# Iran is roiled by anti-government protests **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 2, 2026, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267 "2026-01-02T04:54:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/21 "2026-01-02T20:14:19Z")
I realize of course that capriciousness is a hallmark of Trump’s essence, but I do wonder if his recently consistent bellicosity is scraping some who had bought into his past isolationist positions on foreign entanglements. Yes I appreciate that he has the instincts of a school yard bully, but still, I think a chunk of his base had bought into that mindset. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/22 "2026-01-03T02:39:03Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > foreign entanglements Come on now. Putting boots on the ground in Iran couldn’t possibly “entangle” the US in anything! /s ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/23 "2026-01-03T06:16:30Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > And lots of folk who say “Fuck Trump” are not actually suggesting sexual relations with him. Americans sometimes refer to embarrassment as fatal. ‘I thought I was going to die!’ ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/24 "2026-01-10T15:51:12Z")
Iran is entering what I believe is its third day without Internet or telephone lines, as the protests continue to intensify. The police is shooting protesters with live ammunition, reportedly over 200 are dead in Tehran alone. > **[Doctor Says More Than 200 Reported Dead in Tehran Protests](https://time.com/7345092/iran-protests-death-toll-regime-crackdown/)** > > "I'm not in the police to kill people," says one Iranian officer as the regime vows to continue its protest crackdown. And they still don’t have water, of course. Whyever not? Well, the _enormous_ investment they’ve made in trying to rebuild missiles and launchers and ramp up production in preparation for another go-around with Israel have apparently proven more important to Iranian leadership than water infrastructure. Could Iran’s overextension on military spending lead to the regime’s collapse as happened to the Soviet Union? That might be a bit optimistic, but we can only hope. Both Trump and Iranian leadership are doing their share of saber rattling. It makes more sense on Iran’s end than Trump’s. A war could distract the population and buy Iran’s leadership time. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/25 "2026-01-11T00:27:07Z")
> **[The Left’s Deafening Silence on Iran](https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/the-revolution-will-not-be-reported)** > > I searched five major progressive publications for coverage of Iran's uprising. Combined results: zero. I can understand why it is hard when you read something like this in today’s news: [“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.](https://www.axios.com/2026/01/10/trump-iran-protests-freedom) I’m sure the USA doesn’t stand ready to help. Then, I don’t know what help even a normal U.S. administration could give in advance of a regime change. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/26 "2026-01-11T00:32:20Z")
The current Iranian government is thoroughly rotten. There’s at least a hope, if the protestors are motivated enough, that they’ll replace that government with something better. But unfortunately, historical precedent suggests that things will probably just end up even worse. I think that realistically, the best we can expect is that the nation (under either the old regime or a new one) ends up too weakened to make life horrible for anyone outside of their borders. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/27 "2026-01-11T00:34:20Z")
Sometime you got to remind yourself that not everything in the world is about Trump. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/28 "2026-01-11T00:53:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But unfortunately, historical precedent suggests that things will probably just end up even worse. I think that realistically, the best we can expect is that the nation (under either the old regime or a new one) ends up too weakened to make life horrible for anyone outside of their borders. That’s my grim prognosis too but I have a little hope. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/29 "2026-01-11T00:56:02Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Sometime you got to remind yourself that not everything in the world is about Trump. I agree, but he does make it easy. This came out about twenty minutes ago in the New York Times [Trump Is Briefed on Options for Striking Iran as Protests Continue](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/us/politics/trump-iran-strikes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DlA.3N4X.tLeUpflilnS2&smid=url-share) > [@](#): > > Mr. Trump has not made a final decision, but the officials said he was seriously considering authorizing a strike in response to the Iranian regime’s efforts to suppress demonstrations set off by widespread economic grievances. The president has been presented with a range of options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations. . . . > > Senior U.S. officials said on Saturday that at least some of the options presented to Mr. Trump for the situation in Iran would be tied directly to elements of the country’s security services that are using violence to put down the growing protests. > > At the same time, though, U.S. officials said they had to be careful that any military strikes did not have the opposite effect — galvanizing the Iranian public to support the government — or trigger a set of retaliatory strikes that could threaten U.S. military and diplomatic personnel in the region. > > A senior U.S military official said that commanders in the region would want more time before any potential attack to consolidate U.S. military positions and prepare defenses for any possible retaliatory strikes by Iran. I cannot imagine how foreign intervention could help. I hope the Iranian regime is overthrown before the U.S. gets to it. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/30 "2026-01-11T01:05:34Z")
