Overview
- Rights monitors say at least 538 people have been killed and more than 10,600 arrested since the Dec. 28 unrest over the rial’s collapse.
- Tehran has imposed a sweeping internet and phone shutdown that limits reporting and leaves only fragmentary videos to show protests in the capital and cities including Mashhad, Kerman, Rasht and Tabriz.
- Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that Israel and U.S. bases and ships would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force against Iran.
- President Donald Trump publicly backed the protesters and, according to media reports citing U.S. officials, his team is reviewing options ranging from cyber operations to potential strikes, with no decisions disclosed.
- Israeli officials say the military is on high alert as Iran hardens its rhetoric, while Iranian authorities label demonstrators as foreign-backed and threaten severe charges such as “enemy of God.”