As Iran grapples with a deepening economic crisis and the fallout from recent attacks on its nuclear facilities, a new wave of anti-government protests is challenging the Islamic Republic’s authority. The unrest, which began December 28th, is occurring against a backdrop of heightened tensions with the United States, including a direct warning from President Trump regarding a forceful response to a crackdown on demonstrators and the recent detention of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro<.a href="https://news.bg/int-politics/tramp-obyavi-sasht-zaloviha-prezidenta-na-venetsuela-nikolas-maduro.html" target="_blank">[[1]]. With at least 17 reported deaths in the first week of demonstrations, Iranian officials are facing increasingly limited options in navigating both domestic dissent and international pressure<.a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/middleeast/iran" [[1]].
Tehran is facing a shrinking range of options in responding to a new wave of anti-government protests, complicated by explicit threats from U.S. President Donald Trump and Washington’s show of force following the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Iranian officials said. The situation highlights the increasing pressure on the Iranian government as it navigates domestic unrest and heightened international scrutiny.
Just one day before U.S. special forces detained Maduro and his wife on January 3 and transported them to New York, Trump warned on social media that the U.S. “would intervene” if Iranian authorities used force against protesters who took to the streets starting December 28. According to human rights organizations, at least 17 people have died in one week.
Iran’s options are further limited by a severe economic crisis and the fallout from a 12-day conflict in June, during which Israel, with U.S. backing, struck Iranian nuclear facilities. “The double pressure leaves the leadership between public anger and growing threats from Washington, with high risks either way,” an Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated. Another official added that following the U.S. actions in Venezuela, there are fears in Tehran that Iran could be “the next victim.”
The protests, which began in Tehran and spread to parts of western and southern Iran, are smaller in scale than the unrest that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022-23, but have quickly evolved from economic demands to political slogans such as “Down with the Islamic Republic” and “Death to the Dictator” – a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Authorities are attempting to balance dialogue on economic demands with a firm response to some of the demonstrations. Official reports indicate two security personnel have died and more than ten have been injured. Khamenei blamed “enemies of the Islamic Republic” for the unrest and warned that “rioters must be put in their place.”
Iran condemned the U.S. actions in Venezuela and Trump’s statements. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said such interventions constitute “incitement to violence and terrorism.”
Economic discontent remains a primary driver of the protests. The rial has lost around half its value in 2025, and inflation reached 42.5% in December. President Masoud Pezeshkian has promised reforms and announced that, starting January 10, the government will distribute a monthly electronic credit of 10 million rials (approximately $7) for food – a modest but significant aid for households with incomes around $150 per month. This development underscores the economic pressures facing ordinary Iranians and the government’s attempts to address them.