He just can’t help sticking his nose where it’s not needed or wanted, can he? God forbid the news talk about something other than Trump for five minutes. Are we going to abduct another head of state and “run” their country to? Wouldn’t this be violating some other dictators backyard? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/31 "2026-01-11T01:22:29Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > But unfortunately, historical precedent suggests that things will probably just end up even worse. I think that realistically, the best we can expect is that the nation (under either the old regime or a new one) ends up too weakened to make life horrible for anyone outside of their borders. > > That’s my grim prognosis too but I have a little hope. Unlike many of those other cases, Iran is a real country with a shared history of unification. That lends itself to better outcomes than countries with arbitrary borders enforced by outsiders on disparate people. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/32 "2026-01-11T02:36:46Z")
I can understand why internal internet is down (stop protest planning and communication). But it looks to me that the big Iranian-sponsored news web sites are either not updating or are, as in these cases, down not just in Iran, but globally, per [onlineornot.com](http://onlineornot.com): [https://farsnews.ir](https://farsnews.ir) [https://qodsna.ir](https://qodsna.ir) [https://sedaibartar.ir](https://sedaibartar.ir) [https://www.tehrantimes.com](https://www.tehrantimes.com) Does anyone know of a web site that tells you how long they have been out, and, ideally, how that compares to the 2019 protests? This outside opposition site, up because of that, is said to be Saudi funded, but as far as I can tell is in the ballpark of legitimacy: > **[Home | Iran International](https://www.iranintl.com/en)** > > Latest Iran News. Premier source of in-depth news, analysis, insights, and opinions on Iran by native and non-native journalists and experts. Latest News on Iran. Covers Politics, Economy, Foreign Policy, Nuclear and Military issues. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/33 "2026-01-11T02:46:32Z")
Reports I’m seeing say Starlink is down in Iran. It isn’t clear to me if this is unprecedented, but this says it is: > **[Why There’s No Starlink Access During Nationwide Shutdown in Iran](https://www.irantimes.com/news/why-there%E2%80%99s-no-starlink-access-during-nationwide-shutdown-in-iran?utm_source=chatgpt.com)** > > Even Starlink satellite connections - once seen as a last resort - have been largely ... > [@](#): > > Internet researcher Amir Rashidi told IranWire that as nationwide protests began, military-grade jamming signals were detected targeting Starlink satellites. According to him, about 30 per cent of Starlink’s uplink and downlink traffic was disrupted in the early hours, rising to more than 80 per cent by around 10 PM local time. > > Rashidi said this kind of interference - caused by military equipment known as jammers - had never been witnessed in his 20 years of research. . . . > > Based on recent estimates, the number of Starlink subscribers in Iran has reached roughly 40,000–50,000 people ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/34 "2026-01-11T18:02:59Z")
The protest movement appears unorganized and leaderless and at least from what we can tell the Iranian security state appears cohesive. In these circumstances I would be skeptical that the regime will be overthrown though they will probably have to make some concessions to public opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/35 "2026-01-11T18:19:47Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > The protest movement appears unorganized and leaderless and at least from what we can tell the Iranian security state appears cohesive. That’s what things looked like at this stage in 2011 in Egypt, and in 1989 in Romania. Then things changed. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/36 "2026-01-11T18:23:50Z")
So far, what’s changed is that the number of reported deaths has doubled to the mid 400s. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/37 "2026-01-11T18:26:50Z")
In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood was a much more organized force than anything that exists in Iran and proved important in the latter stages of the revolution. In Romania, like in other regimes in Eastern Europe, they were hugely dependent on external support from the Soviet Union and became vulnerable when that was suddenly withdrawn by Gorbachev. The Iranian regime is much more self-sufficient. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/38 "2026-01-11T18:28:57Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > The Iranian regime is much more self-sufficient. The Iranian regime is “self sufficient” in that it has relatively little to do with outsiders. But to be “self sufficient” you don’t just need to be _without help_, you also have to be _getting along fine_ without said help, and that’s the part Iran struggles with. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/39 "2026-01-11T18:33:23Z")
The security state in Iran is self-sufficient when it comes to being able to repress domestic protest movements whereas for example East European governments in 1956 and 1968 needed Soviet troops to do this. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267/40 "2026-01-11T18:40:50Z")
I also think it works to the regime’s advantage that it has had a lot of practice in suppressing protests in recent decades whereas the Ceausescu regime , for example, was famously stunned when the public turned against it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-is-roiled-by-anti-government-protests/1026267.md?page=3)