Anti-government protests rage across Iran into a third week as Tehran vows fierce reprisals against potential U.S. strikes. Verified footage and rights groups reveal lethal clashes persisting under a near-total internet blackout and mass arrests.
Outrage over soaring inflation has fuelled unrest in 574 sites spanning 185 cities and all 31 provinces on day 14. Activists log 116 deaths including 48 protesters and 14 security staff, though officials claim 109 personnel slain. Over 2,600 arrests have occurred since December 28 amid live fire and tear gas deployments.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemns the crowds as foreign puppets, blending economic pledges with crackdowns. Protesters face “enemy of God” charges carrying death sentences as police target leaders. A 60-hour blackout, severest since 2022, restricts access to a throttled intranet, masking violence in Mashhad and Tehran where bonfires and gunfire erupt.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf deems U.S. bases, vessels, and Israel fair game for retaliation even on threat signals, sparking “Death to America” chants.
President Donald Trump posts online, “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” following 2025 strikes on nuclear sites.
This turmoil eclipses past flares but echoes 2022s Women, Life, Freedom revolt after Mahsa Amini’s death, with 550 killed.