Iran News

This struggle has increased substantially following threats by President Trump, in which he said that America was "locked and loaded" to assist protestors if they were attacked by government forces.

The plan, called "Plan B" by the British report, would include 86-year-old Khamenei and 20 close people, including family and aides.

The exercises were made as a deterrent move by the Ayatollah's regime, while Iranians keep protesting nationwide for the eighth day in a row.

Last week, US President Donald Trump declared that the United States was "locked and loaded and ready to go" if Iran killed any more protestors, in a post on Truth Social.

Now that Khamenei has spoken, the crackdown will harden. Across three defining protest waves - in 2009, 2019, 2022 - the public record shows that when he speaks, the cost of dissent rises sharply.

At least 15 protesters and one security force member have been killed in seven days of nationwide protests in Iran, according to HRANA, though the true toll is hard to verify.

A weakened regime and deep economic anger have created an opening, but scattered protests now face a decisive moment

Iran’s supreme leader said the Islamic Republic will not yield to pressure as rights groups reported a surge in arrests following protests over inflation and the collapsing rial.

Members of Iran’s roughly 8,000-strong Jewish community are avoiding protest flashpoints as unrest spreads nationwide, according to a report by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News.

Khamenei addressed the protests through his official Farsi-speaking account, calling the Bazzaris "among the most loyal Iranians in the country.