic Republic previously imposed near-total Internet shutdowns during periods of unrest, including during the November 2019 protests and the 2022 demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Pahlavi concluded his message with a note of confidence in the protest movement’s momentum, declaring: “You will be victorious. Long live Iran.”
The statement followed Pahlavi’s first direct call on Wednesday for coordinated protests, in which he urged Iranians to gather in large, disciplined numbers and appealed to members of Iran’s security forces to refrain from firing on demonstrators and instead “return to the embrace of the nation.”
At least 36 people have been killed since the protests began on December 28, including two members of the security forces, with demonstrations in scores of cities nationwide. More than 2,000 people have been arrested, according to reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned domestic suppliers against hoarding or overpricing goods, state media reported earlier on Thursday.
"People should not feel any shortage in terms of goods' supply and distribution," he said, calling upon his government to ensure an adequate supply of goods and the monitoring of prices across the country.
The Associated Press reported that attempts to call Iranian landlines and mobile phones from Dubai failed to connect, indicating that the regime may have suspended telephone service as well.
Footage seen by The Jerusalem Post and verified by BBC's Farsi channel appears to show that protesters set fire to an Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) office in Isfahan during the protests.
London-based anti-regime outlet Iran International reported that IRIB's Mashhad office was a focal point for protesters.
Anti-regime social media news and activist accounts shared footage that appears to show thousands marching through the streets in Mashhad, blocking a major boulevard in the northeastern city. Mashhad is notable as the birthplace of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as being the second-largest city in the country, after Tehran.
Footage from Tehran appeared to show vehicles overturned and burned during the protests.
Two Iranian regime officers were killed during protests in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported, citing Iranian state media.
Israel's Foreign Ministry's Farsi social media account has sent out various messages of support to the protesters, including sharing information on the internet outages.
"Qom, Mashhad, Tehran, Dezful. All of Iran is under the feet of the people of Iran," the ministry wrote on X/Twitter.
"The Islamic Republic has cut off people's internet. Why?" the ministry accused.
Iran's economy is facing high inflation and other challenges, partly due to US sanctions, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, underscoring Washington's concerns about Tehran cracking down violently on anti-regime protests.
"The Iranian economy is on the ropes," Bessent told the Economic Club of Minnesota, underscoring President Donald Trump's warning to Tehran to avoid harming protesters.
"It's a very precarious moment. He does not want them to harm more of the protesters. This is a tense moment," he added, referring to US President Donald Trump's threat on Sunday to hit Tehran if it began killing protesters.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch denounce regime's violent clampdown on protesters
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch denounced the Islamic Republic's regime's violent clampdown on protesters in a joint statement on Thursday evening.
The rights organizations found that protesters have been "largely peaceful," but have been "gravely injured" by IRGC and police (FARAJA) clampdowns, and faced "mass arbitrary arrests," since the protests began on December 28.
"Iranian authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown on protesters across the country since 28 December 2025, marked by security forces’ unlawful use of force and firearms and mass arbitrary arrests," the statement opened.
"People in Iran daring to express their anger at decades of repression and demand fundamental change are once again being met with a deadly pattern of security forces unlawfully firing at, chasing, arresting and beating protesters, in scenes reminiscent of the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022," Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, added.
"The frequency and persistence with which the Iranian security forces have unlawfully used force, including lethal force, against protesters, combined with systematic impunity for members of security force who commit grave violations, indicate that the use of such weapons to crush protests remains entrenched as state policy," Michael Page, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, said.
Pahlavi thanks 'leader of free world' Trump for support during protests, calls on European leaders to follow suit
Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi thanked Trump, who he called "the leader of the free world," for "reiterating his promise to hold the regime to account."
"It is time for others, including European leaders, to follow his lead, break their silence, and act more decisively in support of the people of Iran," Pahlavi affirmed.
"I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen. Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced," referring to the nationwide suppression of internet access by the regime in an attempt to clamp down on protest activity and the spreading of anti-government footage.
Pahlavi warns regime: 'Trump, world watching you closely'
Pahlavi's praise for Trump was referring to a statement made earlier on Thursday, issuing a warning to the Islamic regime. In this statement, Pahlavi warned the regime that "the world and Trump are closely watching you."
"Suppression of the people will not go unanswered," Pahlavi added.
During an interview on the Hugh Hewitt show on Thursday, Trump said that if the Iranian regime forces "start killing people," the US will "hit them really hard."
When asked what point the US would intervene, given that over 30 protestors have been killed so far, Trump claimed that many protestors have been "killed by problems with crowd control" and that he "isn't sure [he] can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that."
Crowds of protesters fill the streets across Iran
Videos shared on social media showed crowds of protesters gathering in cities across Iran, chanting anti-regime slogans.
One such video, shared by an opposition-affiliated outlet, IranWire, showed a large crowd walking down Kashani Boulevard in Tehran.
