Suddenly (but not really) Iran is confronted with a massive popular uprising that has the potential of toppling the clerical government established in the revolution of 1978-79. Today’s news reports that 2,000 protesters have been killed by regime police and tens of thousand have been injured. While this is not the first protest wave that has confronted the half-century-old government of the Ayatollahs, it is by far the most powerful. Why is this happening? Where is it going? And what do we want our government to do, or not to do, about it?
To bomb or not to bomb? As too frequently, that is one of the options being weighed in public by the Trump administration. To threaten or coerce Iran, yesterday Trump ordered a 25 percent increase on tariffs for any country doing business with Iran. US sanctions have already severely damaged Iran’s economy – and thus the livelihoods of people now protesting – and one question for Americans is whether US sanctions – and further sanctions – will assist Iranians demanding more freedom, or a different government, to achieve their goals. In a brief but persuasive video posted yesterday, commentator Peter Beinart argued “American Progressives Must Support the Protests in Iran.” He added, “That doesn’t mean supporting another lawless US military attack.” Can Americans do anything to prevent Trump from using war and violence against the Iranian government? To start thinking about this, we share here some basic information about what’s happening and why.
On a brief personal note, in 1978, one year before the Iranian Revolution, I was in West Virginia learning about a coal miners’ strike. A dinner given by union supporters coincided with the Iranian New Year, and we were entertained/enlightened by a wonderful skit about Iran and the idiocy of the Shah’s government, by Iranian students from the nearby West Virginia Tech college. Both young men and young women, boys and girls, performed spiritedly; their hearts were clearly with the Revolution, then rushing to a conclusion. I assume that many/most of them returned to Iran to join the struggle for a new society. Sadly, I am sure that many of those who did were betrayed, arrested, tortured and/or killed by the clerical regime that quickly seized control of the Revolution, events well attested in the historical literature. I have not forgotten these young would-be revolutionaries, and I look at current events in the light of a half-century of struggle of Iranians for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
A note on the reading/viewing: several of the excellent videos linked below include as a participant Trita Parsi. Over recent decades Parsi has written 3 reader-friendly books that frame my (and many other’s) understanding of the course of the Iranian Revolution. The 3rd of these books, Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy (2017) describes the (successful) process whereby the issue of Iran’s nuclear program was resolved, economic sanctions were lifted, and peace seemed to be at hand. Alas!
Best wishes,
Frank Brodhead
TWO VIDEOS POSTED TODAY
Iran at the Crossroads
From the Quincy Institute, with Trita Parsi – 60 minutes
---- The Islamic Republic is confronting the largest—and potentially most consequential—wave of protests since 2009. Nationwide uprisings have shaken the foundations of the state, igniting speculation that the regime may be approaching a breaking point—or even facing an internal coup. At the same time, regional and international tensions are escalating. Israel, backed by growing voices in Washington, has urged Donald Trump to take military action against Iran. Trump, for his part, has openly threatened strikes not only over Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs, but also in the name of “protecting the protesters.” Is the theocratic regime in Tehran nearing its end? … To answer these questions and discuss the latest developments inside Iran, QI held a conversation featuring Vali Nasr, professor at Johns Hopkins University, Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy director of the Middle East program at ECFR, and Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of Amwaj. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, moderated. [See the Program]
Trita Parsi Interviewed
By Wajahat Ali, The Left Hook [January 13, 2026] – 41 minutes – [Link]
EARLIER VIDEOS AND ESSAYS
(Video) Iran Escalates Deadly Crackdown on Mass Protests as Trump Threatens to Launch Military Attack
From Democracy Now! [January 12, 2026[
---- Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in Iran as authorities crack down on protests against inflation and the government’s handling of the economic crisis, with thousands more arrested amid a nationwide communications blackout. The protests started in late December and quickly spread across the country, marking the strongest internal challenge to the Iranian government in years. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran in support of the protesters. “Many civil and political activists in Iran have warned against any kind of foreign intervention, because it actually increases repression inside of the country,” says Narges Bajoghli, associate professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University. We also speak with Iranian dissident Hamidreza Mohammadi, brother of the imprisoned Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi. [See the Program]
(Video) How Volatile is the Situation in Iran?
From Aljazeera (“Inside Story”) [January 11, 2026]T
---- The country has been rocked by two weeks of widespread protests since the currency collapsed. Widespread unrest, killings and arrests have taken place during protests in Iran sparked by a collapse in the local currency. The leadership says that it will listen to demonstrators, but that rioters face the death penalty. As the United States warns against a crackdown, how volatile is the situation? [Presenters include Trita Parsi] [See the Program]
As Protests Engulf Iran, Israel Sees an Opportunity
By Arron Reza Merat, Jacobin Magazine [January 11, 2026]
---- Anti-establishment demonstrations across Iran escalated this weekend as reports emerged of large-scale violence by protesters and security services alike. Over half of the country’s thirty-one provinces are convulsed in protests, which first erupted on December 28 in the electronics section of Tehran’s central bazaar. … This is the sixth time the Islamic Republic has experienced significant mass uprisings in its history. Each time the fuse has been lit by a set of economic and cultural issues. The current protests are on the scale of many previous episodes. But they are unique in that they are occurring at a time when Tehran is engaged in what it describes as “total war” with the United States, Israel, and Europe. … Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei held Friday prayers in Tehran and said foreign agents had infiltrated the protests and pointed to “widespread vandalism” across Iran. The Iranian government has blamed the United States and Israel for the violence. [Read More]
(Video) Women, Life, Freedom
---- The movement called “Women, Life, Freedom” broke out is 2022 when Mahsa (Jina) Amini died in custody for allegedly violating hijab laws, sparking nationwide, multi-ethnic demonstrations against mandatory veiling and the oppressive regime, characterized by burning hijabs, significant civil disobedience, violent crackdowns, mass arrests, executions, and inspiring women globally to defiantly shed the hijab, despite the movement’s suppression through severe state violence and censorship. Iranian musician Shervin Hajipour wrote “Baraye” (“for” or “because of”), whose lyrics (here in English) were assembled from what people were saying in the streets about why they were demonstrating. The song was sung by Iranians in Iran and throughout the diaspora, here sung by people in Australia. To me, the song underscores the extent to which, even after half a century, the current uprising is driven in part by simple demands for liberty and personal freedom.
