As “disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple” the regime, Iran’s supreme leader also warned on Saturday that “rioters must be put in their place.” The world knows the level of murderous brutality that the Islamic regime in Iran has inflicted upon citizens who oppose it.
Given what just happened in Venezuela, Khamenei may want to rethink his threat. And just before 3 a.m. on January 2, Trump posted on Truth Social:
“‘No future for us’: disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple regime,” by Deepa Parent and William Christou, Guardian, January 3, 2026:
Mehnaz was too young to protest when Mahsa Amini died in police custody three years ago after she was arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab improperly. Her mother did not let her join the throngs of crowds chanting “woman, life, freedom” in Tehran and across the country – so she could only watch at home as they were beaten back by batons and bullets.
Since then, the 19-year-old computer science student in Tehran has waited for the chance to join fellow Iranians in protest. On Sunday, the moment finally came.
A sudden nosedive in the value of Iran’s currency was the final blow to a population growing tired of being patient under an ailing economy. Protests soon began in Tehran and spread, kicking off the country’s biggest protests in years – some of which have turned deadly. At least 10 people had been killed by violence surrounding the protests, with two new deaths occurring overnight….
Troybeam says
In all seriousness one has to be willing to sacrifice their life if needed in order for real change to happen. No one wants that however that is what will happen in Iran when the people finally make a stand.
The people of Iran waited too long to make change when they should have done something right away when the Shah was removed and the Islamist put in place.
Will Islam survive in Iran? Will the people change away from Islam after living with its restricted life?
Andrew Knight says
Confucius would say the people, in the situation they are now in, have not only a right, but a duty, to rise up and overthrow the evil regime. They will certainly be doing the rest of the world a favour if they do.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
They’re pretty right. Also, following the reports from Iran over the weekend, there are a lot of claims about IRGC bases falling, Tehran falling to the rebels, the unrest spreading to major shi’a strongholds like Mashhed and Qom, and one even claiming that Khamenei has fled to Moscow. I doubt the last, b’cos the Russians probably disdain him even more than Assad.
Anyway, still hoping for the regime to collapse. Hope that the Pahlavi transition team is ready
Westman says
The key is the IRGC, the Ayatollah’s well-paid personal thugs who are quite willing to kill protesters to retain their income and power.
Will Trump keep his word and take out the IRGC? If so, the new revolution will likely succeed. Otherwise, it will be mass murder of citizens.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
IRGC is one, and there is also the Basij – their morality police. The thugs who assault women not wearing chadors, and so on
Yeah, the Iranians need to just take them out. I do hope that there isn’t lawlessness as a result, and that the Pahlavi transition plan can start taking effect
PMK says
The people of Iran will have to fight for their own freedom. That means taking risks. It may take years or decades (didn’t the Spanish fight Islam for seven centuries?) but it’s their fight and no one else’s. If they just say ‘there’s no hope for us’ then there is nothing anyone can do to help them.
GianCarlo MATTA says
where there is no more hope , there is no more fear .
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Israel actually was willing to help them, either overtly or covertly, until Trump stopped them
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
I think that is possible that Israel will be given – covertly – a second chance “green light” from the United States.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I sure hope so, James
Peter says
How is it possible that the Iranian people in 1979 were either deceived or simply didn’t know about taqiyya, and that Khomeini would install sharia law once he took over? It seems that even if he was making vague promises about freedom, human rights, social economic equality, etc, as Shiite Muslims, wouldn’t many if not most Iranians not have understood what was to come once he assumed power and that he’d act like a traditional Caliph?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Well, in 1979, Iran did have similar economic setbacks, and the Shah at that time was repressive and had a secret police called SAVAK. That’s what turned most Iranians against him. Also note that throughout its history, Iran had been ruled by islamic dynasties, so being devout shi’a was a part of their culture
However, in the 80s, in the war w/ Iraq, Iran lost most of their Gen X people, so that all they have are boomers and post-millennials. Since that continuity was broken, the latter are just not interested in religion, and merely associate it w/ the regime. As of 6 years ago, only 40% of Iranians considered themselves muslim, in contrast to stats one sees anywhere claiming that 98% of Iranians are muslim. That was 6 years ago: I daresay that today, that number can only have plummeted, since there is nothing that has happened over the last 6 years in Iran to make islam more palatable, let alone popular, to the populace
Peter says
That makes sense in terms of the break between generations.
