Nationwide protests surge across Iran

Iranians Rise Up Against Brutal Regime

People in city after city are risking everything to reclaim their country from a repressive clerical regime that has long used violence to stay in power.

What began as localized unrest over economic hardship and government misrule has turned into mass demonstrations with huge crowds in Tehran and other cities. Protesters report live ammunition, tear gas, and hospital raids by security forces, and eyewitnesses say many ordinary citizens are openly defying orders.

This is not a single night of unrest. It is a sustained uprising that shows how fed up Iranians are with their rulers and how determined they are to force change.

Recent blunt messages from the American side have been noticed inside Iran and among exiled dissidents. Social media posts from U.S. officials and statements translated into Persian have warned the Iranian leadership against violent repression of peaceful demonstrators.

Those warnings were widely shared by Iranians on the ground and by opposition figures abroad. Whether those messages translate into concrete action is another matter, but words from a powerful country do shift the calculation for both protesters and the security apparatus that faces them.

Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi publicly thanked outside leaders for their stance and called for support for demonstrators. That kind of external encouragement matters because it gives protesters a sense they are not entirely alone. It also rattles the regime, which fears political delegitimization at home while facing international scrutiny.

The presence of high profile endorsements can embolden larger gatherings and make small acts of defiance turn into mass movements.

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