Overview
- Reports point to several thousand deaths and mass detentions during nationwide Iranian protests that have spread into bazaars across 31 provinces, with threats of executions.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested the regime may be in its final weeks, while President Donald Trump urged protesters on Truth Social as Washington debates what support to provide.
- Iran analyst Walter Posch cautioned that the state remains fully capable of acting, arguing an abrupt collapse remains unlikely despite the unrest.
- German police assigned about 230 investigators to BAO "Bohrer" to dissect roughly 10,000 hours of footage and hundreds of thousands of vault items after the Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen drill-in robbery; investigators cite a manipulated escape door, estimate four perpetrators, count about 3,100 to 3,256 boxes forced, and note only the fire alarm triggered.
- Following Berlin’s multi-day blackout that hit 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses, police deemed a left-radical claim authentic and officials including Justice Senator Felor Badenberg and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt pressed for stronger surveillance powers and infrastructure protections, with a Bundestag debate scheduled.