Iran grinds to standstill as protesters take to the streets, crowds chant ‘Death to Khamenei’

[Kamaji]

https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/2011502324204671092?s=20

[corbe]

 

[Cyber Liberty]

Well shit.  Guess I'll have to get me news from the most reliable source on the internet now besides MS-13 Now....TOS.

You're better off surfing X than TOS.  It's dead over on TOS.

[Wingnut]

You're better off surfing X than TOS.  It's dead over on TOS.

I see that.  They don't post breaking news like in the olden days. 

[DB]

You're better off surfing X than TOS.  It's dead over on TOS.

X seems to be a sewer. Mountains of fake crap burying anything true.

[Cyber Liberty]

X seems to be a sewer. Mountains of fake crap burying anything true.

True. 

[mountaineer]

Too much time on X will make your head explode,  but it has its benefits,  too.

[Wingnut]

Here are the facts.  There has never been a better time to act on Iran.  If we do nothing we will have to deal with this muzzie lead country for years.  If we strike them and we f@ck it up, we will be dealing with this muzzie country for years.   So, here is the question we have to ask ourselves.  What do we have to lose.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Could be a head fake, could be true.   

Report: Israel, Arab states urge Trump to delay major strikes on Iran
Israel National News, Jan 14, 2026

Israeli and Arab officials have privately cautioned the Trump administration in recent days that Iran’s regime may not yet be weakened enough for US military strikes to deliver a decisive blow, NBC News reported Tuesday.

The report cited a US official, a former US official briefed on the talks, a source familiar with Israeli leadership thinking, and two Arab officials.

These officials have advised President Donald Trump - who is weighing military action in response to Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protesters - to hold off on large‑scale strikes for now. Some prefer waiting until the regime is further strained, noting that Iran’s internal stability is shifting rapidly and could change dramatically in either direction.

The discussions, involving senior American political and military leaders, highlight the complex considerations Trump faces as he evaluates possible US responses. The President, who was expected to meet on Tuesday with his national security team, has warned that Iran will face US military action if the regime is killing protesters.

One Arab official said there is a “lack of enthusiasm from the neighborhood" for US strikes at this moment.  Another warned that “any attack or escalation by Israel or the US will unite Iranians," noting the rally‑around‑the‑flag effect after the American and Israeli attack in June.

Israeli officials have told the administration that while they fully support regime change in Iran, they fear outside military intervention now may not finish the job protesters have begun. They have suggested alternative US actions to further weaken the regime and bolster demonstrators before considering larger strikes.

Possible steps include improving communications access for Iranians to bypass the regime’s internet blackout, increasing economic sanctions, launching a cyberattack, or carrying out highly targeted military action against specific Iranian leaders, the sources said.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment.

A White House official said in a statement that “All options are at President Trump’s disposal to address the situation in Iran. The president listens to a host of opinions on any given issue, but ultimately makes the decision he feels is best."


More:  https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420869

[Cyber Liberty]

It appears to be off for tonight.  Too bad, I was hoping the killing of unarmed civilians would stop tonight.   

[verga]

Yeah...they are running out of time....first light is only 2hrs away?

My guess is they are waiting for the New Moon phase. That is what they did during Gulf war I.

[mystery-ak]

Grenell: If Iranian Regime Survives Current Situation, They’ll ‘Survive Anything’

Ian Hanchett 14 Jan 2026

On Wednesday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell stated that if the Iranian regime survives the current situation, “I think they can survive anything.” And he hasn’t seen anything like what we’re currently seeing in his lifetime.

Host Rob Schmitt asked, “You’re not a regime change guy. I know this of you, but can you — no matter how it happens, is the world a better place if that regime falls and those people are liberated from it?”

Grenell answered, “I love the America first, let’s not do regime change type of policies. If there is one country that deserves regime change that you could convince me on pretty fast, it’s Iran.”

Schmitt then asked, “Do you think that regime is still in power in a week, in a month?”

