Iran protests against the regime: What's different this time? - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

January 12, 2026: In conversation with Amberin Zaman, UK historian Christopher de Bellaigue says Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will fight till the bitter end as will the formidable Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. But their success is no longer guaranteed amid threats of US intervention and a new generation of young and fearless protestors bent on their fall.

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An Iranian woman walks past a mural depicting a scene from the Iranian national epic "Shahnameh" in the capital Tehran on January 6, 2026. Iran's economy has been hit hard by tough international sanctions, with the national currency, the rial, losing more than a third of its value against the US dollar over the past year and inflation in double digits. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

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