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Conflict in the Middle East

Huge anti-government protests in Tehran and other Iranian cities

139 replies

Twiglets1 · 09/01/2026 08:05

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.

Protesters can be heard in the footage calling for the overthrow of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late former shah, who had urged his supporters to take to the streets.

It was the 12th consecutive day of unrest that has been sparked by anger over the collapse of the Iranian currency and has spread to more than 100 cities and towns across all 31 of Iran's provinces, according to human rights groups.

The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) has said at least 34 protesters - five of them children - and eight security personnel have been killed, and that 2,270 other protesters have been arrested.

Norway-based monitor Iran Human Rights (IHR) has said at least 45 protesters, including eight children, have been killed by security forces.

BBC Persian has confirmed the deaths and identities of 22 people, while Iranian authorities have reported the deaths of six security personnel.

Iranian state media downplayed the scale of Thursday's unrest. In some cases, they denied protests had taken place altogether, posting videos of empty streets.

Meanwhile, internet watchdog NetBlocks said its metrics showed that Iran was "in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7y0579lp8o

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Lalgarh · 11/01/2026 11:47

I mean help from the Americans is a poisoned chalice.

Quick check of the usual Solidarity Pledgers and anti imperialist People Who Tweet (usually about Other Causes). Especially as the BBC is now covering

Owen Jones is pre emptively condemning the hated Iranian dictator, checks Reza Pahlavi

https://nitter.net/owenjonesjourno/status/2009594373865136487#m,
At which point Palestine activists and assorted left identified users accuse him of being a Zionist shill

Minority Reply actually on Iran

https://nitter.net/NshShulman/status/2010293982925058394#m

Zarah Sultana: Cuba solidarity, Gaza hunger strikers, Renew Good. Nothing on Iran yet. Maybe waiting for the SWP to come to a position

https://nitter.net/zarahsultana

Zack Polanski: leasehold. Beefing with Farage.hinger strikers. He rts the same reporter Owen Jones cited on another topic to Iran. Not Iran as yet. Waiting to think the right thing presumably.

https://nitter.net/ZackPolanski

Twiglets1 · 11/01/2026 10:35

mids2019 · 11/01/2026 07:18

https://www.iranintl.com/en

More on this site....

Scary stuff being reported on that site like the mass killings reported as security forces use live fire on Iran protesters.

Two eyewitnesses who visited Kahrizak in search of their loved ones told Iran International that they saw more than 400 bodies there.

Videos earlier sent to Iran International from Fardis, Karaj, and Alghadir Hospital in eastern Tehran showed similar scenes of dead bodies falling on the ground, pointing to an unfolding mass killing that is not confined to a limited number of cities.

The internet shutdown that started on January 8 have made it impossible to obtain a full picture of events on the ground. However, the volume and consistency of incoming accounts suggest that lethal force is being widely used to disperse protesters.

The most conservative estimates indicate that at least 2,000 people have been killed over the past 48 hours.

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Ihatetomatoes · 11/01/2026 10:29

Three hospitals overwhelmed. These brave protesters need assistance.

Ihatetomatoes · 11/01/2026 10:28

"Staff at three hospitals told the BBC they have been overwhelmed with the injured and dead, with BBC Persian verifying 70 bodies brought to one hospital in Rasht city on Friday night and a health worker reporting around 38 people dying at a Tehran hospital."

38thparallel · 11/01/2026 10:25

I have to say I was very impressed with the ease the protester climbed up the front of the Iranian Embassy and onto the balcony.

38thparallel · 11/01/2026 10:19

Thank you mids2019

HappyFace2025 · 11/01/2026 08:57

mids2019 · 11/01/2026 07:18

https://www.iranintl.com/en

More on this site....

Thanks for this @mids2019

mids2019 · 11/01/2026 07:28

https://www.timesofisrael.com/death-toll-in-iran-protest-crackdown-said-to-pass-115-trump-reportedly-considering-strike/

It does look like Trump is mulling his options.....

mids2019 · 11/01/2026 07:15

Another irony is that a lot of Iranians are frustrated with money diverted to Gaza giving the country's economy. We were given the narrative that their was universal support for Hamas amongst many in the ME but now see the true complexities of the politics of this region......maybe it's a wake up call for those that think there is only one 'bad guy' in the region (clue where Jews live) and some can reflect on their persepective. Sadly I am not expecting many woke uni students to suddenly start camps in support of the oppressed in Iran and we have to question how we got there in that front.

MsGinaLinetti · 11/01/2026 07:07

mids2019 · 11/01/2026 05:01

I think the BBC are being forced to up their game with Iran given the controversies over Gaza. It's quite ironic that no one is taking the Iranian regimes accounts seriously yet the BBC were lapping up any statements from Hamas a proxy of this despicable regime.

Indeed

Freysimo · 11/01/2026 07:00

HappyFace2025 · 09/01/2026 09:01

Strangely enough normally I'd agree with you about Twitter/X but it seemed the only place I found that was covering the ongoing situation. You are correct about the Batshit Beeb and the Guardian though.

