ll-scale war (jang) as of January 18, 2026, but ongoing deadly protests against the regime have escalated into severe unrest, with security forces cracking down hard.Supreme Leader Khamenei blames President Donald Trump for inciting the violence, claiming over 3,000 deaths including 2,885 protesters and 22,000 arrests since December 2025.
## Protest Details
Protests, fueled by economic collapse and repression, persist across provinces like Zahedan and Tehran, with reports of bus burnings and anti-regime chants following Sunni cleric sermons. Iranian forces, aided by up to 10,000 Iraqi militias disguised as pilgrims, have killed demonstrators, withheld bodies, and faced new US sanctions for brutality in Fars and Lorestan.
## Crypto and Regional Ties
Amid this, Iran boosts crypto use for weapons payments to evade sanctions, linking to prior Binance-related trades and rial crash driving $7.8B trading surge. Border tensions with Kurdish militants and Syria offensives add pressure, but no direct invasion or war confirmed today.