Thousands of protestors filled the streets of Tehran, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Tabriz, and numerous other cities, with crowds walking between cars stopped on the road.
Unverified videos circulated by opposition outlets show protestors setting fire to a municipal building in Gorgan, a city to the northeast of Tehran.
In Shadabad, Tehran, videos emerged of protesters lighting fires, chanting "Long live the Shah."
On Wednesday, Pahlavi reiterated his call for nationwide protests across Iran, urging demonstrators to maintain their presence in the streets and warning that the regime may attempt to cut Internet access to stifle unrest.
In a message posted on social media, Pahlavi said that public participation across Iran earlier in the day had been “unprecedented,” describing it as a signal of readiness for the next phase of protests planned for Thursday evening.
“My fellow countrymen, today, Wednesday, January 7, your presence across Iran was unprecedented,” Pahlavi wrote. “And this constitutes a declaration of readiness for tomorrow’s plan.”
The prince referred to his earlier call for coordinated chanting and demonstrations at 8 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, with additional protests planned for 24 hours later, adding that reports indicated the Islamic Republic was “deeply frightened” and considering another nationwide Internet shutdown.
“Know that our communication will not be severed,” Pahlavi said, pointing to alternative channels including satellite internet access and Iran-based Persian-language television networks operating from abroad.
Regime shutting Internet signal start of harsher crackdowns
Pahlavi warned that any attempt by the regime to cut off Internet access would only further energize the protest movement.
“If the regime commits such a mistake and cuts the Internet, that itself will be another call to continue your presence and to take over the streets,” he wrote. “In this way, you will drive yet another nail into the coffin of this regime.”
Internet shutdowns by the regime often signal the beginning of harsher crackdowns in Iranian protests. The Islamic Republic previously imposed near-total Internet shutdowns during periods of unrest, including during the November 2019 protests and the 2022 demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Pahlavi concluded his message with a note of confidence in the protest movement’s momentum, declaring: “You will be victorious. Long live Iran.”
The statement followed Pahlavi’s first direct call on Wednesday for coordinated protests, in which he urged Iranians to gather in large, disciplined numbers and appealed to members of Iran’s security forces to refrain from firing on demonstrators and instead “return to the embrace of the nation.”
At least 36 people have been killed since the protests began on December 28, including two members of the security forces, with demonstrations in scores of cities nationwide. More than 2,000 people have been arrested, according to reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned domestic suppliers against hoarding or overpricing goods, state media reported earlier on Thursday.
"People should not feel any shortage in terms of goods' supply and distribution," he said, calling upon his government to ensure an adequate supply of goods and the monitoring of prices across the country.
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
10 Jan 2026, 8:45 am
Violent crackdown in Iran as Trump warns regime 'we'll start shooting' if more protesters are killed
Quote:
Protesters ignored threats of severe punishment from Iran’s leaders and warnings from rights groups about undocumented killings as they poured out onto the streets of cities across the country late Friday.
The fresh protests came as President Donald Trump again warned the Islamic regime that he would intervene if demonstrators were killed. “I tell the Iranian leaders — you better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting, too,” he said at a meeting with oil executives.
The demonstrations, which started almost two weeks ago with economic grievances as the currency crashed and inflation soared last week, have now morphed into one of the biggest challenges the Islamic Republic has faced in its 47-year history, with thousands of people hitting the streets in large and small cities across the country to demand the ouster of the ruling clergy.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the country, drew a hard line in a fiery speech on Friday and said that the Islamic Republic would not back down in the face of internal protests or external pressure, a position that will likely drive the security forces to lash out even more violently against demonstrators, analysts say.
“Right now, we are very concerned that after the internet shutdown the brutality will increase,” Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, told NBC News in a telephone interview.
The organization noted at least 51 people killed, including eight children, spread out across 11 provinces across the country during the two weeks of protests in a report issued on Friday.
Amnesty International issued an equally stark warning Friday in a post on X.
“The Iranian authorities have once again deliberately blocked internet access inside Iran to hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush nationwide protests,” the group said.
Videos that trickled out on Friday and were geolocated by NBC News showed huge crowds in Mashhad and Tehran chanting slogans against Khamenei.
One X post showing protestors in the Saadat Abad neighborhood of Tehran notes that the video clip was sent via Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, which could be one way that protestors are bypassing the internet blackout. Starlink terminals are known to have been smuggled into Iran during the last large round of protests in 2022 and 2023.
The videos that were posted on social media since Thursday also indicate that security forces likely unleashed a fierce and bloody crackdown across the country and that some protestors attacked government buildings.
Amiry-Moghaddam said that his organization had heard of the “massive use of violence” in the city of Karaj west of Tehran.
One video posted online which notes that it is from Fardis, a city between Karaj and Tehran, and circulated on Friday shows several bodies splayed across a blood-streaked floor as the man filming says, “They shot with war bullets and killed the people!”
