Explained: What to Know About the Protests in Iran

The Iranian regime is facing its most intense pressure in years as anti-government protests enter a third week, the death toll climbs into thousands, and Iranian state media has aired rare footage showing dozens of bodies at a Tehran-area morgue.

The demonstrations – reportedly across all 31 of Iran’s provinces – appear to be the largest in the Islamic Republic since the 2022–2023 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, which posed a serious challenge to the regime before subsiding after a brutal security crackdown that left roughly 500 people dead and thousands arrested. By many accounts, the most recent demonstrations have been even larger.

While the widespread anti-regime protests in Iran appear, according to news reports on Thursday, January 15, to have been reduced by the Iranian regime's violent crackdown, the future remains tragically uncertain and dangerous for the Iranian people.

AJC’s Anne Dreazen, Vice President, Center for a New Middle East, explains what is driving the protests, a potential U.S. response, and what might come next.

What Is Driving The Current Unrest In Iran?

What’s unfolding in Iran right now is not a sudden political uprising—it’s an economic breaking point that has evolved into a broader movement attacking the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic. On Sunday, President Trump said Iranian officials have reached out to negotiate, telling reporters that “the leaders of Iran called” and that “a meeting is being set up,” but he also warned that the U.S. “may have to act before a meeting” if the regime continues killing protesters, vowing to “hit them very hard where it hurts,” though “that doesn’t mean boots on the ground.” Senior U.S. officials have confirmed he has been briefed on military strike options, even as the Pentagon says no additional U.S. forces have yet been deployed to the region.

Iran’s currency, the rial, has plunged to historic lows, trading around 1.4 million to the U.S. dollar on the open market. Inflation is surging, purchasing power is collapsing, and daily life is becoming untenable for many families. Savings are evaporating. Prices for basic goods are soaring. For millions of Iranians, this moment isn’t about ideology—it’s about survival.

The decision by Bazaari merchants—one of Iran’s most influential economic and social classes—to strike underscores how deeply the crisis is being felt.

When economic collapse collides with an authoritarian system, unrest becomes increasingly likely. And when dissent is viewed as an existential threat, repression often follows.

Could the U.S. Get Involved in Iran? 

The crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of growing alarm in Israel and the United States over Iran’s efforts to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile programs following last June’s 12-day war between Israel and the Iranian regime, raising concerns that internal instability could collide with broader regional escalation.

Since the demonstrations started, President Trump has repeatedly warned Iran against killing protesters, and stated that this would be a threshold for him considering intervention.

On Sunday, President Trump said Iranian officials have reached out to negotiate, telling reporters that “the leaders of Iran called” and that “a meeting is being set up,” but he also warned that the U.S. “may have to act before a meeting” if the regime continues killing protesters, vowing to “hit them very hard where it hurts,” though “that doesn’t mean boots on the ground.” Senior U.S. officials have confirmed he has been briefed on military strike options, even as the Pentagon says no additional U.S. forces have yet been deployed to the region.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, President Trump said he canceled all talks with Iranian officials amid the protest crackdown, urging citizens to “keep protesting – take over your institutions” and promising that “help is on its way.”

The President announced from the Oval Office on Wednesday that he had been told “the killing in Iran is stopping, and it's stopped and stopping, and there's no plan for executions or an execution,” adding, “We'll find out about it.”

Iran’s government, meanwhile, claims the unrest is “under total control,” blames the United States and Israel for the violence and says it is ready for both war and dialogue.

What Might Come Next?

• Protest participation by critical groups remains impressive. Bazaari merchants, students, teachers, and transport workers have been protesting, alongside sporadic oil and gas worker walkouts. If the oil and gas workers join the nationwide action and if it is able to be sustained over a long period of time, this will be a  key variable.
   
• Security forces are holding with no senior-level defections yet, but under strain. The regime appears cohesive at the top, but growing reliance on Basij forces, uneven enforcement, and signs of fatigue point to stress below the surface, particularly outside Tehran.
   
