World Economic Forum invites Iranian foreign minister to Davos after regime slaughter of Iranian civilians
The World Economic Forum is facing calls to freeze out members of the Iranian regime from a summit in Davos this week.
The Iran watchdog group United Against Nuclear Iran sent a letter to WEF President Borge Brende on Friday urging the group not to invite any officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran. The group tells Fox News Digital that WEF did not respond to the letter, and instead the forum added an interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to the summit’s schedule on Sunday.
WEF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
UANI CEO Mark Wallace, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, cited human rights group reports regarding the mass slaughter of Iranian civilians by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime.
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE REVEALS 6-STEP PLAN TO EXERT PRESSURE ON TEHRAN’S REGIME
“Just this month, the Iranian regime has carried out what some believe to be the largest massacre in its history,” Wallace wrote to Brende. “Araghchi is a member of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), which reportedly issued an order to use live fire on Iranian civilians protesting. Estimates suggest the regime killed at least 12,000 and up to 20,000 Iranians over the course of a few days in January as they exercised their fundamental rights to demonstrate against the Ayatollah and his tyranny.”
“Hosting Iranian regime officials, such as Araghchi, who whitewash this record is deeply offensive and would be wholly inappropriate to platform at a Forum whose theme this year is ‘A Spirit of Dialogue.’ Instead of dialogue, the Islamic Republic offered bullets to these brave Iranians,” Wallace continued.
Iran’s supreme leader publicly acknowledged for the first time Saturday that thousands of people were killed during recent anti-government protests, according to reporting from the BBC.
TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP CREATES ‘RARE OPPORTUNITY’ FOR CHANGE IN IRAN, FORMER IRANIAN POLITICAL PRISONER SAYS
Khamenei made the remarks during a public address Saturday, blaming the U.S. for the unrest and violence and saying some protesters died “in an inhuman, savage manner.”
U.S.-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that more than 3,000 people were killed over roughly three weeks of unrest, though Iranian authorities have not released an official death toll and other estimates have been higher.
Videos authenticated by BBC Persian and BBC Verify show Iranian security forces firing on demonstrators during the unrest.
Trump told Politico on Saturday that “it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” after being read a series of hostile posts from Khamenei’s X account accusing the president of responsibility for the violence.
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“What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump said, according to Politico. “Leadership is about respect, not fear and death.”
Read Wallace’s full letter to the WEF below (App users click here)
Trump’s leadership creates ‘rare opportunity’ for change in Iran, former Iranian political prisoner says
Former Iranian political prisoner Navid Mohebbi said President Donald Trump’s strong stance in confronting the government of Iran has presented a rare and potentially historic opportunity for change, as protesters challenge what he described as one of the world’s most brutal governments.
Mohebbi argued that the scale of unrest inside Iran, combined with U.S. leadership he believes has already demonstrated a willingness to stand up to Tehran, has placed the country at a turning point, with consequences for Iran’s future, U.S. national security and global stability.
“What’s happening right now is a historical test, not just for Iran, but for the entire world,” Mohebbi said Saturday on “My View with Lara Trump,” arguing that Trump’s actions in the coming days could change the course of history.
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE REVEALS 6-STEP PLAN TO EXERT PRESSURE ON TEHRAN’S REGIME
“This is one of those moments that, in my opinion, will be written about for generations to come,” he added. “I think President Trump’s legacy is on the line here as well, and in the best possible way. I think his administration has a rare opportunity to redefine America’s global leadership by standing up with the people that are begging for freedom.”
He said Trump faces a rare, legacy-defining opportunity to both stand with Iranians seeking freedom and advance U.S. interests by “weakening a regime that funds terrorism, destabilizes the Middle East and threatens… global security, including President Trump’s life.”
IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ACKNOWLEDGES THOUSANDS KILLED AS TRUMP CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP: REPORTS
Mohebbi alleged that millions of Iranians had taken to the streets and that security forces had killed “more than 12,000 and up to 20,000 people.”
The U.S.-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that more than 3,000 people were killed over roughly three weeks of unrest, though Iranian authorities have not released an official death toll and nationwide internet shutdowns have made independent verification difficult.
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Mohebbi pointed to Trump’s past confrontations with Tehran, including the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani and more recent strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
“Today, Americans can really see why that mattered. If a regime is capable of slaughtering 20,000 of its own people, you can only imagine what it would do with a nuclear weapon.”
