IRAN USES CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON THEIR PROTESTERS.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

IRAN USES CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON THEIR PROTESTERS.

JEREMEIAH 49:35-37 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITE SOME BELIEVE)
35  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRAN/BUSHEHR NUCLEAR SITE) the chief of their might.(MOST DANGEROUS NUKE SITE IN IRAN)
36  And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,(IRANIANS SCATTERED OR MASS IMIGARATION) and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(WORLD IMMIGRATION)
37  For I will cause Elam (IRAN-BUSHEHR NUKE SITE) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger,(ISRAELS NUKES POSSIBLY) saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:(IRAN AND ITS NUKE SITES DESTROYED)
38 I will set My throne in Elam,And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord.
39 ‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days:I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.”

Ezekiel 32:24
24 There [is] Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

WERE ARE ALL THE FOOLISH SCHOOLS PROTESTS AGAINST IRAN WHO ARE REALLY COMMITTING GENOCIDE AGAINST THEIR CITIZENS WITH TOXIC CHEMICALS.NO SAVE IRAN FROM SEX FOR MURDER PEDOPHILE DEATH MAUDI CULT SHIITE WELL BOY BELIEFS.BUT ISRAEL JUST HAS TO KILL 1 PERSON IN GAZA AND ITS THE END OF THE WORLD. THIS JUST TELLS US HOW THE LIBERAL - DEMOCRATES SUCK HOLE UP TO TERRORISTS. AND WORSHIP THE SHIITE MAUDI CULL IN IRAN AS THEIR USELESS NOSE PICKIN,DUMP PICKIN INVISIBLE, NON EXISTANT DECIEVER GOD WHO SATAN MADE UP TO DECIEVE THE SELF DELUDED PERSIANS AND MUSLIMS.
IN OTHER NEWS THE HOUSE IN WASHINGTON IS CHECKING HOW ILAN OMAN THE SOMALI MUSLIM JERK OF ISLAMIC LUNACY IN MINNESOTA GOT SO RICH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. CAN YOU SAY SHE WAS SCAMMING LIKE THE REST OF HER DEATH CULT MINNESOTA SOMALIS.DEFRAUDING MINNESOTANS OUT OF BILLIONS IN ANY SCAM POSSIBLE.AND BESIDES THIS OMAR USED HER FATHER SHE MARRIED TO GET INTO AMERICA.LIKE I SAY ANYTHING GOES IN ISLAMIC SEX FOR MURDER PEDOPHILE DEATH CULT.

Iran parliament says attack on Khamenei would trigger 'jihad'(WHICH COULD BE EZEKIEL 38 & 39 WAR THAT GETS RID OF 1/4 OF ISLAM OR 300 MILLION MIGRATING BIRD EATERS)

Iran’s parliamentary national security commission said any attack on the country’s supreme leader would amount to a declaration of war on the Muslim world, state media reported on Tuesday.“Any affront to the Supreme Leader means a declaration of war against the entire Islamic world and should expect the issuance of jihad rulings by Islamic scholars and a response from the soldiers of Islam across the globe,” the commission said in a statement.The commission went on to describe Trump as “mentally unstable” and said the US president should face retaliation for what it called the killing of Qassem Soleimani and “thousands of innocent people in Iran.”The comments came as tensions rose following remarks by US President Donald Trump about Iran’s leadership.Separately, senior Iranian military official Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi issued a warning to Washington.“If a hand is raised against our leader, we will cut it off,” Shekarchi was quoted as saying by Iranian media, adding that Iran would leave “no safe place” for its enemies.Trump recently called Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a “sick man” and said it was time for new leadership in Iran.

