January 3, 2026 marks the sixth anniversary of the U.S. assassination by drone strike in Baghdad of IRGC Quds Force commander Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, considered a national hero in Iran. Some 400,000 people already reportedly visited his tomb in Kerman on Jan. 2, despite the unrest in the country.
Meanwhile, the anti-Iran crowd in the U.S—and Israel—is salivating at what it thinks are the prospects for regime change in Tehran, particularly following Trump’s statement threatening to “rescue” demonstrators involved in recent street protests if Iranian security forces start shooting.
Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said Washington should move quickly to expand internet access for demonstrators and prepare for potential political change, reported Fox News. “Support protesters with internet access and prepare now to advise and assist in a transition,” Shapiro wrote on X.
Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the (neo-con) think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argued that Washington has options in Iran short of direct military action. “The two most powerful things the U.S. and close partners can do without military involvement is facilitate secure information flow to the protesters and blind the security forces,” Goldberg wrote on X, adding that, while Trump has suggested a kinetic approach, non-kinetic options remain available.
