Iran

If Iran’s widely despised supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flees into exile in Moscow in the face of a collapsing Iranian regime as has been suggested, he will join a small circle of toppled despots living in relative comfort in the Russian capital.

That prospect gained traction this week following a report in the Times of London which, quoting intelligence sources, said the Iranian leader has prepared a backup plan to flee to the Russian capital with about 20 family and close associates if his regime continues to crumble.

This is what dissent looks like when the stakes are life and death.

In the West, we’re used to protest as performance.
In Iran, it can be a death sentence.

Do not underestimate the courage it takes for an uncovered woman, on camera, to do this. pic.twitter.com/L9YOyOYVwI

— Gerald Posner (@geraldposner) January 10, 2026

Iran protesters defy crackdown as videos show violent clashes

Protesters in Iran defied a deadly government crackdown on Saturday night, taking to the streets despite reports suggesting hundreds of people have been killed or wounded by security forces in the past three days.

Verified videos and eyewitness accounts seen by the BBC appeared to show the government was ramping up its response, as it continues an overarching internet blackout.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the western media and western Left are not covering or supporting the Iranian protests for freedom. It is anathema for them to give a helping hand to such an ‘Islamophobic’ nightmare. What is transpiring in Iran is a dreadful nightmare for the Left – because it’s oxygen, blood-supply and identity are rooted in its alliance with communism, Islam and every other adversarial totalitarian monstrous genocidal death-cult.

Government buildings burn in Iran. The end must be close now, will this demonstrate that a tyrannical Government can be removed by people power ? It’s an interesting thought isn’t it ? pic.twitter.com/aa3qBXcWt4

— Andrew Bridgen (@ABridgen) January 10, 2026

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called anti-government protesters “troublemakers” and “a bunch of vandals” just trying “to please the president of the US”.

He accused crowds of destroying buildings because Donald Trump said he “supports you”. Trump has warned Iran that if it kills protesters, the US would “hit” the country “very hard”.

The protests, in their 13th day, erupted over the economy and have grown into the largest in years – leading to calls for an end to the Islamic Republic and some urging the restoration of the monarchy.

The #Iranian people are burning down the institutions of the Islamic Republic and mosques in Iran. We not only want the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, but even the overthrow of Islam in #Iran.@FoxNews @CNN pic.twitter.com/EAROZe7gxt

— Arash Hampay (@ahampay) January 9, 2026

Huge crowds of protesters have been marching through Iran’s capital and other cities, videos show, in what is said to be the largest show of force by opponents of the clerical establishment in years.

The peaceful demonstrations in Tehran and the second city of Mashhad on Thursday evening, which were not dispersed by security forces, can be seen in footage verified by BBC Persian.

Later, a monitoring group reported a nationwide internet blackout.

I cannot wait to visit Tehran.

Persia is of our world’s greatest cultures. Iran has been almost half a century under this oppressive theocracy.

Wishing you all every success. Good luck out there.

I do not understand the lack of our coverage here. But we still hear you.

LFG. pic.twitter.com/yAkSEBYBjn

— Eric Weinstein (@EricRWeinstein) January 8, 2026

I’m not afraid. I’ve been dead for 47 years this is the voice of a woman in Iran who is fed up with the Islamic republic.
47 years ago, the Islamic Republic took our rights and turned a nation into hostages.
Today people have nothing left to lose, they rise.
Iran is rising. pic.twitter.com/GAawmynE0C

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 8, 2026

Iran’s army chief threatened military action against the United States after President Donald Trump warned the regime against using lethal force against protesters amid widespread demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets about a week ago, expressing their anger over inflation and the devaluation of their currency. But the movement quickly morphed into calls for the end of the Islamic regime.

No one doubts the enmity of Trump and Netanyahu toward the Iranian nation — Iranian Army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami

‘They dare to interfere in our internal affairs’

‘Just in the past 6–7 months, they have killed over a thousand of this nation’s children’ pic.twitter.com/IFxzVjDbEy

— RT (@RT_com) January 7, 2026

Iranian security forces are shooting at prosters in Neyriz, #Iran. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/omgzidgCut

— Kayıtbay #News (@wanderlustt_3) January 6, 2026

On December 29, protests erupted among shopkeepers in Tehran, Zanjan, and Hamadan — all clustered in Iran’s north and west. Then came Qeshm, isolated on the southern coast.

That location matters. Qeshm Island sits just 60 kilometers across the Strait of Hormuz from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That is roughly the distance from Manhattan to Philadelphia, and far shorter than most successful Mediterranean crossings from Syria to Europe.

If Iran’s current instability deepens into a full crisis, Iranians may well attempt these crossings by boat. The proximity of Iran to the UAE makes it virtually inevitable.

Since the end of Iran’s 12-day war with Israel, there has been mounting evidence that its regime has been ramping up missile production. Tehran’s perspective is straightforward: if its nuclear program has become more vulnerable, then its missile arsenal must increase as a compensatory tool of power.

It is no secret that the Iranian regime has been accelerating and expanding its ballistic missile program at an alarming pace, and has invested heavily in improving the range, accuracy, survivability, and payload capacity of its missiles. These missiles – now part of reportedly the largest missile arsenal in the Middle East – can reach not only regional targets but also the U.S. and Europe, a senior Iranian lawmaker has openly boasted.

In stark contrast to the unprincipled reactions of both Barack Obama and Old Joe Biden when the Iranian people took to the streets in previous years to protest against the bloodthirsty mullahs of the Islamic Republic, President Donald Trump didn’t hesitate to remark on the unrest in Iran on Monday, and to declare his support for the courageous Iranians who are putting their lives on the line for freedom after enduring 46 years of tyranny.

Another escalation in the protests in Iran:

The governor's offices in Ramhormoz in southern Iran (Ahvaz) were attacked and set on fire. In the evening hours, under the cover of darkness, the protesters become braver and the attacks against the regime more violent. pic.twitter.com/7ZMUnKM8CW

— Chaya’s Clan (@ChayasClan) December 31, 2025

Thousands of people have protested in Iran in recent days against the dramatic devaluation of the currency, amid an economic crisis that has engulfed the country.

What began as a strike by shopkeepers and bazaar merchants on Sunday has become an outcry of political anger, with some even chanting “Death to the dictator!” The spontaneous protests have already spread from Tehran to other cities, such as Isfahan and Mashhad.

#Breaking: A special unit of the #Iran's Islamic Regime is deployed to #Isfahan city center to brutally suppress an anti-regime protest there.

The regime is brutally suppressing protests across the country today.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/hLq5cOht6B

— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) December 31, 2025