NBC News did not independently verify the content of the video.
A separate video geolocated by NBC News shows the municipality building in the city of Karaj in flames.
Violence also broke out in the city of Zahedan in southeast Iran after Friday prayers. Security forces opened fire on crowds of protestors, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a Norwegian-registered Kurdish watchdog group that monitors rights violations across Iran.
Zahedan, home to a large community of Iran's ethnic Baluch minority, was also a hotbed of protests in 2022 and several protestors were shot by security forces after Friday prayers in what came to be known as “bloody Friday.”
The violence in Iran comes as Trump again issued a warning to the country’s leaders on Friday not to kill protestors.
“I’ve made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” he said at a meeting with oil executives which was attended by journalists. “We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”
Trump later added, “I tell the Iranian leaders — you better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting, too.”
“The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X late Friday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a joint statement on Friday urging Iranian authorities to “exercise restraint.”
“We are deeply concerned about reports of violence by Iranian security forces, and strongly condemn the killing of protestors,” the statement said. “The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect their own population and must allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal.”
As the Iranian government ramps up violence, it is unlikely that the protests will stop anytime soon, analysts say.
“In every round of protests over the past decade, the initial trigger is subsumed into wider discontent against the system writ large,” Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said in a text message response to questions. “That’s one of the key challenges facing the state: It can repress the discontent, but fails to address the underlying political, social and economic grievances.”
The fresh protests came as President Donald Trump again warned the Islamic regime that he would intervene if demonstrators were killed. “I tell the Iranian leaders — you better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting, too,” he said at a meeting with oil executives.
The demonstrations, which started almost two weeks ago with economic grievances as the currency crashed and inflation soared last week, have now morphed into one of the biggest challenges the Islamic Republic has faced in its 47-year history, with thousands of people hitting the streets in large and small cities across the country to demand the ouster of the ruling clergy.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the country, drew a hard line in a fiery speech on Friday and said that the Islamic Republic would not back down in the face of internal protests or external pressure, a position that will likely drive the security forces to lash out even more violently against demonstrators, analysts say.
“Right now, we are very concerned that after the internet shutdown the brutality will increase,” Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, told NBC News in a telephone interview.
The organization noted at least 51 people killed, including eight children, spread out across 11 provinces across the country during the two weeks of protests in a report issued on Friday.
Amnesty International issued an equally stark warning Friday in a post on X.
“The Iranian authorities have once again deliberately blocked internet access inside Iran to hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush nationwide protests,” the group said.
Videos that trickled out on Friday and were geolocated by NBC News showed huge crowds in Mashhad and Tehran chanting slogans against Khamenei.
One X post showing protestors in the Saadat Abad neighborhood of Tehran notes that the video clip was sent via Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, which could be one way that protestors are bypassing the internet blackout. Starlink terminals are known to have been smuggled into Iran during the last large round of protests in 2022 and 2023.
The videos that were posted on social media since Thursday also indicate that security forces likely unleashed a fierce and bloody crackdown across the country and that some protestors attacked government buildings.
Amiry-Moghaddam said that his organization had heard of the “massive use of violence” in the city of Karaj west of Tehran.
One video posted online which notes that it is from Fardis, a city between Karaj and Tehran, and circulated on Friday shows several bodies splayed across a blood-streaked floor as the man filming says, “They shot with war bullets and killed the people!”
NBC News did not independently verify the content of the video.
A separate video geolocated by NBC News shows the municipality building in the city of Karaj in flames.
Violence also broke out in the city of Zahedan in southeast Iran after Friday prayers. Security forces opened fire on crowds of protestors, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a Norwegian-registered Kurdish watchdog group that monitors rights violations across Iran.
Zahedan, home to a large community of Iran's ethnic Baluch minority, was also a hotbed of protests in 2022 and several protestors were shot by security forces after Friday prayers in what came to be known as “bloody Friday.”
The violence in Iran comes as Trump again issued a warning to the country’s leaders on Friday not to kill protestors.
“I’ve made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” he said at a meeting with oil executives which was attended by journalists. “We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”
Trump later added, “I tell the Iranian leaders — you better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting, too.”
“The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X late Friday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a joint statement on Friday urging Iranian authorities to “exercise restraint.”
“We are deeply concerned about reports of violence by Iranian security forces, and strongly condemn the killing of protestors,” the statement said. “The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect their own population and must allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal.”
As the Iranian government ramps up violence, it is unlikely that the protests will stop anytime soon, analysts say.
“In every round of protests over the past decade, the initial trigger is subsumed into wider discontent against the system writ large,” Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said in a text message response to questions. “That’s one of the key challenges facing the state: It can repress the discontent, but fails to address the underlying political, social and economic grievances.”