Grenell answered, “Well, I’ll say this, that if they survive this, I think they can survive anything. This is the moment, and everybody feels it. I think we — in my lifetime, I haven’t seen anything like this.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/01/14/grenell-if-iranian-regime-survives-current-situation-theyll-survive-anything/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Republicans, Democrats say no to US military strike against Iran as Trump mulls action: poll
Fox News, Jan 14, 2026

Democrats and Republicans are united in opposing U.S. military strikes against Iran to retaliate for the killing of protesters amid a wave of massive demonstrations against the Iranian government in recent weeks, according to a new national poll.

Seventy percent of voters questioned in a new Quinnipiac University survey said they think the U.S. should not get involved militarily in Iran, with 18% saying the U.S. should take military action.

The vast majority of Independents (80%-11%) and Democrats (79%-7%), as well as a majority of Republicans (53%-35%) said the U.S. should not get involved if protesters in Iran are killed while demonstrating against the regime.

The poll, conducted Jan. 9–12, comes as President Donald Trump has turned up the heat on the regime in Tehran, threatening strikes on Iran if its forces continue to kill demonstrators.

More:  https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-democrats-say-no-u-s-military-strike-against-iran-trump-mulls-action-poll

[Cyber Liberty]

Quinnipiac 

That said, I don't want boots on the ground, either....

[verga]

Quinnipiac 

That said, I don't want boots on the ground, either....

I am fine with airstrikes, then let Israel go in to mop things up.

[mystery-ak]

Sen. Graham: Reports Trump backed down from Iran action 'beyond inaccurate, stay tuned'
US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) refuted reports that President Donald Trump was backing down from US action in Iran.
Jan 15, 2026, 4:15 PM (GMT+2)

US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) refuted reports on Thursday that President Donald Trump was backing down from US action in Iran.

"All the headlines like these are examples of reporting that are beyond inaccurate," Graham wrote on X.

"The circumstances around the necessary, decisive action to be taken against the evil Iranian regime have nothing to do with President Trump’s will or determination. Nothing could be further from the truth. Quite the opposite. Stay tuned," he added.

While at one point on Wednesday, tensions seemed to be at their highest and US action in Iran seemed imminent, as night fell in Tehran, matters calmed as President Trump claimed that the killing of protesters had ceased.

"We have been notified pretty strongly that the killing in Iran is stopping, and there's no plan for executions or an execution," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

He noted that "I've been told that in good authority. We'll find out about it, I'm sure. If it happens, we'll be very upset."

more
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420958

[Cyber Liberty]

Trump could have been a Winston Churchill, this morning he looks more like a Jimmy Carter.  He's even impotent against a rogue state like Minnesota.  Pretty damned discouraging.

All threats and no action while thousands die.  Pam Bondi and William Barr aren't bugs...they're features.

 

[Wingnut]

Some speculate the Israelis have modified their F-35's  so to reach Iran without air refueling. Normally the F-35 has a range of 1350 miles.    It is about 1250 to Iran.

[verga]

Trump could have been a Winston Churchill, this morning he looks more like a Jimmy Carter.  He's even impotent against a rogue state like Minnesota.  Pretty damned discouraging.

All threats and no action while thousands die.  Pam Bondi and William Barr aren't bugs...they're features.

 

He is waiting for the Carrier group and this weekend when the moon will be in New Moon Phase.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Trump could have been a Winston Churchill, this morning he looks more like a Jimmy Carter.  He's even impotent against a rogue state like Minnesota.  Pretty damned discouraging.

Israel Watches Iran Protests Closely, but Is Wary of Intervening
Israel is unlikely to do much to try to precipitate a regime change in Iran, seeing the government as far from the brink of collapse and the current protests as insufficient to push it to that point.
NY Times, Jan 15, 2026

[...]

Israeli analysts predict that the current wave of demonstrations in Iran will be short-lived. The protesters lack leadership and the means to defend themselves, they said, pointing to reports this week that Iranian security forces had killed thousands of demonstrators.

“If there were millions of people on the street, it would be very difficult to stop them. You cannot kill everyone,” said Sima Shine, a veteran former Iran expert at Israel’s Mossad spy agency. “But we don’t see millions. We see thousands. And this regime knows how to handle that. Their first tool is to kill people, and to make sure that everybody knows that they’re killing.”

Israeli analysts say the protests are being suppressed in part by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its volunteer militia, the Basij.

