Protests, driven by dissatisfaction at Iran's economic stagnation.

Spontaneous protests, driven by dissatisfaction at Iran's economic stagnation, began on Sunday in Tehran's largest mobile phone market, where shopkeepers shuttered their businesses, and have since drawn in students across the country.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/iran-prosecutor-pledges-decisive-response-100347705.html
"A portion of the provincial governors' office door and its glass were destroyed in an attack by a number of people," said Hamed Ostovar, the head of the judiciary in the city of Fasa, as quoted by the justice ministry's Mizan agency, without specifying how the attack was carried out.

The attack came after the country's prosecutor general said the protestor's economic concerns were legitimate, but warned action would be taken if necessary.

The rallies have since built momentum, with students at 10 universities in the capital and in other cities, including Iran's most prestigious institutions, joining in on Tuesday.

The vice-president of the University of Tehran, Mohammad Reza Taghidokt, told the Iranian Students' News Agency that four students were arrested on Tuesday and released overnight."

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/iran-protests-turn-deadly-clashes-162634790.html


Pr. Trump warns Iran after protests turn deadly across several provinces
Mostafa Salem, CNN

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/horrifying-videos-body-bags-rare-172016648.html



'It's horrifying': Videos of body bags and machine guns give rare glimpse of Iran's bloody crackdown
Babak Dehghanpisheh
Wed, January 14, 2026 at 9:20 AM PST

At least 2,500 people have been killed, according to the the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Authorities have not given an official death toll.

 

• Iranian doctors estimate - at least 15 thousand protesters killed: "genocide under the cover of digital darkness"
  
  Last updated: 18.1.2026 / 7:40
  
  
  The regime has managed to suppress the protests in a murderous manner, with the extent of the killing still difficult to gauge in light of the continued shutdown of the Internet. Officials admitted to the deaths of several thousand, but residents say of an even larger massacre: “a new level of cruelty.” President warns: Any harm to the Khamenei will lead to an all-out war
  
  Documentation from the destruction in Iran after the demonstrations / documentation on social networks under section 27 A of the Copyright Law
  
  An Iranian official said on Sunday that authorities had threatened that at least 5,000 people had been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 members of the security forces, and blamed the killing of “armed terrorists and rioters” who said killed “innocent Iranians.” However, human rights groups and local physicians estimate that the numbers are much higher, and their scope has not yet been discovered due to the prolonged Internet shutdown.
  
  The Iranian official, who sought to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters that some of the worst clashes and the highest number of fatalities were recorded in the Kurdish areas of northwestern Iran – an area where Kurdish separatists operate, and where violent outbursts were also the most difficult in waves of restlessness in the past.
  
  "The final death toll is not expected to rise sharply," the official said, adding that "Israel and armed groups outside the country" supported and armed those who took to the streets.

• An Iranian official quoted by Reuters and other major outlets has acknowledged “at least 5,000” killed, including about 500 security personnel, the highest number cited so far by any government‑linked source.
  
  
• Major international media (e.g., BBC, New York Times, DW) report several thousand deaths, often using figures from human rights groups in the 3,000–5,000+ range, while stressing that the real number is likely higher because of the blackout.
  

What human rights groups report

• HRANA (Human Rights Activists in Iran) and similar groups have confirmed a few thousand deaths (around 3,000–3,500), plus thousands of additional cases under investigation, and more than 24,000 arrests. These are conservative, verified counts.
  
  
• Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) reports at least 3,400+ protesters killed, and explicitly warns that higher estimates (in the tens of thousands) are plausible but hard to verify due to the internet shutdown.
  

• The specific estimate of about 16,500 killed and 330,000 injured is attributed to a confidential report by Iranian doctors, cited by the Sunday Times and amplified by Iran International.
  
  
• Rights NGOs describe these numbers as credible but not yet independently verifiable, because the regime controls hospitals, morgues, and communications, making external confirmation extremely difficult.
  

 

Iranian leaders blame Trump for killings. When I first read headlines such as that I thought it totally ridiculous lies. But, actually it is partially true. Trump actually encouraged the rioters with his lies.

