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Iran Escalates Deadly Crackdown on Mass Protests as Trump Threatens to Launch Military Attack

2026-01-12 News & Politics
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Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in Iran as authorities crack down on protests against inflation and the government's handling of the economic crisis, with thousands more arrested amid a nationwide communications blackout. The protests started in late December and quickly spread across the country, marking the strongest internal challenge to the Iranian government in years. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran in support of the protesters. "Many civil and political activists in Iran have warned against any kind of foreign intervention, because it actually increases repression inside of the country," says Narges Bajoghli, associate professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University. We also speak with Iranian dissident Hamidreza Mohammadi, brother of the imprisoned Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi. Speaking from Oslo, he says he has been unable to reach his family inside Iran since the start of the protests. "In the lack of internet and telephone communication, the regime has been able to kill a lot of people," Mohammadi says. "People in Iran simply want [a] different system, and they don't want to be enslaved by this regime for its ideological purposes." Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET. Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

Top Comments (10)

@thyownshadow 2026-01-12

Of the Israeli military is "monitoring the situation" they are involved.

14 2 replies
@ramstrong1961 2026-01-12

Jeffrey Sachs - The Inevitable War with Iran / Glenn Greenwald - The US does not want liberation for Iran

13 1 replies
@Seedsforchange 2026-01-12

I only have one question! What makes the Iranian guest think that the western governments support democracy. In the current world we are living in, the citizens are no longer even afforded the truth, in many cases, from their governments! Most, if not all, of the western world is ruled by plutocratic governments who see democracy as a word used to manipulate the masses, not a system to provide some form of equity for a very diverse society. The average citizen is nothing more than a means to a prosperous end for the plutocratic masters.

12 2 replies
@williammayhoperights 2026-01-12

will tRump go to war with the world for his billionaire Cartel?to cover up his role in human trafficking with Epstein? HELL NO! Iran, Canada,Venezuela,Greenland, all rich in resources,that his greedy international corporate criminals, want. using US military for his private gain! they want to gobble, no thought to the indigenous folks. all want sexist violence to stop in Iran,but like in Afghanistan, the corporate cabal won't stop it.i know,my work made them billions, while i was beaten, starved go through hell! these countries belong to THEMSELVES! not tRump's gangster corporate crime cabal! be 'FIIT' be non violent HOPE

12 1 replies
@ejareh 2026-01-12

This is not just demonstrating … many terrorists are placed in the midst of them

10 2 replies
@joellis5915 2026-01-12

In short, "region change" is being carried out at Israel's order.. Since the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, the US has been conducting “Overthrow Operations” around the world. in 2026 again, Trump has essentially kidnapped the Venezuelan president and plundered their oil and resources. This is absolutely not a fair trade under any "Silk Road" or "Belt and Road" initiative. US’s logic is: what's yours is mine, or else I'll bomb, kill, and plunder your assets for free for the last 203 years. In addition prior "slavery" and KKK campaign, which involved killing Millions of Native Americans and seizing their territory and assets. This is align with Trump's current 2026 immigration policy, which deports millions, and has resulted in countless immigrants being tortured and killed.

7
@ResistEvolve 2026-01-12

Human rights would be a great thing in the USA, such as rights to healthcare, housing, free higher ed, an old age pension and a job!

6
@lololol112 2026-01-12

18:00 just bring the CIA on next time

5 1 replies
@IAmEdx37 2026-01-12

Trump, Netanyahu, and Starmer do not care for Iranians. The US of Israel wants total domination and subjugation of the world.

4 1 replies
@dogsbestfriend8988 2026-01-12

Who could believe a single word he says

3 1 replies

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