Both are highly motivated to defend the existing power structure because their fates are tied to that of the government, which has brutalized the Iranian people for years, said Zohar Palti, formerly the head of the Mossad’s intelligence directorate.

“If the regime changes, they’re dead,” he added. “That’s the reason they’re killing people in the streets.”

A successful uprising would require a well-organized opposition capable of keeping pressure on Iran even in the face of sustained, violent repression, said Eyal Hulata, who was Israel’s national security adviser from 2021 to 2023.

“This is something that is lacking in Iran, and this is the main reason why everyone is a bit skeptical that this might actually succeed,” he said.

More:  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/world/middleeast/israel-iran-protests-netanyahu.html

Trump delays Iran strikes as aides and Israel raise concerns
Axios, Jan 16, 2026

[...]

Zoom in: Israeli officials are among those that have expressed reservations over the past 48 hours.

°. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Trump on Wednesday and asked him to wait to give Israel more time to prepare for possible Iranian retaliation, according to three U.S. sources and one Israeli source. The New York Times first reported on Netanyahu's request.

°  An Israeli source said that in addition to concerns about retaliation, the current U.S. plan includes strikes on security force targets in Iran, but is not seen by Israel as strong or effective enough to meaningfully destabilize the regime.


More:  https://www.axios.com/2026/01/15/trump-iran-strikes-israel-concern.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Trump could have been a Winston Churchill, this morning he looks more like a Jimmy Carter. ...  Pretty damned discouraging. All threats and no action while thousands die.  Pam Bondi and William Barr aren't bugs...they're features.

 

What do Bondi and Barr have to do with the thousands of dead Iranians?

[Cyber Liberty]

What do Bondi and Barr have to do with the thousands of dead Iranians?

She demonstrates the level of dithering we seem to be seeing here.  I will grant this is more complex than what we are seeing within our own country, in Minnesota.

[mystery-ak]

US sending military assets to Middle East as Trump weighs Iran strike, sources say
Fox News confirms through 'well-placed' US military sources that at least one aircraft carrier in motion toward Middle East
 By Jasmine Baehr , Jennifer Griffin Fox News
Published January 15, 2026 4:15pm EST

At least one U.S. aircraft carrier is being moved toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to build, military sources confirm to Fox News.

It is not yet clear whether the carrier is the USS Abraham Lincoln, currently operating in the South China Sea, or one of two carriers that departed Norfolk and San Diego earlier this week. Transit to the region is expected to take at least a week.

U.S. military assets from air, land and sea are expected to flow into the region in the coming days and weeks to provide the president with military options should he decide to carry out strikes against Iran, sources said.

The movements are part of what officials described as a process of "setting the force."

One well-placed source said if the president decides to carry out military action, "This will be different, more offensive." The source said U.S. military planners are preparing a range of options that would depend on how Iran’s regime acts in coming days.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-sending-military-assets-middle-east-trump-weighs-iran-strike-sources-say

[Cyber Liberty]

The protests against the Islamic regime will collapse before we can make a difference.  I am very disappointed that this appears to be failed uprising #5 in the past 7 years, at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.  Jimmy Carter's curse remains in effect.

Even the best President since Reagan isn't up to the task.  The Middle East will be in a shambles for more decades.  The window is closed.

[DB]

The protests against the Islamic regime will collapse before we can make a difference.  I am very disappointed that this appears to be failed uprising #5 in the past 7 years, at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.  Jimmy Carter's curse remains in effect.

Even the best President since Reagan isn't up to the task.  The Middle East will be in a shambles for more decades.  The window is closed.

And you can bet the killing will quietly continue out of sight.

Trump encouraged the people to rise up and that America had their back. Now he owns the result. Locked and loaded, not so much.

[Cyber Liberty]

And you can bet the killing will quietly continue out of sight.

Trump encouraged the people to rise up and that America had their back. Now he owns the result. Locked and loaded, not so much.

He'll go down as bad as Jimmy Carter if he fails all those Iranians who rose up, believing in Donald Trump.  All perceived gains in foreign policy (Gaza, Venezuela etc) will end up as ashes.

[Kamaji]

And you can bet the killing will quietly continue out of sight.

Trump encouraged the people to rise up and that America had their back. Now he owns the result. Locked and loaded, not so much.

Yup.