Iran’s supreme leader acknowledges thousands killed as Trump calls for new leadership: reports
Iran’s supreme leader has publicly acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during recent anti-government protests, according to reporting from the BBC, as President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric and called for new leadership in Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the remarks during a public address Saturday, blaming the U.S. for the unrest and violence and saying some protesters died “in an inhuman, savage manner,” the BBC reported.
The protests, which began in late December over economic conditions, later expanded into calls for an end to Iran’s ruling system.
U.S.-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates that more than 3,000 people were killed over roughly three weeks of unrest, though Iranian authorities have not released an official death toll.
According to the BBC, nationwide internet shutdowns have made independent verification difficult, with connectivity dropping to roughly 2% of normal levels, citing data from cyber monitoring group NetBlocks.
A ‘TEAR DOWN THE WALL’ MOMENT IN IRAN WILL DAMAGE BOTH THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC — AND CHINA
Videos authenticated by BBC Persian and BBC Verify show Iranian security forces firing on demonstrators during the unrest.
Trump told Politico on Saturday that “it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” after being read a series of hostile posts from Khamenei’s X account accusing the president of responsibility for the violence.
“What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump said, according to Politico. “Leadership is about respect, not fear and death.”
TOP IRANIAN GENERAL THREATENS TO ‘CUT OFF’ TRUMP’S HAND OVER POTENTIAL MILITARY STRIKES
Trump went further in personal terms, telling Politico, “The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.”
“His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership,” Trump added.
Trump has previously urged Iranians to continue protesting and “take over institutions,” saying that “help is on its way,” according to Politico. The president later said he had been informed that the killings had stopped.
“The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago,” Trump told Politico, when asked about the scope of potential U.S. military action.
In a series of X posts, Khamenei accused Trump of responsibility for the violence, writing, “We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation.”
In another post, Khamenei claimed, “The US’s goal is to devour Iran.”
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Trump has said in recent days he was looking at “very strong options,” including possible military involvement.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Lindsey Graham speaks against pending execution of 26-year-old Iranian protester: ‘This regime must fall’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is calling for the end of the Iranian regime amid ongoing protests and as the country holds its breath to see whether a 26-year-old protester will be executed, something President Donald Trump has said could trigger U.S. intervention.
“I read with great sadness and heartache about the pending execution of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old shopkeeper. He is facing death at the hands of the ayatollah simply for protesting in the street for a better life. His family is calling on the world to come to their son’s aid,” Graham wrote in a post on X along with an article about Soltani.
“I hope and pray that the execution does not go forward and this young man does not forfeit his life because he wants to live in freedom without fear,” the senator added. “This regime must fall, and the Iranian people must have a better life.”
Graham said that he believes if the regime falls and the “murderous ayatollah running Iran” is gone, the impact on the region “would be incredibly positive.” He also warned, however, that if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were to remain in power, it would be “a giant step backward into the darkness.”
LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR US TO USE ‘ANY MEANS NECESSARY’ TO STOP THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE KILLING OF IRANIANS
Soltani’s story has spread in recent days as the unrest in Iran continues.
The 26-year-old was arrested in Fardis and was sentenced to death after an expedited trial, according to ABC News, which cited Soltani’s second cousin, Somayeh.
“As someone who is an activist myself and who has fought this regime for many years, I felt it was my right — and my duty — to be Erfan’s voice outside the country despite all the pressure and sanctions that fall on families,” Somayeh, who is based in Germany, told ABC News.
Iranians began protesting in late December amid worsening economic conditions. Earlier this month, the regime instituted a nationwide internet blackout, blocking demonstrators from contacting each other or the outside world amid international fears that protesters would be met with violence and death.
TOP IRAN PRAYER LEADER WHO DUBBED PROTESTERS ‘TRUMP’S SOLDIERS’ CALLS FOR EXECUTIONS AMID ONGOING UNREST
On Jan. 2, just days after the protests erupted, Trump said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and ready to take action if the regime used violence against demonstrators. One day after the threat was made, the U.S. captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, adding weight to Trump’s words, though no known action has been taken yet.
Trump claimed Wednesday the administration was told “on good authority” that the killing in Iran had stopped.
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it’s stopped and stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “So, I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about it.”
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On Friday, he seemed to double down on the idea that the regime had stopped using violence when he issued a Truth Social post saying Iran had canceled over 800 scheduled hangings.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The fate of Soltani remains unclear, as does the prospect of U.S. intervention in Iran.
