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Protesters Push Iran to the Edge

January 13, 2026
Dhruv Arun

Nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy saw protesters flood the streets in the country's capital and its second-largest city, crossing the two-week mark as violence surrounding the demonstrations has killed over 2000 people. The protests began in late December over rising inflation and the complete collapse of the Iranian rial (to the point where one rial is now worth approximately zero dollars). As the demonstrations spread, some protesters began chanting “death to Islamic Republic,” directly challenging Iran’s theocratic system.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown difficult. Those abroad fear the information blackout will embolden hard-liners within Iran's security services to launch a bloody crackdown. The death toll in the protests has grown, while 2,600 others have been detained as of Sunday. At least 10,681 people have been arrested. Protests have taken place at 585 locations across the country, in 186 cities, spanning all 31 provinces.

Iranian state television broadcast the parliament session live as lawmakers rushed the dais during an emergency session. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, warned that the US military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America strikes the Islamic Republic. Lawmakers shouted, “Death to America!” from the chamber floor. Qalibaf praised police and Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, particularly its all-volunteer Basij, for having “stood firm” during the protests. Qalibaf said, “The people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested.” Iran escalated its threats Saturday as Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad warned that anyone taking part in protests would be considered an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty. The statement said even those who “helped rioters” would face the charge. Qalibaf said, “In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets.” He added that “We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.” It remains unclear how serious Iran is about launching a strike, particularly after seeing its air defenses destroyed during the 12-day war in June with Israel.

President Donald Trump has warned that he is willing to strike Iran to protect peaceful demonstrators and that the crackdown is "starting to cross his red line." Trump wrote on social media that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump had been briefed on military options for a strike on Iran but had not made a final decision.

The Iranian Foreign Minister said Monday that the country was prepared for war but was also ready to negotiate. Abbas Araghchi told a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran that “We are not looking for war, but we are prepared for war, even more prepared than the previous war.” He also added that “We are also ready for negotiations, but negotiations that are fair, with equal rights and mutual respect.”

On Sunday, human rights groups monitoring the uprisings reported a sharp rise in the death toll as accounts of violent repression broke through Iran’s communications blackout. The Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed the deaths of thousands of protesters and almost 50 security personnel in some of the deadliest protests against the regime in decades.