Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issues warning to U.S. in Russian on social media, signaling Tehran's growing alignment with Moscow amid nationwide protests.

Here are the key questions about Iran’s protests, what sparked them, how the government is responding, and why U.S. involvement has become a central issue, answered.

Tehran has warned U.S. allies in the Middle East it will strike U.S. bases on their soil if Washington attacks Iran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump's threats to intervene in support of protesters.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The nationwide protests challenging Iran’s theocracy appeared increasingly smothered Thursday, a week on from authorities shutting the country off from the world and escalating a bloody crackdown that activists say killed at least 2,615 people.

Attacking Iran with airstrikes is "on the table" as President Donald Trump weighs military options in the country, his press secretary said.

The United States government issued an urgent security alert on January 12, 2026, instructing American citizens in Iran to leave the country immediately as anti-government protests entered their third week with escalating violence and a nationwide internet blackout.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss Iran's deadly protests at the request of the United States, even as President Donald Trump left unclear what actions he would take against the Islamic state.

T HE LAST time Iran was convulsed by nationwide protests, in 2022, the Arab world was transfixed. The Islamic Republic had spent decades building a network of powerful allies that came to dominate the region. Many Arabs wondered if the prospect of regime change in Tehran offered a chance to throw off Iran’s yoke in their own countries.