Former Iranian prisoners reveal torture horrors as regime kills protesters on sight during crackdown
As protests spread across Iran and security forces intensify their crackdown, former political prisoners are warning that what is visible on the streets represents only a fraction of the violence unfolding behind prison walls.
In interviews with Fox News Digital, three former detainees described a system designed not just to punish dissent, but to break it through solitary confinement, beatings, medical neglect and threats of execution.
Their accounts span nearly two decades, from the 2009 uprising to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and the current wave of unrest, pointing to what they describe as a consistent and escalating pattern of abuse.
Maryam Shariatmadari, one of the faces of the “Girls of Revolution Street” protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, was sentenced to one year in prison in March 2018 for what authorities described as “encouraging corruption by removing her hijab.”
IRANIAN STUDENT SHOT IN HEAD AT CLOSE RANGE AMID PROTESTS, BODY BURIED ALONG ROADSIDE
Speaking this week, Shariatmadari said the scale of the current protests has pushed the regime beyond its capacity to detain demonstrators.
“According to the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic … are delivering ‘final shots’ to wounded protesters, killing them on the spot,” she said. “This has been unprecedented over the past 47 years and indicates that the number of detainees has become so large that the Islamic Republic no longer has the capacity to hold them and is killing them without any form of trial.”
She said that while detainees in earlier uprisings were transferred to prisons or unofficial “safe houses,” authorities expanded detention during the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests to schools, ambulances and food transport vehicles.
“They used ambulances and food transport vehicles to detain protesters, something I believe to be unprecedented in human history,” Shariatmadari said.
IRAN PROTESTS SPARK REGIME SURVIVAL QUESTION AS EXILED DISSIDENT SAYS IT FEELS LIKE A ‘REVOLUTION’
She described systematic abuse Inside detention centers.
“These include beatings, transfers to prisons without separation based on the type of offense and the deliberate incitement of other inmates to harass and abuse us,” she said.
One of her most traumatic experiences occurred during interrogation.
“I was ordered to remove my clothes and remain completely naked for a body search while cameras were present,” Shariatmadari said. “I knew that men were watching me, and I could hear their voices.”
She also recalled being denied urgent medical care after an injury.
“Only after approximately 24 hours was I taken to a hospital to undergo surgery,” she said. “I believe this happened as a result of media pressure and public support.”
IRAN FLIPS ‘KILL SWITCH’ TO HIDE ALLEGED CRIMES AS DEATH TOLL RISES AMID PROTESTS
Eight hours a day, blindfolded
Shariatmadari’s husband, Mehdi Ghadimi, a freelance journalist who worked with reformist newspapers Etemad and Shargh, was arrested in January 2023 during protests and taken to an undisclosed location. He spent nearly his entire detention in solitary confinement.
“I was interrogated twice daily, morning and afternoon, for eight hours with my eyes blindfolded,” Ghadimi said.
In the final days of his detention, he was transferred to a shared cell, where he encountered detainees from across Iranian society.
“I encountered students, workers, technical specialists and others who had been arrested during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement,” he said.
According to Ghadimi, detainees accused of supporting the Pahlavi dynasty were beaten more severely.
“Because their slogans and symbols supported the Pahlavi dynasty, they were beaten far more than the others,” he said.
Based on his experience, he warned that current detainees are likely to face even harsher treatment.
“I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment,” Ghadimi said, adding that Iran’s judiciary chief has publicly signaled a hard line.
Ghadimi, who fled the country in 2024, also cited figures circulating among activists claiming well over the 2,600 detainees reported, likely dwarfing that number. He said the number of detainees is likely far higher than the 10,000 reported.
IRAN REGIME SAID TO UNLEASH HEZBOLLAH AND IRAQI MILITIAS AS UPRISING SPREADS
“On the other side of those bars is hell”
Shabnam Madadzadeh, who was imprisoned during the 2009 uprising, said watching the current protests has revived memories of extreme brutality and raised fears of mass executions.
“What immediately comes to my mind is the regime’s sheer brutality in torture and killing,” Madadzadeh said.
She said detention centers were already overflowing during the 2009 protests.
“There was no space left for detainees. Even the solitary cells were overflowing with people,” she said.
Madadzadeh recalled interrogators accusing nearly everyone arrested of links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq and described torture and beatings “to the point of killing.”
One threat made during her interrogation still haunts her.
“He told me, ‘If we are going to be overthrown, we will kill all of you. We will leave no one alive,’” she said.
