“I saw it with my own eyes – they fired directly into lines of protesters, and people fell where they stood.”
Omid’s voice was shaking as he spoke, fearful of being traced. Breaking the wall of silence between Iran and the rest of the world takes immense courage, given the risk of reprisals by the authorities.
Omid, in his early 40s and whose name we have changed for his safety, has been protesting on the streets of a small city in southern Iran over the past few days against worsening economic hardship.
Iranians chanting “Iran! Iran! Iran!” in front of the burning Al-Rasool mosque which was used as an IRGC Basij militia base for suppressing the protests in Tehran.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 12, 2026
"Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive…." – PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP pic.twitter.com/UQ1ylPezs9
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 12, 2026
