https://sg.news.yahoo.com/everything-know-iran-protests-trump-164828698.html
Wed, 14 January 2026 at 12:48 am SGT
4 min read
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Everything you need to know about the Iran protests as Trump says 'help is on the way'
The death toll of the protests in Iran has risen to 2,000, according to activists and an Iranian official.
According to the US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), protests have been confirmed in 187 cities and towns in all 31 of Iran's provinces since the start of the unrest. It has said that more than 10,000 protesters have been arrested.
The exact nature of the protests on the ground has been largely shrouded in mystery due to a blackout on the internet and communications, which the government rolled out on January 8.
It was suspected at the time that the blackout was intended to conceal the atrocities that would follow in the subsequent days of unrest.
People gather during protest on January 8 in Tehran (Getty Images)
The protests soon became emblematic of something far more challenging – the Iranian people expressing their dissent for the regime writ large.
Demonstrators took to the streets to express their discontent, who were quickly warned by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, that “rioters should be put in their place”.
Iranian authorities quickly launched a crackdown on protesters, leading to reports that security forces are carrying out large-scale killings across the country, according to Human Rights Watch.
This number is now estimated to be at 2,000, according to an Iranian offical who spoke to Reuters, and the US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (AP)
These protests follow generations of Iranians expressing their discontent against an oppressive, autocratic regime, which saw 62,000 Iranian refugees apply for asylum in the UK between 2015-2024 alone, according to the Migration Observatory.
The country has long been on the Western geopolitical radar as a security threat, branded as part of the “Axis of Resistance” – a military and political coalition that aligns several actors across the Middle East against Western and Israeli forces.
The regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has previously withstood multiple such waves of discontent, and this latest wave marks the fifth major uprising since 2009.
Human Rights Watch explained that Iran has been able to exact a continuing regime of violence on its people because of a “prevailing climate of systemic impunity that has enabled Iranian authorities to repeatedly commit crimes under international law, including murder, torture, rape, and enforced disappearances to eliminate and punish dissent.”
A woman standing on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez, Mahsa Amini's home town in the western Iranian province of Kurdistan amid protests in 2022 (UGC/AFP via Getty Images)
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He wrote on social media platform Truth Social on January 13: "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.
"I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY".
For international intervention to succeed, it must prompt defections at the top of the Iranian pyramid. At present, Khamenei’s regime continues to hold, and Iranian officials continue to blame “terrorists” for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.
Western soft power is superfluous by virtue of the fact that Iran is already alienated on the world stage. Iran faced renewed sanctions from the UN in 2025, which the UK said it was “concerned” about the country’s potential non-adherence with.
Human rights groups have also voiced concerns that the country may deploy the death penalty against protesters, the use of which rose to 1,500 killings in 2025, according to Westminster.
US President Donald Trump has told protesters ‘help is on the way’ (PA Wire)
Vali Nasr, a Middle Eastern foreign policy expert, said: “For this sort of thing to succeed, you have to have crowds in the streets for a much longer period of time. And you have to have a breakup of the state.
Everything you need to know about the Iran protests as Trump says 'help is on the way'
Georgia BellWed, 14 January 2026 at 12:48 am SGT
4 min read
Add Yahoo on Google
Everything you need to know about the Iran protests as Trump says 'help is on the way'
The death toll of the protests in Iran has risen to 2,000, according to activists and an Iranian official.
According to the US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), protests have been confirmed in 187 cities and towns in all 31 of Iran's provinces since the start of the unrest. It has said that more than 10,000 protesters have been arrested.
The exact nature of the protests on the ground has been largely shrouded in mystery due to a blackout on the internet and communications, which the government rolled out on January 8.
It was suspected at the time that the blackout was intended to conceal the atrocities that would follow in the subsequent days of unrest.
People gather during protest on January 8 in Tehran (Getty Images)
How did the protests begin?
The protests began on December 28, 2025, as a response to Iran’s rapidly deteriorating economy and rising inflation, pertinently marked by the sharp decline in the value of the Iranian Rial.The protests soon became emblematic of something far more challenging – the Iranian people expressing their dissent for the regime writ large.
Demonstrators took to the streets to express their discontent, who were quickly warned by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, that “rioters should be put in their place”.
Iranian authorities quickly launched a crackdown on protesters, leading to reports that security forces are carrying out large-scale killings across the country, according to Human Rights Watch.
This number is now estimated to be at 2,000, according to an Iranian offical who spoke to Reuters, and the US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (AP)
Iran’s protest history
The demonstrations have quickly spread across the country, with 22 cities participating. These mark the largest protests the country has seen since 2022, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, which instigated the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests.These protests follow generations of Iranians expressing their discontent against an oppressive, autocratic regime, which saw 62,000 Iranian refugees apply for asylum in the UK between 2015-2024 alone, according to the Migration Observatory.
The country has long been on the Western geopolitical radar as a security threat, branded as part of the “Axis of Resistance” – a military and political coalition that aligns several actors across the Middle East against Western and Israeli forces.
The regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has previously withstood multiple such waves of discontent, and this latest wave marks the fifth major uprising since 2009.
Human Rights Watch explained that Iran has been able to exact a continuing regime of violence on its people because of a “prevailing climate of systemic impunity that has enabled Iranian authorities to repeatedly commit crimes under international law, including murder, torture, rape, and enforced disappearances to eliminate and punish dissent.”
A woman standing on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez, Mahsa Amini's home town in the western Iranian province of Kurdistan amid protests in 2022 (UGC/AFP via Getty Images)
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How has the international community responded to the protests?
US President Trump has threatened to use force against Iran over its lethal crackdown on protesters, a lever it pulled last year alongside Israel in response to Iran’s growing nuclear arsenal.He wrote on social media platform Truth Social on January 13: "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.
"I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY".
For international intervention to succeed, it must prompt defections at the top of the Iranian pyramid. At present, Khamenei’s regime continues to hold, and Iranian officials continue to blame “terrorists” for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.
Western soft power is superfluous by virtue of the fact that Iran is already alienated on the world stage. Iran faced renewed sanctions from the UN in 2025, which the UK said it was “concerned” about the country’s potential non-adherence with.
Human rights groups have also voiced concerns that the country may deploy the death penalty against protesters, the use of which rose to 1,500 killings in 2025, according to Westminster.
US President Donald Trump has told protesters ‘help is on the way’ (PA Wire)
So what are the prospects for the Iranian protests?
The outlook for Iran’s economy continues to look bleak, and protesters show no signs of relinquishing power.Vali Nasr, a Middle Eastern foreign policy expert, said: “For this sort of thing to succeed, you have to have crowds in the streets for a much longer period of time. And you have to have a breakup of the state.