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
The_Face_of_Boo
Veteran
Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Age: 43
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 33,664
Location: Beirut, Lebanon.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
11 Jan 2026, 2:00 pm
Trump weighs options on Iran as protest crackdown reportedly kills more than 500
Quote:
President Donald Trump has been weighing a range of options against Iran amid the country’s crackdown on protesters that human rights groups say has killed more than 500 people.
According to three U.S. officials, Trump has said publicly that he may take action if Iranian leaders killed protesters challenging Iran’s theocracy, as demonstrations entered their second week despite an increasingly aggressive crackdown. No final decision has been made, the officials said.
The president has been presented with preliminary plans, the officials said, ranging from possible strikes to other options that would not entail military action.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Sunday that at least 538 people have been killed. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights also cited unverified reports that several hundred people may have been killed.
An internet blackout in Iran has made it difficult for journalists and human rights groups to independently verify reports from inside the country.
Iran warned Trump on Sunday that Israeli and U.S. military bases in the region could be considered “legitimate targets” if a strike goes ahead.
“If the United States launches a military attack, both the occupied territory and U.S. military and maritime centers will be our legitimate targets,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Sunday in remarks aired on Iranian state television, referring to Israel as the occupied territory.
“Within the framework of legitimate defense, we do not limit ourselves to reacting after an attack,” he added.
Trump earlier this week threatened military intervention if Iran moves to crush the protests. Addressing its leaders on Friday, he said: “You better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting, too.” He offered further support for the protesters on Saturday, saying in a post on Truth Social: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!! !”
“Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it,” the State Department said separately.
The Israeli military said Sunday that it is monitoring developments in Iran and will be able to “respond with power if need be.”
The demonstrations, which were sparked by economic grievances two weeks ago as the currency crashed and inflation soared, have now morphed into one of the biggest challenges the Islamic Republic has faced in its 47-year history, as thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand the ouster of the ruling clergy.
In an address on Iranian state TV on Sunday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to sow chaos and disorder in Iran, urging people to distance themselves from “rioters and terrorists.”
Gen. Ahmad-Reza Radan, the commander in chief of Iran’s police force, said on Sunday that an “enhanced” response to the protests was now in place, according to Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency. He said a number of arrests had taken place on Saturday.
The Iranian government has not released data on how many protesters have been detained, but the Human Rights Activists News Agency reports at least 10,675 people have been arrested during the protests, which have spanned 574 locations in 185 cities around the country.
Iran’s Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said Saturday that protesters would be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge in Iran, in remarks reported by Iranian media. The country's chief justice said Sunday that there would be "no leniency" towards those involved in the unrest and that judges have been designated to deal with cases across the country, according to state media.
Internet blackouts in Iran continued into Sunday, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group. Amnesty International has called the blackouts an attempt by authorities “to hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush nationwide protests.”
Security forces sent text messages to people suspected of attending “illegal gatherings,” Iranian state media said Saturday, warning them they have been identified as participants using location data and that covering their faces with masks won’t help avoid detection.
The internet blackout has made it difficult for international media to gauge the extent of the protests, but footage verified by NBC News showed hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered at Kaj Square in Tehran, clapping and shouting the name of their country.
Another verified video showed hundreds of protesters gathered in Tehran’s Ponak Square, chanting, playing music and waving their phone flashlights in the air. Other footage showed scores had also gathered in the city’s Heravi Square, singing and clapping their hands as they marched through the streets.
It is unclear if the videos were taken on Friday or Saturday night. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard-aligned media claimed that Saturday was a “calm” night across the country, with security forces having “put the rioters back in their place.”
Solidarity protests took place in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom as many Iranians living in Europe offered their support of their compatriots inside Iran.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, continued to encourage the protesters on Sunday after earlier calling for them to prepare to seize city centers across Iran.
Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S. and has emerged as a figurehead for some of the protesters, touted Trump’s support in a post on X Sunday and promised to be with the protesters “soon
According to three U.S. officials, Trump has said publicly that he may take action if Iranian leaders killed protesters challenging Iran’s theocracy, as demonstrations entered their second week despite an increasingly aggressive crackdown. No final decision has been made, the officials said.
The president has been presented with preliminary plans, the officials said, ranging from possible strikes to other options that would not entail military action.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said Sunday that at least 538 people have been killed. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights also cited unverified reports that several hundred people may have been killed.
An internet blackout in Iran has made it difficult for journalists and human rights groups to independently verify reports from inside the country.
Iran warned Trump on Sunday that Israeli and U.S. military bases in the region could be considered “legitimate targets” if a strike goes ahead.
“If the United States launches a military attack, both the occupied territory and U.S. military and maritime centers will be our legitimate targets,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Sunday in remarks aired on Iranian state television, referring to Israel as the occupied territory.
“Within the framework of legitimate defense, we do not limit ourselves to reacting after an attack,” he added.