[Bigun]

He'll go down as bad as Jimmy Carter if he fails all those Iranians who rose up, believing in Donald Trump.  All perceived gains in foreign policy (Gaza, Venezuela etc) will end up as ashes.

As someone's tag line correctly suggests; "The Republic is lost!"

https://www.congress.gov/amendment/119th-congress/house-amendment/149

[DB]

I could use some good news for a change...

I need to stop getting upset at things I cannot control and start doing more things that I can (way behind on work).

[Bigun]

I could use some good news for a change...

I need to stop getting upset at things I cannot control and start doing more things that I can (way behind on work).

I'm afraid I can't help in the good news department.

https://twitter.com/Real_RobN/status/2011849304999412232

[Cyber Liberty]

I could use some good news for a change...

I need to stop getting upset at things I cannot control and start doing more things that I can (way behind on work).

Don't look to Iran for good news.  The window closed last night.  7 years, 5 failed uprisings, tens of thousands of people inclined to be on our side dead.  The Curse of Jimmy Carter lives on.  So sad, what a waste, and the name of Donald Trump will be cursed in that benighted country.

[berdie]

Don't look to Iran for good news.  The window closed last night.  7 years, 5 failed uprisings, tens of thousands of people inclined to be on our side dead.  The Curse of Jimmy Carter lives on.  So sad, what a waste, and the name of Donald Trump will be cursed in that benighted country.

It would have been better if DJT didn't say "locked and loaded. Gotcha back". Disappointing for them and made us look weak.

[Bigun]

It would have been better if DJT didn't say "locked and loaded. Gotcha back". Disappointing for them and made us look weak.

Disappointing??? Try heartbreaking! I have abandoned all hope.

[mystery-ak]

It would have been better if DJT didn't say "locked and loaded. Gotcha back". Disappointing for them and made us look weak.

Yep...and *help is on the way*...

[Right_in_Virginia]

I am fine with airstrikes, then let Israel go in to mop things up.

Reports are Israel's getting cold feet @verga    Two reports below....

Israel Watches Iran Protests Closely, but Is Wary of Intervening
Israel is unlikely to do much to try to precipitate a regime change in Iran, seeing the government as far from the brink of collapse and the current protests as insufficient to push it to that point.
NY Times, Jan 15, 2026

[...]

Israeli analysts predict that the current wave of demonstrations in Iran will be short-lived. The protesters lack leadership and the means to defend themselves, they said, pointing to reports this week that Iranian security forces had killed thousands of demonstrators.

“If there were millions of people on the street, it would be very difficult to stop them. You cannot kill everyone,” said Sima Shine, a veteran former Iran expert at Israel’s Mossad spy agency. “But we don’t see millions. We see thousands. And this regime knows how to handle that. Their first tool is to kill people, and to make sure that everybody knows that they’re killing.”

Israeli analysts say the protests are being suppressed in part by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its volunteer militia, the Basij.

Both are highly motivated to defend the existing power structure because their fates are tied to that of the government, which has brutalized the Iranian people for years, said Zohar Palti, formerly the head of the Mossad’s intelligence directorate.

“If the regime changes, they’re dead,” he added. “That’s the reason they’re killing people in the streets.”

A successful uprising would require a well-organized opposition capable of keeping pressure on Iran even in the face of sustained, violent repression, said Eyal Hulata, who was Israel’s national security adviser from 2021 to 2023.

“This is something that is lacking in Iran, and this is the main reason why everyone is a bit skeptical that this might actually succeed,” he said.

More:  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/world/middleeast/israel-iran-protests-netanyahu.html

Trump delays Iran strikes as aides and Israel raise concerns
Axios, Jan 16, 2026

[...]

Zoom in: Israeli officials are among those that have expressed reservations over the past 48 hours.

°. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Trump on Wednesday and asked him to wait to give Israel more time to prepare for possible Iranian retaliation, according to three U.S. sources and one Israeli source. The New York Times first reported on Netanyahu's request.

°  An Israeli source said that in addition to concerns about retaliation, the current U.S. plan includes strikes on security force targets in Iran, but is not seen by Israel as strong or effective enough to meaningfully destabilize the regime.