Iran state TV says it cut off access to 40,000 Starlink terminals-JAN 20,26

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said authorities cut off around 40,000 Starlink satellite internet connections as part of efforts to halt what it described as “US-Israeli terrorist operations” inside the country.In a report aired on Tuesday, IRIB linked the move to Iran’s nationwide internet blackout, saying satellite-based connections had been used by what it called hostile networks.The broadcaster portrayed the protests as foreign-backed, blaming the United States and Israel for what it described as a campaign of unrest.Iranian officials have repeatedly accused outside powers of stirring protests, while demonstrators say they are protesting over political and economic grievances.A senior Iranian military official warned of severe retaliation against the United States after President Donald Trump called Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a “sick man” and said it was time for new leadership in Tehran, state media reported.Speaking at a public event, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, the cultural deputy of Iran’s armed forces general staff, dismissed Trump’s remarks.“We do not take Trump’s noise very seriously,” Shekarchi was quoted as saying.He added: “Trump knows that if a hand is stretched toward our leader, we will not only cut that hand off – we will set their world on fire. This is not a slogan.”Shekarchi said Iran would leave “no safe place” for its enemies in the event of any attack.Trump made his comments on Saturday after Khamenei blamed him for protests in Iran.“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Politico quoted Trump as saying.Trump said Iran’s rulers relied on repression and violence to govern.“The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump said. “Leadership is about respect, not fear and death.”

Iran may have used 'toxic chemicals' in protest crackdown - Newsweek-Jan 17, 2026, 18:56 GMT

A former British lawmaker says Iranian authorities may have used "toxic chemical substances" during the deadliest crackdown on protests in the country's contemporary history, citing a "credible report" he has reviewed."People believe some kind of toxic chemical substance has been used against protestors," Bill Rammell told GB News, "causing some of the injured to lose their lives days later."Newsweek later quoted him as saying the report came from "credible Iranian-Kurdish sources" but has not been confirmed yet.If true, these would represent an "extraordinary" escalation in Iran’s tactics against its own citizens, the former MP said.On January 8, a video obtained by Iran International appeared to show security forces using unconventional weapons to confront protesters in Sabzevar in eastern Iran.The footage showed individuals wearing hazmat suits and masks designed for hazardous chemical materials, positioned on sand-colored vehicles deployed on the streets of Sabzevar. In the video, a yellow triangular sign with a dark border—indicating a warning for hazardous materials—is visible.

Sudden deadly fusillade on Iran protesters culminated in Rasht bazaar inferno-Maryam Sinaiee-Iran International-JAN 20,26