Edited

Totally agree. The BBC especially has dragged it's feet. I used to get my news from BBC but now it's X.

mids2019 · 11/01/2026 06:53

Are there many US assets still in the region? I guess one plan would be to reduce IRG morale by striking based so they are more reluctant to police (murder) protestors. Maybe decapitation of regime leads would lead to the confusion necessary to tip the regime over the edge?

Twiglets1 · 11/01/2026 06:41

Fernsrus · 11/01/2026 06:32

Aside from whether Trump has any right to take action, it’s interesting that he was yapping about it but in reality has done nothing.

He has done nothing yet.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t about to do something. Trump’s unpredictability is the scariest thing about him so who knows what he is planning.

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Twiglets1 · 11/01/2026 06:36

Apologies- it was UNRWA not MSF who had their funding stopped by the US and other countries as a result of allegations that 12 of their staff were involved in the 7/10 massacre.

Some countries such as the UK have now resumed the funding of UNRWA but only after some of the accused staff were sacked and the organisation agreed to a raft of reforms.

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Fernsrus · 11/01/2026 06:32

Aside from whether Trump has any right to take action, it’s interesting that he was yapping about it but in reality has done nothing.

Twiglets1 · 11/01/2026 05:51

mids2019 · 11/01/2026 05:01

I think the BBC are being forced to up their game with Iran given the controversies over Gaza. It's quite ironic that no one is taking the Iranian regimes accounts seriously yet the BBC were lapping up any statements from Hamas a proxy of this despicable regime.

I find that interesting too. The BBC and others acted like Hamas were credible sources by repeating everything they said as if they could be believed.

With Iran, they don’t exactly call them liars. But it’s clear the way they present the news that the leadership is lying. They provide context such as reminding us that last time there was an internet blackout it was so protesters could be killed without it being recorded. Most media such as the BBC don’t bother providing context with the Gaza war. So they will criticise Israel requiring personal details from NGO employees for example, without mentioning in the same story that MSF had to sack staff members accused of participating in 7/10.

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mids2019 · 11/01/2026 05:01

I think the BBC are being forced to up their game with Iran given the controversies over Gaza. It's quite ironic that no one is taking the Iranian regimes accounts seriously yet the BBC were lapping up any statements from Hamas a proxy of this despicable regime.

38thparallel · 10/01/2026 14:22

@HappyFace2025
I suspect if you check for Iranian protests there'll be one outside the Embassy today. It will be interesting to see if the BBC TV News report on it as they ignored it last week.

I was wrong about the protest in front of the BBC - it was, as you say, in front of the Embassy. If I was in London I’d join them.

Twiglets1 · 10/01/2026 12:30

Lalgarh · 10/01/2026 12:25

Haha. Attitude.

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quantumbutterfly · 10/01/2026 12:25

I glean that Iran is Russia's lever through various Islamist groups (brought to you by the letter H ) and South American drug cartels. Russia, in turn is China's lever while it quietly extends influence worldwide.
Iran/Persia is the keystone of a big arch.
The Iranian protesters and their protagonists have examples of previous successful regime changes/rebrands of existing power structures,
though moderates may not make good rebels, (it seems counter intuitive). Any new regime will need to choose their friends.
I hope there are more owls than hawks.

Lalgarh · 10/01/2026 12:25

Smoking girl

https://nitter.net/BoredElonMusk/status/2009652946636886231#m

EasternStandard · 10/01/2026 12:20

Twiglets1 · 10/01/2026 12:17

There's a report in The Times but it's behind a paywall. Ynet and other sources are reporting on it:

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has prepared an emergency plan to leave the country if mounting unrest overwhelms security forces and threatens his grip on power, according to intelligence findings reported by The Times.

The plan envisions Khamenei, 86, departing Tehran alongside a small group of close relatives and senior aides — fewer than two dozen people — including his son Mojtaba, who is widely viewed as a potential successor. The move would be triggered if Iran’s military or internal security units were seen as unwilling or unable to enforce orders, the report said.

An intelligence source cited by The Times said the leadership has already mapped out escape routes and logistical arrangements should conditions deteriorate rapidly. Former Israeli intelligence officer Beni Sabti told the newspaper that Russia would likely serve as Khamenei’s destination, saying Moscow remains the only country willing and able to provide him protection.

According to the report, the contingency planning reflects lessons drawn from the collapse of Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad, a close Iranian ally who fled Damascus for Moscow in December 2024 as opposition forces closed in on the capital.

Preparations reportedly include securing access to cash, overseas properties and other assets to enable a swift departure. Khamenei controls extensive holdings through a network of foundations, including Setad, a powerful quasi-state organization. A Reuters investigation in 2013 estimated the value of assets under his control at roughly $95 billion.

www.ynetnews.com/article/hkf5hnuv11g

Geez at that power