And I had read about the economic problems and the Savak repression under the Shah. I also read that Khomeini effectively deceived the Iranian Marxist students and the West by using Taqiyya to hide his true plans though he had written a book called “Islamic Republic” which laid out his authoritarian plans.
What I curious about are brave people like Goldie Ghamari who say that the claims of brutality under the Shah are historical revisionism and propaganda against the protesters to protect the regime,
Can’t two things be true? That the Shah used torture to subdue his opponents but that in hindsight his rule was infinitely better than the Ayatollah’s?
Also, if the regime is overthrown what role would the Crown Prince serve? Figurehead leading to true democracy?
gravenimage says
Peter, I have read several detailed accounts from secular or pro forma Muslims in who *did* think that the Mullahs might institute democracy–or something close to it–in Iran. Most of them just focused on how bad the Shah was, and gave little thought to what a government by Ayatollah would actually look like. Many of them were shocked when they found out. To be fair, they *were* lied to–but still should have known better what their faith actually taught.
abu taleb says
Let just hope after the topple of the current regime, Iran won’t become like Iraq, Syria or Libya where the situation in those countries become worse in general and even much for certain people compared to then the ruthless dictators like Saddam Husein, Bashar al Asad or Muamar Khadaffy were in power.
Even though many Iranians become apostates, Iranians are still by far muslim majority, and I don’t trust muslims as they are following what Quran says. A small minority in the west can make non muslims’ lives in hell, so a big majority can do much worse.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
As per the GAMAAN survey 6 years ago, shi’a islam is just 32% of the population – just a plurality. Other islamic sects like sunni, sufi, Bahai’i,… all enable it to reach 40%. But then again, that was 6 years ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers have dropped
As for what will happen the day after, Iranians are not Arabs or Afghans, and so are unlikely to install a regime more islamic than the current one. Both Iraq & Afghanistan were badly mismanaged, while in Libya, what US/NATO did was just asinine – ousting Gadaffi, who had cleaned up his act, and seeing in a more islamic regime there (although Marshall Haftar, who controls most of the territory, is a secular figure and used to be a CIA asset, who the US no longer supports, even though he has the support of Egypt, Emirates and Saudi Arabia)
There are 2 possible successors to this regime, once it falls. One is Reza Pahlavi, who has laid out a peaceful transition plan to a secular and democratic Iran, and also one where new institutions will be established, rule of law set down and due process for all the islamic regime figures. That would be a best case scenario. The other would be a communist takeover courtesy the Mujahedeen Khalq, led by Maryam Rajavi, and that would ensure that Iran remains a wasteland, albeit not an islamic one. I do doubt the latter, given that the MEK used to be pro-Iraq in the 80s when the war against Iran was a war against the Persian nation, as stated by Saddam himself. I don’t know how many people in Iran still remember that, but I’d imagine that support for them would be thin
Those Iranians who still consider themselves muslim – I’d agree w/ you about them: they can still not be trusted. But those who have left islam – I’d give them another look
Billy says
Islam’s Muslims, a majority in Iran, are totalitarian, discriminatory, violent, and terroristic against all Non-Muslims as taught in Islam’s Qur’an(Qur’an 9:5, 29, 111; 48:15; 98:6-7, etc.). Islam and its Muslims are a Criminal-Terrorist-Gang Enterprise.