Iranian commandos carried out a surprise nighttime massacre on protesters in the town of Rasht in northern Iran over two nights this month, an eyewitness told Iran International, killing hundreds and ultimately consigning its historic bazaar to ashes.Now back in Germany, Bardia, an Iranian student based in Berlin who was present in Rasht during the crackdown, described the scenes on January 8 and 9 in an interview with Iran International as “a war zone."Up until what has now been dubbed “bloody Thursday," he explained, confrontations between protesters and security forces had been subdued while demonstrations were scattered and limited.But around 6 PM, he and his friends suddenly saw crowds pouring in from side streets and alleys, merging into a vast mass of people near the provincial governor’s office and close to where his relatives live.He said the massive crowd began chanting slogans in support of Prince Reza Pahlavi, who had called for nationwide protests on January 8 and 9.“There were people from all age groups. I saw individuals joining with walkers and even wheelchairs. Many had come as families, from grandparents to grandchildren. The number of people who had turned out was simply unbelievable.”A city 'in the hands of the people'According to Bardia, initially, the demonstrations were relatively calm.Young protesters—mostly dressed in black and wearing masks—were armed with nothing more than stones. In some areas, they tore down street barriers and set trash bins on fire.“At this stage, the entire city was in the hands of the people,” Bardia said.Protesters also attacked places where detainees were being taken by the state's domestic enforcement militia the Basij, including some mosques, freeing those held there and, in some cases, setting the buildings ablaze.Other witnesses have also said that protesters targeted locations linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), such as an IRGC intelligence domestic spying center, or places used to detain arrested protesters.Some activists pointed to the presence of snipers on rooftops as another reason for attacking the sites.Bardia said that attacks on government buildings and mosques were aimed at freeing detainees, not simply targeting state facilities.Security forces appeared visibly frightened, he said, and retreated in the face of the crowd. Police fired pellet guns and rubber bullets, but despite the presence of Basij members—some as young as 15 or 16 and armed with Kalashnikov rifles—there was still no use of live ammunition, suggesting they had not yet received orders to shoot.Rasht bazaar consumed by flames-Not too far from this scene, around 300 shops in Rasht’s historic bazaar were destroyed by fire on the same evening. Some activists accused the authorities of deliberately burning the market to punish shopkeepers who had gone on strike.Bardia said the fire began at a mosque that protesters had set ablaze to free detained friends. However, security forces blocked access routes and prevented fire engines from reaching the area, allowing the blaze to spread.As a result, the fire engulfed large sections of the ancient commercial hub, destroying the livelihoods of merchants—many of whom had been on strike.“They blocked the street leading to the burning bazaar to arrest protesters,” he said. “People had no way forward or back—the fire was behind them, and security forces were charging from the front.”The army enters: live fire begins-Non-IRGC military units rarely intervene directly in suppressing protests. But on Thursday night, acting on orders from the provincial security council, the army entered the crackdown in Rasht.According to Bardia, live fire began when protesters closed in on the governor’s office and the state broadcaster.At this point, marine commandos from the navy housed at a nearby base entered the scene and opened fire on people in the streets around the governor’s office—even though protesters had not yet entered the building.“They shot only at heads and hearts,” he said. “Those killed were of all ages, but most were young people under 30.”“We witnessed the massacre”As the killings began around midnight, Bardia and his friends took shelter in a house overlooking a street leading to the governor’s office and did not leave until morning. “We witnessed the massacre with our own eyes,” he said.They turned off the lights and watched in the darkness as bodies were collected before dawn. “We couldn’t go outside because they were shooting at anything that moved.”“Street cleaners were brought in the early hours to erase all traces. They swept the streets, collected shell casings, and washed the blood away with fire trucks," he added.Killing to terrorize-Despite the killings, protests continued on Friday although, according to Bardia, but unlike on Thursday, security forces opened fire with live ammunition from the outset, shooting at anyone who was on the streets by early evening and killing many more.Bardia said he heard from a municipal employee that most victims were shot in the head or heart, indicating an intent to kill and terrorize.“People working in the civil registry and hospitals told me the number of those killed in Rasht was around 600. All hospitals were full of the wounded.”Other witnesses say the death toll may be as high as 3,000 over the two days of unrest.The events echoed earlier mass killings, such as during November 2019 unrest against fuel price hikes, when Revolutionary Guards forces killed at least 100 protesters in the marshes around the southwestern city of Mahshahr.In Rasht, residents say, a policy slogan encapsulated in a slogan forcefully but rarely mooted by some hardline Iranian officials of al-nasr bil-ru‘b, or victory through terror, was put into full force.

Iran crackdown left 16,500 dead, 330,000 injured - Sunday Times-Jan 18, 2026, 10:10 GMT

