Iran protests Update: US President Donald Trump’s threat, Reza Pahlavi’s call; 10 Key Developments

The rage against the current Islamic regime in Iran has taken a violent turn as nationwide protest continued into the second week with the capital Tehran as its center. While mosques, religious sites and various government buildings have been burning, the Iranian army on Saturday said it would protect strategic infrastructure and public property and urged the people to foil “the enemy's plots”, as the Ulama takes all measures to quell the country's biggest uprisings in three years. 

 January 9, 2026

The “enemy” in the army’s statement refers to the United States as US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran's regime on Friday, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday declared, “The United States supports the brave people of Iran.” 

January 8, 2026

The Iran Protest: Know the current situation in 10 points 

- Reza Pahlavi requests protesters to ‘prepare to seize’ major cities 

While addressing the people through a video message, the son of ousted Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, said, “Our goal is no longer just to take to the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and hold city centres.” He invoked people for more protests on the weekend, adding he was also hinting at “return to my homeland” on a day which he said was “very near”. 

-Iran's internet blackout in place  

Iranian authorities have imposed a “nationwide internet blackout” which is still in place after more than a day. “After another night of protests met with repression, metrics show the nationwide internet blackout remains in place at 36 hours,” it said in a post on X. 

 January 10, 2026

-Iran seeks UNSC intervention 

Iran has sought the United Nations Security Council’s intervention as it accused both the US and Israel of interfering in its matter. The Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khamenei blamed US for turning the “peaceful protest” into “violent, subversive acts and widespread vandalism” 

-Trump threatens Iran, warns its of ‘big trouble’ 

Donald Trump said, “Iran's in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible. We're watching the situation very carefully. I made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We will be hitting them very hard where it hurts, and that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very hard where it hurts so we don't want that to happen.” 

-France, UK, and Germany condemn ‘killings’ 

The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany condemned what they termed the “killing of protesters” in the turmoil-ridden Iran and urged the authorities to “exercise restraint.” 

-Death toll 

Over 50 protesters have been killed since the end of December last year across Iran, according to the Norway-based NGO, Iran Human Rights, on Friday. Apart from this, 14 law enforcement or security personnel and one government-affiliated civilian died. 

-Khamenei’s reaction? 

In his first comments on the protests, which intensified since January 3, Khamenei termed the protestors “vandals” and “saboteurs” on Friday. 

In a state TV broadcast, he said that Trump’s hands “are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians”, referring to Israel’s June war against the Islamic republic, in which US intervened with strikes. Calling Trump an “arrogant” leader, he claimed that he would be “overthrown” like the last Shah that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution. 

“Everyone knows the Islamic republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honourable people, it will not back down in the face of saboteurs.” 

Here’s the timeline of the protests: 

-28 December 2025: First protests erupt in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, initially over economic hardship (inflation, currency collapse, high prices).  

-Early January 2026: Protests expand from economic grievances to broader anti-government demands, drawing students, workers, and other citizens in many cities.  

-1–3 January 2026 — Protests intensify and spread nationwide, with clashes and fatalities reported in several provinces.  

-8 January 2026 — The government imposes a nationwide internet and phone blackout as unrest enters its 12th consecutive day, and calls for regime change grow.