Trump earlier this week threatened military intervention if Iran moves to crush the protests. Addressing its leaders on Friday, he said: “You better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting, too.” He offered further support for the protesters on Saturday, saying in a post on Truth Social: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!! !”
“Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it,” the State Department said separately.
The Israeli military said Sunday that it is monitoring developments in Iran and will be able to “respond with power if need be.”
The demonstrations, which were sparked by economic grievances two weeks ago as the currency crashed and inflation soared, have now morphed into one of the biggest challenges the Islamic Republic has faced in its 47-year history, as thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand the ouster of the ruling clergy.
In an address on Iranian state TV on Sunday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to sow chaos and disorder in Iran, urging people to distance themselves from “rioters and terrorists.”
Gen. Ahmad-Reza Radan, the commander in chief of Iran’s police force, said on Sunday that an “enhanced” response to the protests was now in place, according to Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency. He said a number of arrests had taken place on Saturday.
The Iranian government has not released data on how many protesters have been detained, but the Human Rights Activists News Agency reports at least 10,675 people have been arrested during the protests, which have spanned 574 locations in 185 cities around the country.
Iran’s Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said Saturday that protesters would be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge in Iran, in remarks reported by Iranian media. The country's chief justice said Sunday that there would be "no leniency" towards those involved in the unrest and that judges have been designated to deal with cases across the country, according to state media.
Internet blackouts in Iran continued into Sunday, according to NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group. Amnesty International has called the blackouts an attempt by authorities “to hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush nationwide protests.”
Security forces sent text messages to people suspected of attending “illegal gatherings,” Iranian state media said Saturday, warning them they have been identified as participants using location data and that covering their faces with masks won’t help avoid detection.
The internet blackout has made it difficult for international media to gauge the extent of the protests, but footage verified by NBC News showed hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered at Kaj Square in Tehran, clapping and shouting the name of their country.
Another verified video showed hundreds of protesters gathered in Tehran’s Ponak Square, chanting, playing music and waving their phone flashlights in the air. Other footage showed scores had also gathered in the city’s Heravi Square, singing and clapping their hands as they marched through the streets.
It is unclear if the videos were taken on Friday or Saturday night. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard-aligned media claimed that Saturday was a “calm” night across the country, with security forces having “put the rioters back in their place.”
Solidarity protests took place in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom as many Iranians living in Europe offered their support of their compatriots inside Iran.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, continued to encourage the protesters on Sunday after earlier calling for them to prepare to seize city centers across Iran.
Pahlavi, who lives in the U.S. and has emerged as a figurehead for some of the protesters, touted Trump’s support in a post on X Sunday and promised to be with the protesters “soon
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
The_Face_of_Boo
Veteran
Joined: 16 Jun 2010
Age: 43
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 33,664
Location: Beirut, Lebanon.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
11 Jan 2026, 11:00 pm
Trump 'seriously inclined' to help Iranian protesters, sources tell 'Post'
Quote:
US President Donald Trump is expected to assist Iranians who are protesting nationwide against the Islamic Republic regime, several sources familiar with the details of the discussions held in recent days told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
“Trump has essentially decided to help the protesters in Iran. What he has not yet decided is the ‘how’ and the ‘when,’” they said.
On Saturday, Trump wrote on X/Twitter that Iran wants freedom, and that the US is ready to help.
In recent days, discussions have been taking place in Washington regarding assisting protesters, with several options on the table.
“The spectrum ranges from a military option, namely strikes against regime targets, to cyber support against the regime, to providing Starlink systems to help protesters,” one source told the Post
“While the Trump administration does not believe that the Iranian regime is collapsing, it definitely sees problems and cracks that did not exist a week ago,” the source added.
Washington intensified efforts following images emerging from Iranian protests over the weekend. Until that point, the Trump administration did not believe the protests had crossed a certain threshold that would cause the regime to panic.
However, the Internet shutdown, the large number of protesters, and the harsh repression measures, which have reportedly led to at least 2,000 deaths, prompted senior administration officials to seriously consider helping the protesters.
Israel takes decision to not intervene publicly in Iran protests
Also on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a small group of ministers and senior security officials to discuss the situation in Iran, among other issues.
Israel has made several decisions at this stage, namely not to intervene publicly in Iran, to allow the US to lead any assistance measures for protesters, and to prepare for the possibility that Iran may decide to launch ballistic missiles at Israel to divert attention from the protests.
“Israel is closely monitoring what is happening in Iran. The protesters for freedom have spread across the country. The people of Israel, and the entire world, are in awe of the tremendous courage of Iran’s citizens,” Netanyahu said at the meeting.
“Israel supports their struggle for freedom and strongly condemns the mass slaughter of innocent civilians. We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be freed from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again become loyal partners in building a future of prosperity and peace for both peoples,” he added.
Netanyahu also spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the weekend.