At least 16,500 protesters have been killed and about 330,000 injured during Iran’s unrest, according to a report compiled by doctors inside the country and cited by The Sunday Times, as a near-total internet blackout has made independent verification increasingly difficult.The report, based on information from a network of medical professionals across Iran, said the injuries included widespread gunshot wounds and severe eye trauma, with hundreds to thousands suffering permanent blindness.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that “several thousands” had been killed since protests began three weeks ago, blaming the violence on protesters and foreign enemies.The doctors’ report said most deaths occurred over two days during what it described as the most violent phase of the crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s 47-year history, with most victims believed to be under 30.Professor Amir Parasta, an Iranian-German eye surgeon and medical director of Munich MED, told The Sunday Times the data was gathered through doctors communicating via smuggled Starlink satellite terminals after internet access was cut on January 8.“This time they are using military-grade weapons,” Parasta was quoted as saying, adding that doctors were seeing gunshot and shrapnel wounds to the head, neck and chest. He said at least 700 to 1,000 people had lost an eye.Figures compiled from eight major eye hospitals and 16 emergency departments cited in the report put the number of injured between 330,000 and 360,000. One Tehran eye hospital, Noor Clinic, documented around 7,000 eye injuries alone, according to the report.An ophthalmologist quoted by The Sunday Times said the volume of pellet-related eye injuries had overwhelmed hospitals. Another witness cited said more than 800 eye removals were performed in a single night in Tehran.Medical sources said some patients died due to blood shortages, with one surgeon quoted as saying security forces had at times prevented blood transfusions.Witnesses who spoke to The Sunday Times described security forces firing live ammunition at protesters, including shots aimed at heads, and deploying snipers on rooftops. Accounts also described the use of Kalashnikov rifles and machineguns mounted on vehicles.At least 12,000 killed in Iran crackdown during internet blackout -At least 12,000 killed in Iran crackdown during internet blackout - The report said many wounded protesters avoided hospitals out of fear of arrest, while some injured patients were allegedly taken from operating theatres by security forces.Several witnesses said bodies were removed from streets by security forces and transferred to other cities, while families were pressured to pay large sums to retrieve remains.Iranian authorities have repeatedly blamed the unrest on foreign powers, including the United States and Israel. In his address, Khamenei described protesters as “foot-soldiers of the United States” and claimed they were armed with weapons imported from abroad.The protests began in late December over economic grievances and rapidly spread nationwide, intensifying after January 8 following a call to demonstrate by Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s late shah.Despite the scale of reported casualties, the full extent of the violence remains unclear due to the ongoing communications blackout, now in its tenth day, and restrictions on independent reporting.Human rights activists and medical professionals cited in the report warned that the true toll could be higher, saying many deaths and injuries have gone unrecorded amid fear, secrecy and the continued presence of security forces across Iranian cities.

Iran protests stretch into fourth week as blackout, security pressure persist-Jan 19, 2026, 10:02 GMT-Updated: 22:00 GMT