SUPREMACIST ISLAM IS ANTICHRIST, AHISTORICAL, DECEITFUL, MILITARISTIC, AND POLITICAL against the USA Constitution and Western Laws to conquer and to subjugate Non-Muslims using MUSLIM-TERRORIST-CRIMINAL-GANG ENTERPRISES with ISLAMIC LAW(SHARIA) and with CONTINUOUS, TERROR PROPAGANDA from Islam’s Qur’an as evidenced by the continuous Muslim attacks to make Islam supreme(Qur’an 2:191; 3:28, 54; 4:89-91; 7:99; 8:30, 60; 9:5, 29,111; 16:106, etc.). Islam and its Muslims, enemies of Non-Muslims, are a Muslim Terrorist Organization(MTO) as taught in Islam’s Qur’an.
Deceitful Allah affirms Non-Muslims as enemies of Allah while Muslims continuously undermine a society from within using their man-made Qur’an with lies, obfuscation, and deceit(Qur’an 3:54; 7:99; 8:30; 60:4, etc.). Allah in Qur’an 4:101 says, “…Surely the infidels[Non-Muslims] were your clear enemies.” Allah expects all Muslim believers to war against all non-Muslims until the Unbelievers convert to Islam or face Muslim violence. Corrupt Allah in Qur’an 8:39 says, “And engage in war with them[Non-Muslims] until there will not be sedition and the religion will be completely to Allah…” As a result, Non-Muslims are marked for death by Islam and its Muslims.
Murderous Islam is a civilization-destroying, delusional, indoctrinating, cancerous fraud because there is NO MECCA, NO MUHAMMAD, and NO Qur’an in the 7th century AD in Saudi Arabia despite the Muslim Standard Islamic Narrative claims; the Deceitful House of Islam is founded on propaganda, lies, intimidation, and deceit where Islam’s 1400-year traditions are based on fallacy and myth including a more than 300-year gap with no documented history. Hence, NEVER give money to Islamic Countries, Islamic Organizations, Mosques, Islamic Schools, etc. because your are funding your ultimate destruction. Islam must be banned as illegal, and we have the legal right to defend ourselves from Muslim violence.
Islam’s Muslims are to be Seditionist Terrorists for Allah with their MONEY and their LIVES. Allah in Qur’an 49:15 teaches, “Surely the believers[Muslims] are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed jihad with their MONEY and their LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.” Again, Islam is a FACTITIOUS IDEOLOGY and CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION despicably fabricated over time into the 21sth century, and there is NO PEACE only genocidal obliteration with Islam and its deceitful Muslims(Qur’an 7:18; 8:39: 9:5, 29, 111; 11:119; 32:13; 47:4, etc.).
Demonic ALLAH claims MUSLIMS are a greater TERROR than serpentine Allah in Islam’s Qur’an. Allah in Qur’an 59:13 says, “You[Muslims] are a greater terror in their chests than Allah. This is because they[Jews & Christians] are people who do not understand.” Allah in Qur’an 9:29 commands, “Engage in war with those who do not believe in Allah nor in the last day. Nor forbid what Allah and his messenger forbid, nor believe in the religion of the truth among those who have given the book until they pay the jizyah out of hand and they are subdued.”
Islam, its Mosques, its Schools, its Sharia Courts, its Organizations, etc. are Terrorist-Criminal Enterprises of hatred and enmity against all Non-Muslims as totalitarian Islam, the House of Satan, islamizes the society with impunity(Qur’an 5:14; 9:5, 29, 111, etc.). As taught from Islam’s Qur’an, Islam should be banned for its incitement, funding, and promotion of hybrid warfare, violence, terrorism, criminality, hatred, human trafficking, and discrimination against women, children, and Non-Muslims.
Allah describes Muslim women in Jenna, Allah’s Paradise, as whores of Allah in Qur’an 56:37. Also, Allah stirs hatred against Christians until the resurrection day as Qur’an 5:14 instructs, “And some of those who say, ‘Surely we are Nasara (Christians),’ we took their covenant. So they have forgotten a part of what they were reminded of, so we have stirred up ENMITY and HATRED among them until the resurrection day. And Allah will inform them of what they were doing.” See also Qur’an 60:4; 8:55.