“Trump has essentially decided to help the protesters in Iran. What he has not yet decided is the ‘how’ and the ‘when,’” they said.
On Saturday, Trump wrote on X/Twitter that Iran wants freedom, and that the US is ready to help.
In recent days, discussions have been taking place in Washington regarding assisting protesters, with several options on the table.
“The spectrum ranges from a military option, namely strikes against regime targets, to cyber support against the regime, to providing Starlink systems to help protesters,” one source told the Post
“While the Trump administration does not believe that the Iranian regime is collapsing, it definitely sees problems and cracks that did not exist a week ago,” the source added.
Washington intensified efforts following images emerging from Iranian protests over the weekend. Until that point, the Trump administration did not believe the protests had crossed a certain threshold that would cause the regime to panic.
However, the Internet shutdown, the large number of protesters, and the harsh repression measures, which have reportedly led to at least 2,000 deaths, prompted senior administration officials to seriously consider helping the protesters.
Israel takes decision to not intervene publicly in Iran protests
Also on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a small group of ministers and senior security officials to discuss the situation in Iran, among other issues.
Israel has made several decisions at this stage, namely not to intervene publicly in Iran, to allow the US to lead any assistance measures for protesters, and to prepare for the possibility that Iran may decide to launch ballistic missiles at Israel to divert attention from the protests.
“Israel is closely monitoring what is happening in Iran. The protesters for freedom have spread across the country. The people of Israel, and the entire world, are in awe of the tremendous courage of Iran’s citizens,” Netanyahu said at the meeting.
“Israel supports their struggle for freedom and strongly condemns the mass slaughter of innocent civilians. We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be freed from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again become loyal partners in building a future of prosperity and peace for both peoples,” he added.
Netanyahu also spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the weekend.
U-Haul truck drives through Iran protest crowd in Los Angeles, one person struck and driver detained
Quote:
One person was struck after a U-Haul truck drove through a crowd during a Los Angeles protest in support of anti-regime demonstrators in Iran, with the driver taken into custody, authorities said.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday along Veteran Avenue near the Federal Building in the Westwood neighborhood, according to the the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
"At approximately 1530 hours, the driver of a U-Haul truck collided with individuals marching along Veteran Avenue in the area of the Federal Building," LAPD said in a statement.
Police said the adult male driver has been detained pending further investigation.
One person was struck after a U-Haul truck drove through a crowd during a Los Angeles protest in support of anti-regime demonstrators in Iran, with the driver taken into custody, authorities said.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday along Veteran Avenue near the Federal Building in the Westwood neighborhood, according to the the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
"At approximately 1530 hours, the driver of a U-Haul truck collided with individuals marching along Veteran Avenue in the area of the Federal Building," LAPD said in a statement.
Police said the adult male driver has been detained pending further investigation.
A banner displayed on the side of the truck read, in all capital letters, "NO SHAH. NO REGIME. USA: DON’T REPEAT 1953. NO MULLAH," along with another banner written in a foreign language.
Additional video appeared to show the driver being punched as several people tried to pull him from the large truck. The vehicle’s windows were also smashed, according to NBC4 Los Angeles.
Law enforcement has not yet released the driver's identity.
Solidarity protests with Iranian demonstrators have also emerged in major European cities, including Paris and Berlin. A protest also took place outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday along Veteran Avenue near the Federal Building in the Westwood neighborhood, according to the the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
"At approximately 1530 hours, the driver of a U-Haul truck collided with individuals marching along Veteran Avenue in the area of the Federal Building," LAPD said in a statement.
Police said the adult male driver has been detained pending further investigation.
One person was struck after a U-Haul truck drove through a crowd during a Los Angeles protest in support of anti-regime demonstrators in Iran, with the driver taken into custody, authorities said.
The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday along Veteran Avenue near the Federal Building in the Westwood neighborhood, according to the the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
"At approximately 1530 hours, the driver of a U-Haul truck collided with individuals marching along Veteran Avenue in the area of the Federal Building," LAPD said in a statement.
Police said the adult male driver has been detained pending further investigation.
A banner displayed on the side of the truck read, in all capital letters, "NO SHAH. NO REGIME. USA: DON’T REPEAT 1953. NO MULLAH," along with another banner written in a foreign language.
Additional video appeared to show the driver being punched as several people tried to pull him from the large truck. The vehicle’s windows were also smashed, according to NBC4 Los Angeles.
Law enforcement has not yet released the driver's identity.
Solidarity protests with Iranian demonstrators have also emerged in major European cities, including Paris and Berlin. A protest also took place outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 68
Gender: Male
Posts: 39,637
Location: Long Island, New York
12 Jan 2026, 10:11 am
Trump says Iran wants to negotiate, weighs 'strong options' to respond to deadly protest crackdown
Quote:
President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate but warned he may still carry out strikes against the Islamic Republic over its violent crackdown on protests challenging the regime's rule.