More than 20 days into protests across Iran which have been largely quelled in the deadliest violence in decades, accounts from inside the country sent to Iran International describe a widening crackdown.The internet remains largely cut, de facto curfews persist in several cities, authorities continue to pressure families of slain protestors while security deployments deepen in hospitals and morgues.The protests began on December 28 and have continued despite sweeping security measures, according to witnesses and reports gathered from multiple cities across the country.NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, said on Monday that Iran’s nationwide internet blackout had entered its 12th day, with international connectivity still minimal. Authorities appear to be testing a heavily filtered domestic intranet that intermittently allows limited messaging, NetBlocks said.Iranian authorities have not publicly detailed the scope or duration of the restrictions, which activists say have severely limited communication, emergency services and independent verification of events.Judiciary warns of swift punishmentOn Monday, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei described protesters as “rioters and troublemakers” and said cases linked to unrest would be handled rapidly.“Swift and timely implementation of punishment, without delay, is one of the elements of deterrence,” Ejei said, according to state media, adding that no delay would be tolerated in pursuing protest-related cases.Under Iranian law, some charges related to unrest – such as moharebeh (enmity against God) can carry severe penalties, including the death sentence.Hospitals and morgues under pressure-Accounts received by Iran International suggest the crackdown has extended beyond the streets into hospitals, emergency care and the handling of bodies.Witnesses in several cities said security forces entered hospitals, removed injured protesters and restricted treatment. One doctor in the northern city of Rasht told Iran International that security forces took wounded protesters from a hospital and transferred blood supplies to a military facility.Similar reports from other cities described morgues filling rapidly and security forces maintaining a visible presence around medical centers.Families of those killed said they faced pressure when seeking information about bodies or burial arrangements, including financial demands and restrictions on funerals.Several accounts said ambulances failed to reach areas where shootings occurred, with some witnesses saying phone networks were down and emergency calls could not be placed.Others said wounded protesters bled to death after taking shelter in nearby buildings because hospitals refused to admit them or because transport was unavailable.Reports of lethal force and curfews-Witnesses described widespread use of live ammunition and pellet guns in cities including Karaj, Rasht, Shiraz and parts of Tehran province.In Karaj, residents said security forces used tactical withdrawals to funnel large crowds into enclosed areas before opening fire. In Rasht, witnesses said protesters were trapped amid smoke and flames before being shot. No specific dates were mentioned in these accounts.Reports from multiple cities indicated that informal curfews were in effect on Sunday, with armed patrols, checkpoints, phone searches and restrictions on nighttime movement. Residents said leaving homes after certain hours could lead to threats or detention.Detentions and holding sites-Witnesses also reported large numbers of arrests, with some detainees held in non-prison facilities such as government buildings, camps or utility compounds.In the northern city of Gorgan, one resident said dozens of bodies were temporarily held at a camp, while detainees were taken to a nearby prison quarantine area. Similar accounts from Qom and Isfahan described protesters being held in improvised locations.Tight controls on burials-Accounts described families being warned to accept official narratives about the deaths of relatives or face delays in retrieving bodies. Some said burials were conducted at night with limits on attendance, while others described threats of unmarked or collective burials.Witnesses also reported verbal abuse by security personnel at burial sites and forensic facilities.International reaction-The protests have prompted demonstrations by Iranian communities abroad, including in Europe, Asia and Oceania with massive rallies held in the US, UK and Canada.Several European countries have summoned Iranian ambassadors in recent weeks, while senior officials in Germany and other states have made unusually blunt statements criticizing Tehran’s handling of the unrest.Iranian officials have repeatedly blamed foreign powers, including the United States and Israel, for the protests, accusations denied by Western governments.With internet access still largely cut and independent journalists unable to operate freely, the full scale of the violence remains unclear.Iran International continues to receive a high volume of consistent eyewitness accounts from across the country, but verification remains difficult due to the communications blackout and security restrictions.For many Iranians, witnesses said, the combination of street violence, disrupted medical care and pressure on families has turned daily life into what they described as an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty more than three weeks after the protests began.

Fragments of carnage in Iran emerge under blackout-Maryam Sinaiee-Iran International-JAN 19,26

