Mass protests have erupted across Iran amid a deepening economic crisis and a collapsing currency, marking the country’s largest unrest since 2022. Demonstrations have spread to major cities, with clashes between protesters and security forces resulting in property damage and a rising number of deaths.
Iranian officials have issued increasingly sharp warnings in response to President Donald Trump’s comments expressing U.S. support for Iranian protesters. Trump said the United States would back peaceful demonstrators and warned that his administration was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if Iranian authorities opened fire on civilians or carried out violent killings.
In response, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any U.S. intervention would put American forces and bases in the region at risk. In a post shared Friday on X, Ghalibaf said that what he described as Washington’s official acknowledgment of the protests would make U.S. military assets “legitimate targets” if the United States engaged in what he called “adventurism.” He added that Iranians have historically remained unified when facing external pressure.
The protests began in late December 2025 as Iran’s economic situation sharply deteriorated. The Iranian rial has fallen to historic lows against the U.S. dollar, inflation has surged above 40%, and the cost of basic goods has risen dramatically, fueling public anger.
Initial demonstrations were led by shopkeepers, traders, and bazaar merchants who shuttered businesses in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and other commercial districts. The unrest quickly spread to cities including Isfahan, Shiraz, and Mashhad, where protests combined economic grievances with broader calls for accountability.
Security forces have used tear gas to disperse crowds in multiple locations, and Iranian authorities have acknowledged several deaths related to the unrest. In an effort to stabilize the situation, officials have announced personnel changes, including the appointment of a new central bank governor, yet the violence has continued.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Gotta laugh. Iran ran off the Shah and let the religious fanatics take charge. What makes anyone believe the protest will move the fanatics out of power or change their dated set of ideas? And hunting US soldiers? That is a death sentence for any fanatics but maybe bombing the losers to obivion to meet their makers is what is needed.
So what has really changed? They have been targeting US military personnel AND civilians for about as long as I can remember. Don’t forget the hostage crisis that carter ‘allowed’ as well as all of the blatant attacks (Beirut barracks) either directly by them or their proxies. They just might find out that things will change drastically under DJT and they will NOT like finding out.
NOTE: I’m not in favor of having to take direct action but that might be what it takes.