Activists say hundreds of people have been killed by security forces in their bid to quash the unrest, with the country cut off from the world by an internet and phone blackout that has lasted days. The situation was now under control, Iran's foreign minister said Monday, adding that the country was "ready for war but also for dialogue."
Activists and analysts say the true scale of the crackdown was yet to become clear.
One video that circulated online Sunday was geolocated by NBC News to a forensic medical center just outside the capital, Tehran. It shows dozens of bodies in black bags spread out on the ground in the open air as people walking through the area can be heard wailing and crying.
Amid all this, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday that Iran's leaders called him and "they want to negotiate." He added that "a meeting is being set up" but that "we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting."
He said that "the military is looking" at "some very strong options." And asked about Iran's threat of retaliation, he added, "If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before."
In a brief interview with NBC News late Sunday, Trump said of a possible U.S. response in the coming days: “It could happen.”
He said he was being briefed on the hour “or less” about the evolving situation on the ground there.
According to three U.S. officials, Trump has been presented with preliminary plans ranging from possible strikes to other options that would not entail military action. No final decision has been made, the officials said.
Iranian officials have suggested that they are indeed ready to talk — while still warning against any attack.
The situation was now "under total control," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran. He blamed the U.S. and Israel for the violence, without offering evidence.
“The demonstrations turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene,” he said, according to the Qatar-owned news network Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Washington against "a miscalculation."
"Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all U.S. bases and ships will be our legitimate target," said Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard.
And there are few signs that the crackdown will ease up soon.
“We do truly believe that a massacre has taken place, and the extent and dimensions of it are yet to be known as the country comes out of the internet blockade, if it does,” Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, a New York-based advocacy group, told NBC News in a telephone interview. “They don’t seem in any rush to restore the internet.”
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Sunday that at least 572 people have been killed, 503 protesters and 69 security forces. Iranian authorities have released no official toll.
More than 10,000 people have been detained, according to group.
“I think everything is fluid. It’s very hard to imagine what will happen in the coming days," Ghaemi said.
Activists say hundreds of people have been killed by security forces in their bid to quash the unrest, with the country cut off from the world by an internet and phone blackout that has lasted days. The situation was now under control, Iran's foreign minister said Monday, adding that the country was "ready for war but also for dialogue."
Activists and analysts say the true scale of the crackdown was yet to become clear.
One video that circulated online Sunday was geolocated by NBC News to a forensic medical center just outside the capital, Tehran. It shows dozens of bodies in black bags spread out on the ground in the open air as people walking through the area can be heard wailing and crying.
Amid all this, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday that Iran's leaders called him and "they want to negotiate." He added that "a meeting is being set up" but that "we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting."
He said that "the military is looking" at "some very strong options." And asked about Iran's threat of retaliation, he added, "If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before."
In a brief interview with NBC News late Sunday, Trump said of a possible U.S. response in the coming days: “It could happen.”
He said he was being briefed on the hour “or less” about the evolving situation on the ground there.
According to three U.S. officials, Trump has been presented with preliminary plans ranging from possible strikes to other options that would not entail military action. No final decision has been made, the officials said.
Iranian officials have suggested that they are indeed ready to talk — while still warning against any attack.
The situation was now "under total control," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a briefing to foreign ambassadors in Tehran. He blamed the U.S. and Israel for the violence, without offering evidence.
“The demonstrations turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene,” he said, according to the Qatar-owned news network Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Washington against "a miscalculation."
"Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all U.S. bases and ships will be our legitimate target," said Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard.
And there are few signs that the crackdown will ease up soon.
“We do truly believe that a massacre has taken place, and the extent and dimensions of it are yet to be known as the country comes out of the internet blockade, if it does,” Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, a New York-based advocacy group, told NBC News in a telephone interview. “They don’t seem in any rush to restore the internet.”
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Sunday that at least 572 people have been killed, 503 protesters and 69 security forces. Iranian authorities have released no official toll.
More than 10,000 people have been detained, according to group.
“I think everything is fluid. It’s very hard to imagine what will happen in the coming days," Ghaemi said.
As Iran protests grow, Israel watches closely but prefers to remain on sidelines
Quote:
Israel is “closely monitoring” the fallout from widespread Iranian protests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, as US President Donald Trump’s threats to attack Iran could escalate the protests within the borders of the Islamic Republic into a regional war.
“The people of Israel, the entire world, are in awe of the tremendous heroism of the citizens of Iran,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. He condemned the killing of civilians and said he hoped to rebuild relations between Israel and Iran once the country was “freed from the yoke of tyranny.”
Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke overnight Saturday about a number of issues, including Iran, according to an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Israel has been on alert for the possibility that Tehran will launch an attack, either to focus the public on an external enemy or in response to a US strike.
