Iran Protests Intensify as Republicans Claim Regime's Grip is Unravelling

The committee further said that the protests are loosening the Iranian regime's grip on the nation.

In a post on X, the Committee said, "Anti-regime protestors are rising up and claiming entire cities. Iranians have had enough of the tyrannical Ayatollah and his murderous mullahs. The Iranian regime's grip is unravelling."

Meanwhile, Iran's former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi stressed that the Iranians are "more than ever" committed to bringing an end to Khamenei's regime, signalling this as an opportunity for Iran to free itself from a "tyrannical regime".

Speaking to Fox News Host Sean Hannity, Pahlavi said, "In all these years, I've never seen an opportunity as we see today in Iran. Iranian people are more than ever committed to bringing an end to this regime, as the world has witnessed the last few days. The levels of demonstrations are unprecedented in Iran -- over 100 cities, millions of people in the streets chanting 'death to the dictator' and 'end to this regime.' By God, it is about time that Iran gets its opportunity to free itself from a tyrannical regime."

According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War, the rate of protests across Iran declined slightly on January 5 and 6 compared to the rate of protests between January 2 and 4.

The Iranian regime is likely trying to appease protesters by approving economic reforms, such as subsidies for basic goods. The Iranian Parliament approved the revised second edition of the 2026-2027 budget bill on January 5, the report stated.

Iran is recording protests that are spreading like a wildfire amid an increasing deployment of armed security officers as the government's efforts to contain an unravelling economic situation are failing, as per Al Jazeera.

Footages accessed by Al Jazeera showed huge protests on Tuesday night in the city of Abdanan, in the central province of Ilam, where several major demonstrations have taken place over the past week.

Thousands of people, including children flanked by kin, were filmed walking and chanting in the streets of the small city while helicopters flew overhead. The protesters appeared to have vastly outnumbered the security personnel deployed to contain them, as reported by Al Jazeera.

In the city of Ilam, the province's capital, videos showed security forces storming the Imam Khomeini Hospital to root out and arrest protesters, something rights group Amnesty International said violates international law and again shows "how far the Iranian authorities are willing to go to crush dissent".

State-linked media confirmed that at least three people were killed. They also announced on Tuesday that a police officer was shot dead after armed clashes took place in the aftermath of funeral processions for the dead protesters.

The country continues to have one of the highest inflation rates in the world, especially when it comes to the rampant increases in prices of essential food items, as reported by Al Jazeera.

President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration said that it was implementing plans to make sure the economic situation is contained, but a rapid decline continues to unfold.

The country's currency, the Rial, was priced at over 1.47 million to the US dollar in the open market in Tehran on Tuesday, marking yet another new all-time low that showed a lack of public and investor trust.

- ANI