From Tehran’s bazaars to remote provinces, Iran boils over with protests that have killed more than 60 and jailed thousands. The uprising, ignited December 28, 2025, by economic hardship, now spans all 31 provinces and 180 cities, directly targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule.
HRANA reports 62 confirmed deaths—possibly over 65—with 2,311 detained as demonstrations hit day 13. Internet shutdowns fail to silence the crowds raging against inflation, job scarcity, and the rial’s freefall.
Official media acknowledged violence Friday, pinning it on American-Israeli terrorists sans figures. Khamenei denounced Trump as a smug killer in a national speech, alluding to his own domestic failures and a fabricated June war slaughter. Tougher crackdowns loomed, punctuated by anti-U.S. fervor on TV.
Reza Pahlavi, crown prince in exile, implored Trump for intervention on X, sparking waves of pro-monarchy chants and return demands. His lineage traces to the Shah toppled in 1979.
This maelstrom tests the Islamic Republic like never before. As arrests surge and blood flows, the world ponders if reform or revolution awaits Iran.