Iran in Flames: Trump Warns Regime as Streets Erupt in Defiance

Paul Riverbank, 1/11/2026Iran erupts in protest amid economic ruin, fierce crackdowns, and threats of international escalation.

A sharp chill hung over Tehran last Thursday when videos, relayed by satellite internet, began breaking through the digital blockade. In the faint glow of pyrotechnics thrown skywards, you could see faces—worn with worry, lit by adrenaline—as they chanted for change. Not just in the center of the city, but at traffic circles and alleyways where burning trash cans blocked off roads and the air smelled faintly of scorched plastic.

But for as many glimpses as emerge, what’s going on inside Iran is, by design, difficult to piece together. Internet access sputtered to a fraction of normal after the government flicked its so-called "kill switch." Friends lost touch, whole neighborhoods went quiet. Some managed to call out using patchwork internet from beyond Iran’s borders; most simply faded into silence.

By the time this piece is written, activists claim over a hundred people have died—116 is the number repeated with anxiety. The tides of detainees, too, have swollen past 2,600. The parliament, meanwhile, resounds with vitriol. Lawmakers—some pounding on their benches—chant “Death to America” as Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf vows to punish protesters and threatens American and Israeli targets should any foreign intervention arise. “Any American base in the region, any ship, is fair game,” he said, voice steely, the implication clear.

Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump, flanked by reporters on the White House lawn, calls Iran “in big trouble.” Gesturing at reports of cities under protest, he cautions Iran’s leaders: “You start mass violence, and we’ll hit you very hard—where it hurts,” pausing to note that military boots won’t necessarily be stepping onto Iranian soil.

Across Capitol Hill, Senators Rubio and Graham—two familiar voices for regime change—tweet and post supportive slogans. “The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” says Rubio. Graham adds his own twist: “Your brutality will not go unchallenged.”

Iran’s judiciary isn’t mincing words, either. Top judge Mohammad Movahedi Azad labeled demonstrators as “enemies of God”—language, in Iranian law, that can lead to the death penalty. In recent days, the fear of such consequences seems only to deepen the protestors’ determination; after all, what do you have to lose if the money in your wallet is now nearly worthless?

At the heart of these upheavals is the collapse of the Iranian rial, but the anger now ripples far beyond pocketbooks. It’s about dignity, about choice, about a ruling class that many feel is hopelessly out of touch. Official broadcasts strive to project calm—ordered parades, supportive crowds—but a casual scroll through video after clandestine video tells a different story entirely. Repeat footage of government rallies competes clumsily with fresh images from the street: a woman standing atop a car, men shielding faces behind scarves, defiance in every gesture.

Internationally, speculation runs rampant about next steps. Israel’s on high alert, with Prime Minister Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio trading grave phone calls. Diplomats and analysts weigh the risks: every possible US strike scenario carries the real chance of igniting a wider regional conflict.

For now, the world squints through a near-total blackout, piecing recent history through fragments and whispers. Anger simmers in blocked avenues, but outside Iran, there is little certainty—only a sense that the consequences of this turmoil will be felt far beyond burning barricades and shuttered phone lines.

For days on end, Iran’s city streets have echoed with the discontent of thousands. What began in the capital, Tehran, as clusters of restless people—phones held aloft, makeshift drums clanging into the night—has rippled outward, drawing Kerman, Mashhad, and countless smaller towns into its current. It’s the sort of unrest that’s hard to hide, even as officials do everything in their power to cloak it in silence.A sharp chill hung over Tehran last Thursday when videos, relayed by satellite internet, began breaking through the digital blockade. In the faint glow of pyrotechnics thrown skywards, you could see faces—worn with worry, lit by adrenaline—as they chanted for change. Not just in the center of the city, but at traffic circles and alleyways where burning trash cans blocked off roads and the air smelled faintly of scorched plastic.But for as many glimpses as emerge, what’s going on inside Iran is, by design, difficult to piece together. Internet access sputtered to a fraction of normal after the government flicked its so-called "kill switch." Friends lost touch, whole neighborhoods went quiet. Some managed to call out using patchwork internet from beyond Iran’s borders; most simply faded into silence.By the time this piece is written, activists claim over a hundred people have died—116 is the number repeated with anxiety. The tides of detainees, too, have swollen past 2,600. The parliament, meanwhile, resounds with vitriol. Lawmakers—some pounding on their benches—chant “Death to America” as Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf vows to punish protesters and threatens American and Israeli targets should any foreign intervention arise. “Any American base in the region, any ship, is fair game,” he said, voice steely, the implication clear.Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump, flanked by reporters on the White House lawn, calls Iran “in big trouble.” Gesturing at reports of cities under protest, he cautions Iran’s leaders: “You start mass violence, and we’ll hit you very hard—where it hurts,” pausing to note that military boots won’t necessarily be stepping onto Iranian soil.Across Capitol Hill, Senators Rubio and Graham—two familiar voices for regime change—tweet and post supportive slogans. “The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” says Rubio. Graham adds his own twist: “Your brutality will not go unchallenged.”Iran’s judiciary isn’t mincing words, either. Top judge Mohammad Movahedi Azad labeled demonstrators as “enemies of God”—language, in Iranian law, that can lead to the death penalty. In recent days, the fear of such consequences seems only to deepen the protestors’ determination; after all, what do you have to lose if the money in your wallet is now nearly worthless?At the heart of these upheavals is the collapse of the Iranian rial, but the anger now ripples far beyond pocketbooks. It’s about dignity, about choice, about a ruling class that many feel is hopelessly out of touch. Official broadcasts strive to project calm—ordered parades, supportive crowds—but a casual scroll through video after clandestine video tells a different story entirely. Repeat footage of government rallies competes clumsily with fresh images from the street: a woman standing atop a car, men shielding faces behind scarves, defiance in every gesture.Internationally, speculation runs rampant about next steps. Israel’s on high alert, with Prime Minister Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio trading grave phone calls. Diplomats and analysts weigh the risks: every possible US strike scenario carries the real chance of igniting a wider regional conflict.For now, the world squints through a near-total blackout, piecing recent history through fragments and whispers. Anger simmers in blocked avenues, but outside Iran, there is little certainty—only a sense that the consequences of this turmoil will be felt far beyond burning barricades and shuttered phone lines.