This struggle has increased substantially following threats by President Trump, in which he said that America was "locked and loaded" to assist protestors if they were attacked by government forces.
Now that Khamenei has spoken, the crackdown will harden. Across three defining protest waves - in 2009, 2019, 2022 - the public record shows that when he speaks, the cost of dissent rises sharply.
At least 15 protesters and one security force member have been killed in seven days of nationwide protests in Iran, according to HRANA, though the true toll is hard to verify.
A weakened regime and deep economic anger have created an opening, but scattered protests now face a decisive moment
Iran’s supreme leader said the Islamic Republic will not yield to pressure as rights groups reported a surge in arrests following protests over inflation and the collapsing rial.
Members of Iran’s roughly 8,000-strong Jewish community are avoiding protest flashpoints as unrest spreads nationwide, according to a report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News.
Khamenei addressed the protests through his official Farsi-speaking account, calling the Bazzaris "among the most loyal Iranians in the country.
The Iranian hackers shared a series of photos, including one of Shaked at a meeting with Bennett and another of her posing with several IDF soldiers.
"The Iranian regime is in trouble," the former US secretary of state said, citing ongoing anti-regime protests that are occurring across Iran.
Pahlavi added that he has a plan for a "stable transition" in a scenario where the Islamic Republic regime would be toppled, where the country's citizens would take to the streets in millions.
After five days of demonstrations, some analysts and observers see support for the son of the deposed Shah, Reza Pahlavi, as the main factor, and others cite economic grievances.