But the military said there were no new guidelines for civilians to stay close to bomb shelters over concerns of a potential Iranian missile attack. Such watnings have been in the past when there were concrete threats.
The IDF said the protests in Iran are an “internal Iranian matter,” but that the military “will be equipped to respond with power if need be.”
A former Israeli intelligence official said Israel is unlikely to instigate an attack against Iran, even though it could have an easy target, as Iran’s leadership is weakened and distracted by the protests roiling the country
From an Iranian standpoint, the last thing Iran wants to see is diverting their attention toward Israel,” said Danny Citrinowicz, who once headed research on Iran in one of the Israeli military’s intelligence branches and is now a senior researcher with the Israeli defense think tank the Institute for National Security Studies.
“Their priority, first and foremost, is to retrieve calmness and stability in Iran.”
Neither side has an appetite for another war
The current situation in Iran is so uncertain that Israel is likely to wait and see what will happen next, Citrinowicz said. He added that “neither side has an appetite” to start a repeat of the 12-day war of last summer.
Trump, who has posted a number of times on social media about Iran over the weekend, has a history of following through on threats to attack. “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it,” the State Department warned on Saturday.
Citrinowicz said that an attack, either American or Israeli, could have the opposite impact on the protests, possibly even weakening the protests by fostering a sense of patriotism and uniting against a common enemy.
An internal Iranian affair
“What Israel is really concerned with is ballistic missiles, and stuff like that, not what kind of regime is going to be in Iran,” said Menahem Merhavy, an expert on Iran from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“Unless there’s something really dramatic happening with missiles, I don’t see Israel stepping into this.”
And an Iranian attack against Israel would be “a suicide note for the regime,” Merhavy said, because there will be little outcry if Israel responds strongly against the Iranian leadership, given the outrage over its hard-handed response to the protests. “There are few tears that will be shed if, say, Israel kills the minister of foreign affairs,” Merhavy said.
He noted that Israel could help on the margins, like enabling internet access to certain individuals or leaders, but said even that is doubtful.
“Israel doesn’t want to meddle with this. It’s internally an Iranian matter,” Merhavy said.
“The people of Israel, the entire world, are in awe of the tremendous heroism of the citizens of Iran,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. He condemned the killing of civilians and said he hoped to rebuild relations between Israel and Iran once the country was “freed from the yoke of tyranny.”
Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke overnight Saturday about a number of issues, including Iran, according to an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Israel has been on alert for the possibility that Tehran will launch an attack, either to focus the public on an external enemy or in response to a US strike.
But the military said there were no new guidelines for civilians to stay close to bomb shelters over concerns of a potential Iranian missile attack. Such watnings have been in the past when there were concrete threats.
The IDF said the protests in Iran are an “internal Iranian matter,” but that the military “will be equipped to respond with power if need be.”
A former Israeli intelligence official said Israel is unlikely to instigate an attack against Iran, even though it could have an easy target, as Iran’s leadership is weakened and distracted by the protests roiling the country
From an Iranian standpoint, the last thing Iran wants to see is diverting their attention toward Israel,” said Danny Citrinowicz, who once headed research on Iran in one of the Israeli military’s intelligence branches and is now a senior researcher with the Israeli defense think tank the Institute for National Security Studies.
“Their priority, first and foremost, is to retrieve calmness and stability in Iran.”
Neither side has an appetite for another war
The current situation in Iran is so uncertain that Israel is likely to wait and see what will happen next, Citrinowicz said. He added that “neither side has an appetite” to start a repeat of the 12-day war of last summer.
Trump, who has posted a number of times on social media about Iran over the weekend, has a history of following through on threats to attack. “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it,” the State Department warned on Saturday.
Citrinowicz said that an attack, either American or Israeli, could have the opposite impact on the protests, possibly even weakening the protests by fostering a sense of patriotism and uniting against a common enemy.
An internal Iranian affair
“What Israel is really concerned with is ballistic missiles, and stuff like that, not what kind of regime is going to be in Iran,” said Menahem Merhavy, an expert on Iran from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“Unless there’s something really dramatic happening with missiles, I don’t see Israel stepping into this.”
And an Iranian attack against Israel would be “a suicide note for the regime,” Merhavy said, because there will be little outcry if Israel responds strongly against the Iranian leadership, given the outrage over its hard-handed response to the protests. “There are few tears that will be shed if, say, Israel kills the minister of foreign affairs,” Merhavy said.
He noted that Israel could help on the margins, like enabling internet access to certain individuals or leaders, but said even that is doubtful.
“Israel doesn’t want to meddle with this. It’s internally an Iranian matter,” Merhavy said.
_________________
“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
14 Jan 2026, 4:53 pm
trump on the verge of launching a new Iraq war but this time to overthrow Iran's mullahs
https://www.news.com.au/world/north-ame ... baaa7128ee
If local Iranians know the US has their backs there may be a full scale civil war.