She warned that the current internet blackout has heightened the danger for detainees.
“We truly do not know what level of brutality is currently taking place inside the prisons,” Madadzadeh said, adding that information reaching her suggests the regime is seeking to carry out executions quickly.
Citing Iran’s past, she warned of the risk of mass killings similar to the 1988 executions of political prisoners.
“Today, at a moment when the regime is on the brink of collapse, there is a real danger that such a massacre could be repeated,” she said.
Madadzadeh said young detainees are likely facing forced confessions, mock executions and threats of sexual violence.
“Whatever I do to you, no one will hear your voice,” an interrogator once told her, she recalled.
She also emphasized the suffering of families searching for loved ones.
“Families are moving between detention centers, prisons, morgues and cemeteries,” she said. “This uncertainty itself is the greatest form of torture.”
As the protests continue, all three former prisoners said the outside world must not look away.
IRANIAN REGIME TARGETING STARLINK USERS IN BID TO SQUASH LEAKING PROTEST FOOTAGE
“The first thing I expect the free world to understand is the true voice of the people inside Iran,” Shariatmadari said. “The people of Iran are united in their demand for regime change and want to restore Iran to its former dignity, a dignity in which human rights and human worth were respected.”
Ghadimi echoed that warning.
“Without a doubt, when the regime displays such open violence in the streets, even worse atrocities occur behind prison walls,” he said. “I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment.”
For Madadzadeh, the danger is immediate.
“The world must respond decisively to this brutality,” she said. “Every minute of delay costs lives.”
She called for international action.
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“Force the regime to allow independent visits to prisons and to the secret detention centers run by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence,” Madadzadeh said. “Lives depend on it.”
Together, their testimony paints a stark picture of Iran’s prisons as the hidden front line of repression and a warning that what remains unseen may be even more deadly than what is already visible in the streets.
Jeb Bush heaps praise on Trump’s ‘unprecedented support’ for Iranians 10 years after heated primary
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush credited his former political foe President Donald Trump‘s “historic leadership” on pushing for a denuclearized and democratized Iran, saying that his current organization — United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) — stands ready to help Trump and the people of Iran against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
With Trump’s emergence into presidential politics in 2015, he found his top rival in the former Florida governor, notably dubbing him “Low-Energy Jeb” — as the Republican scion hit back that the mogul could not “insult his way to the presidency.”
This week, détente appeared to emerge between the two as Bush heaped praise on Trump’s position after the president urged Iranian “patriots [to] keep protesting.”
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE APPEALS TO TRUMP AS IRAN PROTESTS MARK ‘DEFINING’ MOMENT
“Take over your institutions. Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
“President Trump continues to demonstrate historic leadership on Iran, with unprecedented support for the Iranian people as they face bullets for freedom. We at UANI join him in standing with the brave people of Iran.”
Bush leads UANI alongside former Ambassador Mark Wallace, the ex-husband of MS-NOW host Nicolle Wallace and a key diplomat in Bush’s brother’s White House.
FREED IRANIAN PRISONER SAYS, ‘IN TRUMP, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC HAS MET ITS MATCH’
“UANI applauds President Trump’s unprecedented support of the people of Iran as they fight to reclaim their country,” Bush and Wallace said in a statement.
“For far too long, the United States and the West have equivocated in expressing support for the people of Iran in the face of the Ayatollah’s violence and repression.”
“President Trump’s post made clear that no longer will the United States and the West lack the moral clarity to support the people of Iran as they face bullets for freedom. That change is historic.”
TRUMP CREDITS IRAN NUCLEAR STRIKES FOR KICKSTARTING ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL
Trump has been praised for taking a harder line than recent presidents against Iran, cancelling talks with Tehran leaders after reports surfaced that they were shooting and killing protesters in the streets.
“UANI joins with President Trump and stands with the brave people of Iran in their struggle against the Ayatollah,” Bush and Wallace added.
Their group is a nonprofit, nonpartisan one, formed to combat threats posed by Iran.
POMPEO SAYS IRANIAN REGIME HAS ARRIVED AT ‘NATURAL TERMINUS’: ‘LET’S NOT WASTE THIS HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY’
The tenor between the two Republican stalwarts is a marked change from the turbulent 2016 sweeps.
At the time, Trump often mocked Bush for his family’s involvement in the race, reportedly saying, “Your mom can’t help you with ISIS” after former first lady Barbara Bush cut a campaign ad for her son.