What has emerged since Iran imposed a nationwide internet blackout on January 8 points to bloodshed on a scale that is horrifying beyond comprehension.Through scattered Starlink messages, rare phone calls, and videos smuggled out at great personal risk, fragments of evidence have begun to form a picture of mass killings across major cities, smaller towns, and even villages.In a brief message sent via Starlink from Tehran to Iran International, one resident said the situation in the capital and other cities was so dire that “every person is reporting the death of a family member, relative, neighbor, or friend,” stressing that “this is not an exaggeration.”“The air was filled with the smell of blood in Tajrish and Narmak,” an Iranian user outside the country quoted a contact as saying in a post on X, referring to neighborhoods in north and east Tehran.“They were washing the blood from the streets with the municipal irrigation tankers they use to water roadside plants.”A Tehran resident told Iran International that he saw heavy deployments of IRGC forces early on Thursday morning—just before the blackout—with security units transporting heavy machine guns and concealing them in parking garages across different neighborhoods.An image later circulated showing a mounted military-grade machine gun on a security forces vehicle in Tehran’s Sadeghieh district, reportedly taken days earlier.Iran International has reported that as many as 12,000 people may have been killed over just two days, January 8 and 9. CBS News, citing two sources—one of them inside Iran—suggested the figure could be as high as 20,000.Thousands more have reportedly been detained nationwide. Iranian authorities have labeled anyone present on the streets after January 8 a mohareb—“one who wages war against God”—a charge that carries the death penalty.The whereabouts of most detainees remain unknown.The government, meanwhile, claims protesters killed hundreds of security personnel and government supporters. State media has broadcast images of a mass funeral for 100 alleged victims.Unverified reports suggest that some families have been pressured to sign documents identifying their killed relatives as members of the Basij militia—an apparent effort to inflate official casualty figures.BBC Persian journalist Farzad Seifkaran reported receiving a message from Tehran stating that one family was told it must either declare its relative an “active Basij member” or sign a document demanding retribution against three unnamed individuals before being allowed to retrieve the body.Similar pressure was reported during the 2009 protests. More recently, authorities attempted to portray Amir-Hesam Khodayari, a 22-year-old killed in Kouhdasht, Lorestan province, as a Basij member—an effort publicly rejected by his father during the burial.In several cases, families have also said they were asked to pay for the bullets used to kill their relatives..On Sunday, two short videos surfaced showing families inside a hangar belonging to Tehran’s forensic medicine organization in the Kahrizak area. Dozens of bodies wrapped in black bags were visible, some on gurneys and others laid directly on the floor.In one clip, a woman’s voice can be heard crying out to her child: “Get up my love, get up for God’s sake,” as families wander among the bodies searching in shock.The footage appeared to capture only a fraction of what was taking place.Hours later, Vahid, an Iranian user based in the United States who has documented Iranian protests since 2009, released a compilation of 12 videos. Some showed the interior of the same facility, where a screen displayed names and photos of the dead while a loudspeaker called out names, instructing families to collect bodies.According to Vahid, the footage was brought out of Iran by someone who had recently escaped the country. “They are bringing in the bodies in pick-up trucks and telling people to search them themselves,” the individual told him.Later footage showed bodies being unloaded from trailers. Outside the building, hundreds of people moved among rows of corpses laid directly on the ground, wailing and screaming.A source who sent images from Kahrizak told Vahid he had traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers to reach a border area where he could access the internet.Amid the mourning, signs of defiance emerged. Rather than chanting traditional Islamic phrases, some mourners clapped and ululated, as if escorting a bride or groom.Others raised photographs of the dead and shouted slogans including: “Death to Khamenei,” “This is the year of bloodshed, Khamenei will be toppled,” and “I will kill the one who killed my brother.”

Brutal protest crackdown marks Tehran's death throes, ex-CIA chief says-Updated: 22:13 GMT-JAN 20,26

The Islamic Republic's resort to the deadliest crackdown on protestors in its history signals endgame for the theocracy, retired US Army General and ex-CIA director David Petraeus told Iran International Insight, the channel's town hall held in Washington DC.“This regime is dying. Essentially it’s fighting, it’s killing again, but it is also dying," said Petraeus, a retired four-star Army general who now runs the Middle East business of US private equity firm KKR.“I think it signals enormous questions about the regime's ability to sustain the situation,” he said, arguing Tehran is under more pressure now than at almost any point since the Iran-Iraq war.Speaking to host Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, Petraeus painted a stark picture of the clerical establishment facing simultaneous existential challenges at home and abroad.“Iran is essentially defenseless at this point,” Petraeus said, referring to the destruction of air and ballistic missile defense systems early in a June conflict with Israel and the United States.The veteran commander, who led the so-called "surge" of US forces aimed at defeating an insurgency at the height of the US war in Iraq, said the scale of violence used against demonstrators reflects fear rather than control by Iran's leaders.While he acknowledged the Islamic Republic may be able to suppress unrest in the short term, he warned that flooding cities and towns with security forces may not buy authorities a lasting reprieve from popular anger.“This regime has lost legitimacy. The problem is it hasn’t lost the capability to kill.”His assessment comes as Iran grapples with sustained nationwide unrest that began on December 28 among electronics and cellphone merchants at Tehran’s bazaar and quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising against the Islamic Republic.At least 12,000 people were killed in just two days, according to medics and Iranian officials speaking to Iran International.With the Iranian currency cratering, inflation climbing and purchasing power collapsing, Petraeus said Iran no longer has the financial tools it once used to calm the streets.“At this time, there's not much Iran can do about it. They have very little capacity."Asked about Trump's mooted pledge to intervene militarily to defend protestors, Petraeus stopped short of assessing the efficacy of any US attack but said the move would be well received and not bolster the leadership.“I think we could take action against the regime and it would be applauded … not be a rallying cry for them.”