‘He Doesn’t Care About Us’: Iranian Protesters Say They Were Betrayed By Trump
quote:
When President Donald Trump told protesters in Iran that “help is on its way,” they took heart. Their hopes rose further on Wednesday, with news that the Pentagon had ordered some non-essential personnel from its largest Middle East air base, a move seen as preparation for battle. But on Thursday, when Trump reversed course, announcing that Iran’s regime had agreed to stop killing its people in the streets, protestors felt betrayed, they told TIME.

“He's not only yellow on the outside, he's also yellow inside,” said an arts teacher in Tehran.
https://time.com/7347090/iran-protesters-trump-help/

 

I feel for Iranian people.
A chance to remove the evil regime was missed?
US continues to build military force in the area, additional carriers etc.
Allies out of concern of Iranian Misike attackes asked Pr Trump to delay.
The Pentagon has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to leave the South China Sea and head toward the Middle East, restoring a carrier presence that had recently been reduced.
Analysts note that carrier and Aegis-equipped ships are crucial for missile defense if Iran responds with ballistic or cruise missile salvos against US forces, Israel, or Gulf states.

Israeli media and international outlets report that Netanyahu and other Israeli officials urged Trump to delay a strike in part because Israel’s air and missile defenses have been heavily used in recent conflicts and interceptor stocks are a concern.

Pr. Trump has publicly threatened to hit Iran “very, very hard” if the regime continues killing protesters, but he is now emphasizing that executions were halted and saying all options remain on the table.

 

Iran is like this because of the United States. I don't know why anyone would find it hard to believe that most Venezuelans are concerned that a mentally ill white supremacist took over their country. Our mentally stable presidents have made many other countries worse off.

United States involvement in regime change - Wikipedia

 

The anti-Western sentiment was more a byproduct of revolutionary ideology than just a reaction to U.S. policy.
The regime’s current behavior, regional posture, and alliances come from its own doctrine and ambitions — not primarily from Western actions decades earlier.
Iran is like this because of the cult that took over in 1979 and ticked everybody.
Iran created a ring of terror in the Middle East, while the ring suffered severe damage, and since the current Iranian regime will fight till the last Arab.
Iran's regime is like Hamas in Gaza.
As to, The U.S. and U.K. backed the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh - it was mainly to protect Western oil interests in Iran and to prevent what they saw as a possible drift toward communist influence during the Cold War.
Mosaddegh’s government nationalized the Anglo‑Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), ending Britain’s exclusive control over Iranian oil and threatening a major source of British revenue and energy.
The British government responded with sanctions and a campaign to remove Mosaddegh, concluding that only his ouster would restore favorable access to Iranian oil.
U.S. and U.K. officials worried that Iran’s political instability and Mosaddegh’s weakening position could open the door to the pro‑Soviet Tudeh Party and increase Soviet influence on Iran’s southern flank.
Khomeini formed a broad coalition that included Soviet-backed Tudeh Party communists and other leftist groups opposed to the Shah.
These allies provided organizational muscle, protests, and anti-imperialist rhetoric that amplified the revolutionary momentum against the monarchy.
Once the Shah fled and the monarchy collapsed, Khomeini moved decisively to neutralize leftist influence.
He used the Islamic Republican Party to dominate elections, purged revolutionaries from key institutions like the military, and orchestrated the 1981-1982 crackdown on communist and leftist factions, executing or imprisoning thousands.
Iran 1979 revolution had support from Soviet Union, because they expected Communist government in Iran - Tudeh Party PM and ministers to increase Soviet influence on Iran, but Ayatollah Khomeini played the Soviets used them and then had his own regime.
Khomeini's doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) explicitly rejected secular ideologies like Marxism in favor of Shia clerical rule. He branded the Tudeh Party as agents of atheism and foreign powers, banning it outright by 1983 and solidifying a religious state that prioritized exporting Islamic revolution over Soviet-style communism.

 

Iran State TV Hacked for Several Minutes as Opposition Message From Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi Airs Nationwide
The exiled crown prince and videos of regime protesters were broadcast across multiple channels, according to international media reports
Josh Dickey
Sun, January 18, 2026
Iranian state television was hacked on Saturday, allowing opposition messages from exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi to be broadcast across the nation roiling from mass protests against the Islamic state, according to multiple international media reports.
The Times and Post also said videos of protests against the regime were shown in defiance of a harsh and widespread communications crackdown. The footage was aired across multiple channels as the hack was done via satellite, the papers noted.