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“Donald is great at the one-liners,” Bush quipped during a 2015 debate. “But he’s a chaos candidate.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the two leaders’ new common ground.
On Iran, a senior administration official said the administration supports the people of Iran against the regime’s continued human rights abuses and authoritarian repression, and that the regime is one of the world’s worst violators of human rights, oppressing its people to maintain its grip on power.
Khamenei calls Trump a ‘criminal,’ blames him for deadly protests sweeping Iran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday lashed out at President Donald Trump, labeling him a “criminal” and accusing the U.S. of orchestrating unrest that has erupted into the deadliest protests in decades.
“The latest anti-Iran sedition was different in that the U.S. President personally became involved,” Iranian media quoted Khamenei as saying, per Reuters.
The statement is the latest Iranian government rhetoric blaming the U.S. for contributing to instability in Iran, with Tehran singling out Trump as a central figure in what it calls foreign-driven unrest. The regime has also been pointing fingers at Israel.
Protests have raged in Iran since late December, initially over economic problems but rapidly expanding into widespread anti-regime demonstrations. Demonstrators have been met with severe crackdowns by security forces.
TOP IRANIAN GENERAL THREATENS TO ‘CUT OFF’ TRUMP’S HAND OVER POTENTIAL MILITARY STRIKES
Human rights groups say thousands of protesters have been killed in the unrest. Reports from various groups say Khamenei was responsible for a crackdown that killed thousands of protesters. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran on Friday put the death toll at 3,090.
The number, which exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution, continues to rise.
Meanwhile, Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi told Bret Baier on “Special Report” on Monday that a minimum of 12,000 people were dead.
Trump has expressed support for Iranian protesters and talked about regime change, while some Republican lawmakers have openly urged Trump to consider military action.
LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR US TO USE ‘ANY MEANS NECESSARY’ TO STOP THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE KILLING OF IRANIANS
The president said on Tuesday that he had cut off meetings with the Iranian regime, saying there would be no contact until the government stops killing protesters. He also urged the Iranian people to “take over” the country.
When asked if Arab and Israeli officials “convinced” him to not strike Iran, Trump told reporters Friday that he convinced himself and cited the canceled hangings.
Trump also expressed similar sentiments on social media Friday.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been canceled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
It is unclear whom Trump spoke to in Iran to confirm the state of any planned executions. The statement echoes what White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday about the canceled executions. She maintained that all options remained on the table when it comes to dealing with Iran.
“What I will say with respect to Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences,” Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “And the president received a message as he revealed to all of you and the whole world yesterday that the killing and the executions will stop. And the president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted.”
It’s unclear from Trump’s post if he was referring to the 800 executions that were already canceled or whether there have been two consecutive days when 800 executions have been called off.
Meanwhile, a sermon by Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami carried by Iranian state radio sparked chants from those gathered for prayers, including: “Armed hypocrites should be put to death!”
Khatami, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council long known for his hardline views, described the protesters as the “butlers” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Trump’s soldiers,” according to The Associated Press.
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He said Netanyahu and Trump should await “hard revenge from the system.”
“Americans and Zionists should not expect peace,” the cleric said.
Georgian demonstrators watch Iran closely as their own protests grind on
While thousands of Iranians take to the streets daily demanding the downfall of the Islamic Republic, people in the small European country of Georgia, along Russia’s southern border, have been protesting at various levels of intensity for over a year following disputed parliamentary elections in 2024.
Everyday Georgians who are still braving freezing temperatures and allegations of violence by the authorities are looking at their peers fighting for democracy in Iran and seeing their own struggle playing out against a corrupt and unpopular regime.
“When you walk through the demonstrations every day in Tbilisi, all people talk about is Iran. The heated debate over it shows how much it matters and how optimism is out on the streets due to developments despite controversies,” Tinatin Khidasheli, former defense minister of Georgia, told Fox News Digital.
IRAN’S ETHNIC MINORITIES COULD HOLD KEY TO REGIME’S FATE AS PROTESTS CONTINUE
“Developments in Iran resonate in a very human way: if people can challenge a far more despotic and violent regime, it reinforces the belief that resistance in Georgia is not futile,” Khidasheli added.
Mass protests began shortly after the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party claimed victory in elections in October 2024 and halted Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union.
Georgians have long desired to move closer to the West and join the European Union, with opinion polls showing overwhelming support for joining the bloc. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze halted Tbilisi’s accession path to join the EU shortly after taking power, sparking anger from many.
