(December 28, 2025 – January 13/14, 2026; Day 17 ongoing)
Compiled from verified Middle East intel (Reuters, AP, BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, HRANA, Iran International, OSINT, Wikipedia summaries), intelligence assessments (regime resilience but internal warnings of collapse), opsec-limited eyewitness accounts & smuggled videos (morgues overflowing, live fire on crowds, Lion & Sun flags, "Javid Shah" chants), X posts (diaspora & delayed insider reports despite blackout).
| Date / Period | Category | Description (verified details) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 28–31, 2025 | Spark & Spread | ● Bazaar strikes in Tehran over rial collapse (1.42M+ to USD) & inflation ● Protests erupt in markets, spread nationwide; initial anti-regime slogans ● Govt orders closures in 21 provinces; central bank head resigns |
| Jan 1–7, 2026 | Escalation & Clashes | ● Demos in all 31 provinces; universities join; 100+ protest sites daily ● Initial deaths (34+ verified by Jan 6); 2,000+ arrests ● Pahlavi urges military defections; Kurdish groups call strikes |
| Jan 8–9, 2026 | Blackout & Peak Violence | ● Nationwide internet blackout (~8:30 PM Jan 8); phone lines later partially restored ● Millions protest after Pahlavi calls; Lion & Sun flags, "Javid Shah" dominant ● Heavy live fire; bases/seminary burned; 2,000+ killed in 48 hrs (IranIntl/HRANA) |
| Jan 10–12, 2026 | Suppression & Defiance | ● Blackout days 2–5; morgues overflow (Kahrizak footage); funerals → new protests ● Death toll 2,000–2,400+; 10k+ arrested; regime declares mourning for security forces ● Trump: "Help is on the way"; urges protesters to hold institutions |
| Jan 13–14 (Ongoing) | Day 17 Persistence | ● Blackout >5 days; scattered clashes in Tehran/Mashhad/Isfahan/Kermanshah ● Eyewitness: live ammo on residential crowds; Basij targets burned ● Partial phone access reveals higher tolls (2,000–6,000+ estimates); MP warns of "greater unrest" ● Trump urges continued protests; US debates strikes vs risks of failed state ● Regime blames US/Israel; invites diplomats to view "rioter" footage ● Pahlavi support surges inside (delayed videos/X reports); global calls for action |
Current as of January 13 evening US / January 14 early Tehran (volatile; connectivity ~1%). Death toll 2,000–6,000+ (varying by source); unprecedented scale since 1979 Revolution. Iranians show extraordinary courage amid massacre-level repression.