More:  https://www.axios.com/2026/01/15/trump-iran-strikes-israel-concern.

[Cyber Liberty]

@Right_in_Virginia Donald Trump betrayed Iran. 

[berdie]

@Right_in_Virginia Donald Trump betrayed Iran.

It certainly appears that way.

[rustynail]

Islam and the Democrats seem to be the winners.  Kind of depressing.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Netanyahu had been very pro action in Iran ... Even discussing our involvement with Trump and Rubio at Mar_a_Lago at the end of December.  His apparent new position is a 180 from where he had been just days ago ...

https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/2010404031575830669

[Right_in_Virginia]

@Right_in_Virginia Donald Trump betrayed Iran.

How?

[Right_in_Virginia]

Yep...and *help is on the way*...

Are you okay with the US taking military action against Iran alone @mystery-ak  --- our greatest ally has backed out.

[Cyber Liberty]

How?

You gotta be kidding me.  Maybe if you didn't put my my posts on ignore...m

[DCPatriot]

Come on people! 

He's a Lame Duck president for a country that doesn't deserve him. 

They surely don't appreciate him.  Next to Trump, Martin Luther King was a juvenile delinquent.

Bill Clinton's 8 years?  Barack Obama's '12 years'??

24 hours ago some of you acted like you were getting ready to play "CALL OF DUTY".  "Oh geez, look!  Airspace is closed in Iran!!"

Planes, trains and automobiles?  All headed to the Persian Gulf.

This hand isn't over yet.  What's the 4th card?  The "River"?? 

And the Mullah's haven't executed that young man...yet.  And I'll betcha Khomeni's son slept with one eye opened last night.

[Right_in_Virginia]

@mystery-ak  @berdie    ---  Trump's not the stumbling block ...... they are:

Netanyahu said to have asked Trump to hold off on striking Iran
Times of Israel, Jan 15, 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked US President Donald Trump to delay potential plans for an American strike on Iran, the New York Times reported Thursday, citing a senior US official. It said Netanyahu had requested that Trump “postpone any plans” for a military attack. The White House later confirmed that the two leaders had spoken by phone, but did not give details of the conversation.

Trump had threatened to strike Iran over its mass killings of protesters in anti-regime demonstrations that began two-and-a-half weeks ago. Iran has threatened to retaliate against Israel if attacked by the US.

Senior officials from American allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt have also been urging the Trump administration not to attack Iran over the past several days, a Gulf Arab official told the US newspaper, warning that such a move could trigger a wider regional conflict. Earlier reports indicated that leaders of the four Arab states led a coordinated effort to dissuade Trump from launching a strike.

Following the New York Times report, Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that, after a series of consultations at the Kirya military headquarters overnight, Israel informed the US that it is not currently pushing for a strike but will support any American decision.

The network added that a US attack remained on the table as Washington continued to assess the situation, citing five sources involved in or familiar with White House discussions on the matter.

According to the network, Israeli officials believe the protests are being suppressed and have declined dramatically, and there is a dispute within Israel’s top leadership regarding the approach toward Iran.

Former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, a Netanyahu confidant who played a central role in the Iran file before leaving his position last year, is advocating for a more hawkish approach and conveying this to the Americans, the report added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Thursday that Trump and Netanyahu spoke, but declined to provide details on what they discussed. The Prime Minister’s Office did not comment.


Lots more:  https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-said-to-have-asked-trump-to-hold-off-on-striking-iran/

[corbe]

  He's just as I said all along, a paper tiger that says pretty words for his base to chew on.

[corbe]

   Typical for you to divert/blame Isreal and away from Trump, RiV.

[mystery-ak]

Are you okay with the US taking military action against Iran alone @mystery-ak  --- our greatest ally has backed out.

Then tell Trump to keep his mouth shut and stop promising these people help from the US...they are all waiting, hoping that *help is on the way*..

[Cyber Liberty]

Then tell Trump to keep his mouth shut and stop promising these people help from the US...they are all waiting, hoping that *help is on the way*..

And for their trouble, thousands are dead. 

[MeganC]

X seems to be a sewer. Mountains of fake crap burying anything true.

TOS Isn't any better. 

[Cyber Liberty]

TOS Isn't any better. 

No, it isn't. I looked last night.