• Information control is intensifying. The regime’s expanded internet throttling and communications blackouts signal anxiety and concern that narrative control is slipping.
   
• Geographic spread is broad, but inconsistent. Protests have moved into their third week and spread far beyond Tehran, with millions reportedly in the streets across the country. Persistence in provincial and secondary cities—rather than short-lived flare-ups—will be the real test.
   
• Economic pressure is worsening, not stabilizing. It is hard to see how Iran’s economy improves from here. Currency depreciation, inflation, and eroding purchasing power remain the core drivers. Without meaningful relief, these pressures are unlikely to fade.
   
• External deflection is becoming a growing temptation. The regime’s more defiant rhetoric toward Israel and other external actors suggests an effort to redirect pressure outward as domestic unrest grows.
   
• The protest movement is converging, but not unified. Anger is widespread, but the movement remains fragmented, limiting its ability to translate pressure into sustained leverage.

What Does This Mean For The International Community?

The Iranian regime has repeatedly shown an ability to muddle through unrest longer than many expect—and that capacity should never be discounted. However, the underlying economic and legitimacy pressures remain unresolved, pointing to a longer cycle of instability rather than a one-off moment.

As this unfolds, it’s essential that the international community keep the focus on the Iranian people—who are bearing the cost of repression and economic collapse. Over 2,615 protesters have been killed, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activist New Agency (HRANA), with other reports suggesting the number of deaths could be over 12,000. Over 16,700 people have also been arrested. Supporting their rights, dignity, and economic well-being must remain central to any responsible policy response.

.@AJCGlobal stands proudly with the Iranian people peacefully protesting the thuggish regime, which continues to choose violence, repression and terror over care for its own people. https://t.co/3Ps4YQT9AQ

— Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee (@AJCCEO) December 30, 2025

How Is AJC Responding?

AJC has been outspoken in condemning Iran for its human rights abuses, support for terrorism, and its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. 

Amid credible reports from human rights organizations that thousands of Iranians may already have been killed, AJC calls on all people of conscience to stand with the Iranian people. The Iranian regime must immediately end its violence against peaceful protesters and be held accountable for grave human rights violations. 

The international community has a moral responsibility to act in solidarity with the Iranian people and to advance a safer region and a more peaceful Middle East. AJC applauds the Trump administration’s support of the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom.

AJC urges the following actions:

• Accountability: Iran’s leadership must be held accountable for its crimes against the Iranian people. Nations should expand coordinated sanctions against those responsible for human rights abuses, and enact terrorism designations against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
   
• Global Condemnation: Governments worldwide, including legislative bodies such as the U.S. Congress, should immediately and publicly condemn the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown through formal diplomatic channels, and in UN and other multilateral bodies.
   
• Humanitarian Protection: Countries should offer safe harbor to Iranians who manage to flee and facilitate the exit of those who credibly fear retaliation by the regime.
   
• Access to Information: Governments and partners should support efforts and provide immediate resources to help Iranian citizens evade internet shutdowns and surveillance, and ensure human rights monitors have access to secure communications technologies.
   
• Continued Pressure: State and non-state entities that sustain the Iranian regime should face severe economic, political, and other consequences from the international community. 
   
• Support for the Iranian People: The Iranian people deserve a government that respects democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law. The international community should support the aspirations of the Iranian people for a government that meets those standards. 

In November, AJC urged UN member states to adopt a resolution that expressed alarm about Iran’s gross abuses against women and girls, protesters, dissenters, and human rights defenders, foreign and dual nationals, and others. The resolution also condemns Iran’s widespread use of transnational repression and the increasing commission of violations and abuses against religious minorities in Iran, in particular Baha’is, as well as heightened antisemitism and targeted attacks on Jewish communities. The resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2025.  And AJC continues to call on the European Union and other countries to follow the U.S. in officially designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

Last August, AJC also welcomed the announcement by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to trigger snapback sanctions at the United Nations Security Council against Iran for violating international agreements tied to its nuclear program. 

AJC’s Center for a New Middle East will continue to monitor the current developments in Iran closely and assess their implications for the broader region.