Headline Roundup • January 13th, 2026
How Will the US Respond to Iranian Protests?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Protests in Iran have escalated since the beginning of January, with some sources estimating death tolls above 2,000. The protests began in response to the plunging value of Iranian currency but have shifted to demand the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.
American Intervention: On Tuesday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social calling for Iranians to "KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!" He said he has canceled all meetings with Iranian officials for the time being and promised, "HELP IS ON ITS WAY." The US has not yet sent military force into Iran during these protests, though Trump has weighed military options. However, some Iranians have vocalized feelings of hopelessness. According to Associated Press (Left bias), a shopkeeper in Tehran said, "My customers talk about Trump's reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic. I don't expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians."
Iran Blocks Internet Service: Iran cut off internet and cell phone services on January 8, which pushed protestors to use Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, to share videos of protests and violence from authorities, according to Wall Street Journal (Center). The Journal reported that authorities have begun confiscating Starlink satellite dishes in Tehran in attempts to prevent videos and information about the protests from spreading globally. Trump said he would ask Musk about the possibility of restoring internet access through additional Starlink terminals, according to the Journal.
Response from Americans: Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American activist, told Fox News (Right) that "The silence of [the] left and liberals in America and Europe is not an accidental silence. It's an ideological silence." Alinejad claimed that many activists and celebrities in the global West who support the "Free Palestine" movement have been silent about the Iranian protests.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
UGC via AP
The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran surpassed 2,000 people on Tuesday, activists said, as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown on demonstrators.
The number of dead climbed to at least 2,003, as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranian state television offered the first official...
With the government shutting down the internet and throttling phone services, Iranians are leaning heavily on Elon Musk’s Starlink service to share videos of growing protests and the regime’s escalating crackdown with the world. But Iran has intensified
With the government shutting down the internet and throttling phone services, Iranians are leaning heavily on Elon Musk's Starlink service to share videos of growing protests and the regime's escalating crackdown with the world.
But Iran has intensified efforts to jam the service, which is banned in the country, and users are being hunted.
Fox News
Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad is accusing the American left of turning its back on Iranian protesters amid reports of thousands of deaths and a near-total communications blackout imposed by the regime.
"The silence of [the] left and liberals in America and Europe is not an accidental silence. It's an ideological silence," Alinejad said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends."
Alinejad, who has been targeted by the Iranian regime for her activism, said Western activists and celebrities who loudly champion "Free Palestine" causes have remained silent as Iranians are killed in the...
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