Why mass protest alone has not toppled Iran’s rulers-Mark N. Katz-JAN 19,26

The latest wave of protests in Iran once more demonstrated both the depth of popular opposition to the Islamic Republic and the limits of mass mobilization in the absence of a decisive breakdown in the regime’s coercive capacity.As observed by numerous scholars of revolution, opposition forces are almost never in a strong position to defeat a regime’s armed forces. Revolutions occur when, for whatever reason, those armed forces stop suppressing the opposition.This can happen for different reasons. One is that personnel within the armed forces simply refuse to carry out orders to suppress the opposition, as occurred in the democratic revolutions in much of Eastern Europe in 1989 and in subsequent “color revolutions” elsewhere.The Islamic Republic’s armed forces, however, have so far proven quite willing to suppress Iranian citizens.Another possibility is that the regime is more frightened of its armed forces than of its opponents, and therefore does not allow them to act forcefully for fear that they might seize power after suppressing the opposition.This is what happened in Iran in 1979. But while Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was unwilling to use force effectively against his opponents, the Islamic Republic has shown no such hesitation.Yet another scenario is that a split develops within the ranks of an authoritarian regime’s armed forces, with significant elements defecting to the opposition.A defection by a key commander can quickly cascade, as occurred over just a few days in the Philippines in 1986. When such a defection occurs, the remaining security forces are confronted not merely with suppressing unarmed civilians, but with fighting armed men like themselves—a prospect they often wish to avoid.This has not yet occurred in Iran, but in my view it remains the likeliest path to bringing down the Islamic Republic.What would it take for this to happen? Most probably, it would require officers to feel confident that their institution would survive the regime’s downfall and remain intact under a new political order.The commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are less likely to feel such confidence than Iran’s regular armed forces. But even if elements of the regular military were willing to defect to the opposition, they would likely still have to fight the IRGC—unless the latter collapsed when faced with the prospect of confronting the regular army.These are the fraught calculations confronting those within Iran’s armed forces who share the population’s opposition to the regime.The Trump administration might be able to affect this calculus through attacks that degrade the IRGC, but not Iran’s regular armed forces.In other words, for the regular military to risk turning against the regime, it would have to believe both that it could defeat the IRGC and its Basij allies, and that it would itself survive the fall of the Islamic Republic.Alternatively, some kind of deal would have to be made with IRGC commanders, assuring them of integration into a new regime’s armed forces.On its face, of course, such an idea is utterly repugnant.There is also the hope that rank-and-file members of the regime’s armed forces might refuse orders to fire on demonstrators and instead turn their weapons against their commanders and the regime. This, however, does not appear likely.That being the case, the only viable path to bringing down the regime may be some form of accommodation with key elements of its armed forces.The Trump administration’s transactional approach to foreign policy might make it more open to attempting this. But America’s authoritarian Arab allies may be even more fearful of a democratic Iran than of a weakened Islamic Republic. The mere existence of a democratic Iran could inspire democratic movements in Arab countries—something their rulers are keen to avoid.Conservative Israeli governments, too, have long taken a dim view of democratic movements in Muslim countries, which they do not expect to be as accommodating as certain authoritarian Arab governments that have signed the Abraham Accords.Israel and Iran’s Arab neighbors, in particular, can therefore be expected to lobby the Trump administration about the dangers and unpredictability of political change in Iran.Unfortunately, all this suggests that without key defections from within Iran’s armed forces—or efforts by the United States or other outside powers to encourage them—the Islamic Republic is more likely than not to remain in power.The best hope for Iran’s democratic opposition is to secure an accommodation with key elements of the armed forces that would trigger the kind of security-force defections seen in successful democratic revolutions elsewhere.This is far easier said than done. But where it has happened, it has often come suddenly and unexpectedly.I sincerely hope this will happen in Iran.

