Protests erupted across Iran in late December 2025 over a collapsing rial—now over 1.4 million to the dollar—and doubled prices for bread and fuel, spreading to more than 100 sites in 22 provinces including Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz.
Demonstrators openly demand Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s removal and the monarchy’s restoration under exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who challenged Khamenei directly, while some cheer U.S. President Donald Trump for his warnings against protester killings.
Security forces have fired live rounds and raided hospitals, confirming at least 10-20 deaths including 22-year-old Saghar Etemadi, shot in the face; Khamenei called the unrest by ‘rioters’ but acknowledged economic woes, as strikes paralyze bazaars and funerals spark new clashes.
Ali Khamenei, fearing the growing waves of this national uprising, has emerged from his hiding place to threaten the people of Iran. Khamenei: we, the people of Iran, will pull you down from your teetering perch like Zahhak the despot and will free our beloved Iran from you and your regime.
To the military and law enforcement forces: do not tie your fate to the sinking ship of the Islamic Republic. Join the people and separate yourselves from this corrupt system. Your weapons are for defending the nation, not suppressing it. Those who fire bullets at the people should be certain that they will be identified and punished. –Reza Pahlavi
