The protests are escalating, US President Donald Trump is threatening and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin is coming into play as a mediator. The situation in Iran at a glance.
Jan 8, 2026, 11:54 amJan 8, 2026, 11:54 am
Nilofar Breuer / t-online
Demonstrators chant “Death to the dictator,” security forces loyal to the regime attack groups of people with tear gas and race through the streets armed on motorcycles: the most serious protests in years are raging in Iran. In autumn 2022, crowds of people demonstrated under the motto “Woman, Life, Freedom”. At that time, the death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked mass protests. Now it is the massive economic crisis that is driving people onto the streets.
The US President is threatening Iran with a hard blow.Image: keystone
The protests were triggered by a crash in the Iranian currency more than a week ago, which mobilized angry traders in Tehran. However, the demonstrations quickly turned into political protest. Sharply rising inflation and massive price increases for food and basic goods are putting strain on households. Many people simply can no longer afford food.
A key difference compared to 2022, when the protests died down again after a while: The current protest movement is broader and now includes traders, students and workers. What they all have in common is that they no longer see the regime as capable of solving the problems.
The German-Iranian journalist Gilda Sahebi, who has been reporting on Iran for 15 years, said on Deutschlandfunk: “This time it feels different.” The situation is very serious when even conservative traders who have not been doing badly so far say they can no longer survive.
Threats against Khamenei are getting louder
In the online videos verified by the AFP news agency, demonstrators could be heard shouting the slogan “Pahlavi will return” in reference to the exiled son of the Shah, Reza Pahlavi. During the Iranian Revolution of 1978-79, the Shah’s monarchy was overthrown and replaced by an Islamic republic under Khomeini. Pahlavi now uses social media and international appearances to mobilize Iran’s population against the regime.
The son of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in 1979, is calling on Iranians to overthrow him.Image: keystone
Recently, Pahlavi addressed the Iranian people with a video address: “My dear compatriots, today, Wednesday, January 7th, your presence throughout Iran was unprecedented.” He sees this as a willingness to follow his latest call. On Thursday at 8 p.m. local time, people are expected to take to the streets and protest against the regime.
Pahlavi goes on to say that the regime is reportedly “deeply frightened” and could shut down the internet again. «Rest assured that our communication will not stop. “Neither about the hundreds of thousands of Starlink devices in Iran nor about the television channels Iran International and Manoto,” the Shah’s son continued. “However, if the regime makes such a mistake and shuts down the internet, it would be another reason to continue your presence and occupy the streets. By doing so, you would deal another serious blow to this regime.”
Khamenei is already planning his escape?
Other slogans were directly directed against the spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989. The organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the US-based human rights network Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) released recordings showing dozens of demonstrators chanting the words “freedom” and “shameless”.
According to a report in the British newspaper The Times, Khamenei is said to have already prepared an escape plan modeled on former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Accordingly, the 86-year-old plans to flee to Moscow with around 20 confidants and family members in the event of a loss of control in the country or desertion from the military.
“Regime is currently more unstable than ever”
Security forces loyal to the regime are currently continuing to use violence to suppress the protests. At least 34 people have been killed since the recent protests broke out, Hrana reported. Two members of the mullahs’ security apparatus were also killed. According to the IHR organization, five minors were among those killed. According to activists, there were also more than 2,000 arrests.
Protesters in the city of Mashhad were seen confronting security forces and pushing them back during demonstrations on Wednesday, according to a video received by Iran International. pic.twitter.com/k1dLqoj4M5
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 7, 2026
From the perspective of IHR boss Mahmud Amiry-Moghaddam, “the regime is currently more unstable than ever” and “seriously fears for its survival”. Journalist Sahebi also says that the regime is weaker than ever before. One of the reasons she cites is the fall of the allied Assad regime in Syria. The terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, which have so far played a key role in keeping Tehran alive, have also been significantly weakened. “The regime’s foreign policy power has collapsed,” said the Iran expert.
This is where Donald Trump comes into play
Out of fear of the USA, the Iranian regime is now apparently hesitant to completely escalate the violence against demonstrators. The USA is monitoring the protests very closely, US President Donald Trump told journalists on Sunday during a flight to Washington. “If they start killing people, as they have done in the past, I think they will be hit very hard by the United States,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration also alleged that a Russian-flagged tanker seized by the United States was transporting oil not only from Venezuela, but also from Iran. This alleged involvement in sanctions evasion could also fuel US willingness to take action against Iran.
Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian has already called on the security forces loyal to the regime to show restraint. Peseschkian ordered no “security measures” to be taken against demonstrators, Vice President Mohammed Jafar Ghaempanah said on Wednesday in a video published by the Mehr news agency. However, the demonstrators must be distinguished from “rioters” who “carry firearms, knives and machetes and attack police stations and military installations,” Ghaempanah added.
Massoud Peseschkia, the Iranian President, calls for restraint.Image: keystone
It is still unclear what steps the USA may be considering. However, the military strike to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last Saturday showed that Trump himself does not shy away from military intervention. And the Iranian regime is apparently also aware of this, Sahebi described on Deutschlandfunk.
Airspace observers have been following suspicious flight movements of the US Army towards the east for days. According to military experts, the deployment to Europe could be preparation for a possible deployment in Iran.
Protesters in Iran have appealed to US President Donald Trump for help, according to videos sent to Iran International on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/IGPIuzAjdj
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 6, 2026
The demonstrators apparently do not reject US intervention. On the contrary: For example, there is a video circulating of a woman holding a piece of paper into the camera with the following inscription: “Trump, a symbol of peace, don’t let them kill us”, translated: “Trump, a symbol of peace, don’t let them kill us”. Another video shows a man taping the name Trump over a street sign.
A video sent to Iran International shows a man in Tehran symbolically renaming a street after Donald Trump, the president of the United States. pic.twitter.com/goJ9jc6Xzr
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 6, 2026
It would not be the first time that the USA has attacked Iran: just over six months ago, Israel waged war against Iran for twelve days and, together with the USA, bombed targets from the air, including nuclear facilities, military and civilian facilities in large parts of the country. Iran’s armed forces also fired ballistic missiles at Israel.
The point of contention: According to Israeli information, Tehran is working intensively on rebuilding its missile arsenal, which poses just as much of a threat to the Jewish state as the Iranian nuclear program.
Iran threatens Israel with a preemptive strike
Even in the midst of the current unrest, the Iranian repression leaders have already hinted at a possible preemptive strike against Israel. Any interference in internal affairs or any action against Iran’s stability will be met with a targeted response, according to a statement from the newly founded Defense Council a few months ago. One does not limit oneself to reacting “only after an action has been taken”, but instead consider “concrete signs of threats as part of the security equation”.
The state-run Iranian newspaper “Tehran Times” spoke of a possible “preventive self-defense”. Political experts have repeatedly warned of a new war in the conflict between Israel and Iran in recent months and cited possible miscalculations as a trigger – such as a missile attack by Iranian forces in order to forestall an expected wave of Israeli attacks.
Contact about aggressor Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also involved in the conflict: Because the two hostile countries have neither diplomatic relations nor direct communication channels, he is considered a “mediator”. According to media reports, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Iran through Russia that his country was not seeking military escalation with Tehran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei expressed doubts, according to a post on Platform X. “Of course the malicious enemy is a deceitful liar and we do not trust him,” it said. Recently, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards held a maneuver and tested the anti-aircraft defense and readiness of the missile units.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: “We don’t trust him.”Image: keystone
On Sunday, Netanyahu said his country “stands in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and their aspirations for freedom, independence and justice.” The Iranian regime then accused him of wanting to undermine national unity in Iran.
Iran’s army chief: “We will strike back”
Israel is determined to use every “slightest opportunity” “to sow division and undermine our national unity,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said at a press conference on Monday. The statements by the Israeli head of government and some US representatives are “nothing other than incitement to violence.”
The Iranian army chief, Amir Hatami, condemns the statements from Israel and the USA as a threat.Image: keystone
The Iranian army chief Amir Hatami described statements by Trump and Netanyahu as a “threat” and announced a response from Tehran. Iran’s Fars news agency quoted Hatami as saying: “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat and will not tolerate its continuation without response.”
Hatami warned, comparing the Twelve-Day War with Israel and the USA last June: “If the enemy makes a mistake, we will strike back more decisively.”