Iran International message tool beams comfort to loved ones past net blackout-JAN 19,26-Niloufar Goudarzi

As Iran endures a nationwide internet shutdown in the wake of the deadliest crackdown on protestors in decades, families abroad are using satellite television to try to reach loved ones cut off from the outside world.A Telegram-based chatbot run by Iran International allows users to submit short messages that may be aired on television, defying the blackout.The chatbot was launched in late December, shortly before protests spread across Iranian cities and was meant to collect photos, videos and testimonials from people inside Iran. Now the information is flowing in the other direction.Before the shutdown, the network said it was receiving more than 10 messages a minute from users inside Iran, many of them sending videos and first-hand accounts of protests and arrests.The tool was a key means of relaying events inside Iran to the outside world, as foreign media continue to face tight restrictions on reporting from the country and the internet shutdown which began on January 8 largely cut off that flow of information.A tool repurposed-With most global websites blocked, social media unavailable and SMS messaging down, many people inside Iran have little or no access to the internet. Some can still make international phone calls, but the connections are unstable and expensive.People outside Iran are mostly unable to call into the country at all.As a result, families abroad have begun using the chatbot to send short personal messages, hoping their relatives inside the country will see them on the satellite broadcasts which are one of the few means of getting information from outside.The network displays a QR code during live programs. Viewers outside Iran can scan it or use the Telegram handle @intlmedia_bot to submit messages, some of which are then shown on air.Since the shutdown began, the chatbot has received more than 60,000 messages, according to the broadcaster.How the system works-The network said it has long relied on staff to review and verify user-submitted material, but introduced automated tools to help manage the growing volume of messages.Mahdi Tajik, an editorial lead at Iran International, said the system does not store personal data, an issue that many users worry about during periods of unrest.Tajik said the idea of using the chatbot to relay family messages emerged after the internet shutdown cut off millions of Iranians abroad from their relatives.“Within a day, more than 60,000 messages came in,” he said. “Many people were worried about their families. Many spoke about hope and about freedom being near.”Some users inside Iran who managed to briefly connect to the internet told the network that seeing the messages had given them comfort, he added.'My dear husband ...'Many of the notes are addressed clearly to specific people, often including names, cities and family details.“My dear husband, Shabnam and I are fine. I hope you are well in Behbahan,” one message read.Another said: “Marjan from New Zealand ... I hope you are okay. I found no way to reach you. I hope you see this message.”A third listed several names: “Hello to Parvin, Giti, Fereshteh, Farzaneh, Houshang, Mohsen, Alireza. I am worried about you all. I hope for our beloved Iran and to see you again. Mohammad, Canada.”Another woman wrote: “Sister Leila, my beautiful Helia and Helna. I love you so much. I am very worried about you and miss you. Take care of yourselves and our whole family. Parinaz from San Diego.”Editors say many of the notes come from people whose spouses, parents or children are inside Iran with no way to communicate.The messages often focus on reassuring loved ones rather than grim news events.Pressure on access-Satellite television remains one of the few ways information can still enter Iran. Authorities, however, have sought to limit access in some areas, including by seizing satellite dishes, according to people familiar with the situation.At the same time, Iranians abroad have taken to the streets in cities across Europe, North America and Australia to show support for protesters at home, holding rallies and vigils and calling for international pressure on Tehran.The messages sent through the chatbot do not allow two-way communication, and there is no guarantee they will be seen by their intended recipients.Still, for families separated by borders and the internet shutdown, they offer one of the few remaining ways to penetrate the current digital iron curtain.