U.S. President Donald Trump has declared his willingness to come to “the rescue” of “peaceful” protesters in Iran should Iranian security forces start shooting them. “If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump posted on Truth Social this morning. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
There are many reports about ongoing protests inside Iran, though concrete details remain scarce. Protests began recently with shopkeepers, who were concerned about the growing inflation. These have reportedly escalated during the last few days and spread to 17 of Iran’s 31 provinces. Some news outlets are also claiming that protesters are now raising direct political demands, an end to theocracy, and even some calling for a return of the monarchy—all the signs of an externally influenced operation.
Not surprisingly, all of the expected anti-Iranian voices are breathlessly proclaiming the end of the Islamic Republic. And on Jan. 1, 2026, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on its Farsi social media account pre-revolutionary Iranian images of a lion and a sun with the lion’s paw resting on an hourglass featuring the country’s current flag. The post read: “The rise of Iranian lions and lionesses to fight against darkness,” continuing: “Light triumphs over darkness.”