Tbilisi’s main Rustaveli Avenue has been crowded with protesters chanting and blocking traffic, outraged at the ruling party pulling Georgia away from Europe and closer to a Russian-oriented foreign policy.
FRANCE CONDEMNS IRAN PROTEST CRACKDOWN, WEIGHS SATELLITE INTERNET AID AMID BLACKOUT
Erekle Koplatadze, a 33-year-old from Tbilisi, has been participating in protests almost daily since November 2024. Koplatadze, who was detained for six days for allegedly blocking a road while protesting in November 2025, told Fox News Digital that there has been a feeling of solidarity with the protests in Iran since people rose up in December against economic mismanagement and regime corruption.
“You will see many Lion and Sun flags (Iran’s national flag until the 1979 Islamic Revolution) in front of Georgia’s Parliament. And there have been protests in front of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi,” Koplatadze said.
Koplatadze said the news coming out of Iran and the regime’s brutal violence employed against innocent people has shaken many Georgians in the crowd and a shared sense of empathy has emerged.
“I don’t remember such a big protest in Tbilisi in support of a foreign nation except for Ukraine,” he said.
Ana Riaboshenko, co-founder of the “Initiative Culture For Democracy” who attends protests on a regular basis, told Fox News Digital that developments in Iran directly affect Georgia, as well as all the countries in the region.
“Its transformation from a terrorist state to a democratic government will significantly change the situation and indeed contribute substantially to the global power balance and economy. A particularly positive outcome is expected with the collapse of the Russian-Iranian partnership.”
G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS
Riaboshenko pointed out that Russian-backed Georgian Dream representatives positioned themselves as partners with Tehran and bilateral relations and cooperation have increased since the rigged elections of 2024.
Civic IDEA, a Georgian NGO, issued a report in July 2025 detailing how Iranian businessmen and companies use Georgia as a strategic transit point to evade international sanctions and channel funds back to Iran.
Nearly 13,000 Iranian companies are registered in Georgia, according to the Civic IDEA report.
Marika Mikiashvili, Foreign Secretary of party Droa, part of the largest democratic alliance in Georgia, spoke to Fox News Digital and said while Georgians are in awe and very inspired by the bravery of Iranians, their struggle is a warning sign as much as it is profoundly inspiring.
“Many protesters see Iran as a cautionary tale of what happens when a consolidating dictatorship isn’t defeated soon enough,” Mikiashvili warned.
There have also been no statements of support for the pro-democracy protests from the Georgian Dream government or condemnation of security force human rights violations against innocent people.
As the Georgian Dream government entrenched itself in power, it implemented harsh anti-demonstration laws to crack down on dissent and used disproportionate force and other brutal tactics to squash the unrest.
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Human Rights Watch documented numerous laws that interfered with Georgians’ rights to peacefully assemble, including steep fines for protest-related violations and abusive police tactics as thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained.
Since Georgian Dream’s election, 600 people have been arbitrarily detained, 300 protesters were tortured or subjected to inhumane treatment, 1,000 citizens received fines for political opinions, and 400 journalists have been arrested, beaten, and harassed, according to Transparency International Georgia, a non-governmental organization with the goal of combating corruption in Georgia.
Madonna declares ‘I stand with Iran’ as protesters face brutal regime crackdown
Pop singer Madonna posted on Instagram Friday that she stands with Iran as the Iranian people protest Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“I cannot think of a more relevant phrase than this as we enter the year of the Fire Horse! As I reflect on my time in Morocco over the holidays I think of all the people in Iran who are fighting a much needed revolution and willing to die for what they believe in,” the 67-year-old singer shared in an Instagram post.
Madonna’s comments came amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, and as the Iranian people rise up against Khamenei’s brutal regime.
TRUMP CREDITS HALTED IRAN EXECUTIONS FOR HOLDING OFF MILITARY STRIKES
The protests stemmed from the cloistered Middle Eastern country’s economic crisis, which has become increasingly dire as the value of the Rial, Iran’s currency, has plummeted.
The regime has cracked down hard on the protesters, with state-sanctioned killings estimated to be in the thousands. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency announced that 1,847 of the dead were protesters and 135 were members of Iran’s security forces. Other reports say the death toll is more than 3,000 people, Fox News Digital previously reported.
EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE REVEALS 6-STEP PLAN TO EXERT PRESSURE ON TEHRAN’S REGIME
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been weighing military action to stop the slaughter of civilians. Iranian state television aired a vile threat against President Donald Trump earlier this week, referencing the 47th president’s near assassination while on the campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
As for whether military action is imminent, Trump remained noncommittal, reiterating that he is monitoring the situation.
TOP IRAN PRAYER LEADER WHO DUBBED PROTESTERS ‘TRUMP’S SOLDIERS’ CALLS FOR EXECUTIONS AMID ONGOING UNREST
Madonna explained further that she often takes her freedom for granted.
“We take so much for granted. Myself included. The freedom to travel the world. To wear what I want to wear. To ride a horse across the desert. To speak freely and not be silenced by punishment, torture, and possibly death. To sing. To dance. To choose my spiritual path, not someone else’s. The women of Iran do not have this freedom. I stand with them. The people of Iran have not known freedom for centuries. I cannot claim to truly know the suffering that has been endured, but my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Iran.”
“The time is now. Hold Tight! I stand with Iran. Let their voices be heard,” she concluded.
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Trump credits halted Iran executions for delaying military strikes
President Donald Trump signaled why he’s held off on military strikes on Iran amid nationwide protests after claiming the country had canceled executions for hundreds of Iranians.
When asked if Arab and Israeli officials “convinced” him to not strike Iran, Trump told reporters Friday he convinced himself and cited the canceled hangings. Trump also expressed similar sentiments on social media Friday.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social Friday.
The statement echoes what White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday about the canceled executions. She maintained that all options remained on the table when it comes to dealing with Iran.
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“What I will say with respect to Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences,” Leavitt told reporters Thursday.
“And the president received a message as he revealed to all of you and the whole world yesterday that the killing and the executions will stop. And the president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted.”
It’s unclear from Trump’s post if he was referring to the 800 executions that were already canceled or whether there have been two consecutive days when 800 executions have been called off.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on how many executions have been canceled or whether military strikes are completely off the table now.
Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations for additional comment but did not immediately receive a reply.
Protests broke out across Iran in December 2025 in response to the country’s economic hardships as well as a referendum against Iran’s theocratic regime.
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More than 2,000 people — including at least nine children — have died in the recent protests, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Tuesday.
Legendary basketball coach Bruce Pearl slams anti-Israel college protesters going silent on Iran
Legendary college basketball coach Bruce Pearl blasted far-left college protesters who’ve gone silent on the unrest in Iran after their outcry against Israel on Friday’s episode of the “Ruthless” podcast.
“Right now, you’ve got thousands of Iranians — women, men, they’re out there in the streets just asking for freedom and not have to live under this Islamic extremism insanity right now,” Pearl said on Friday’s installment of the “Ruthless” podcast.
“Where are the college protesters? Where are they?” Pearl asked. “On every Ivy League campus they ought to be ashamed of themselves for not being out there in the thousands.”
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The former Auburn Tigers head coach spoke about attending a rally this week in Washington, D.C., in support of female athletes as the Supreme Court heard arguments in a landmark case challenging trans athletes competing in women’s sports, telling the “Ruthless” hosts he was hoping there’d also be rallies in support of the Iranian protesters, which never materialized at the nation’s capital.
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“We’re afraid to teach. We’re afraid to have hard conversations,” Pearl said. “Because, at a university, we’ve got to teach both sides to this. Wait a second — you know what — sometimes there are both sides. Good versus evil. Right versus wrong. ‘But we want to be institutionally neutral.’ Really? It doesn’t work!”
He praised President Donald Trump, saying, “There’s never been a better president in my mind in the history of our country, especially with what he had inherited.”
“This world was a dangerous place. He’s just trying to make it safer,” Pearl said. “The Middle East is safer right now. Iran’s got a chance to be free. Assad is no longer in Syria. Hamas and those Gazans are no longer in prison. We’ve got a fighting chance here.”
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Pearl, who is Jewish and an outspoken supporter of Israel, said he gets “a lot of flak” for becoming more vocal with his beliefs, hearing from online trolls who tell him, “Go back to Israel.”
“I love this country. I’d give my life for this country,” Pearl said. “But at the same time, I can still love my Jewish ancestral homeland. I can still love my faith. It doesn’t make me less American. But it’s the argument you get.”
Catch the latest from “Ruthless” on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
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Exiled Iranian crown prince reveals 6-step plan to exert pressure on Tehran’s regime
Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi unveiled Friday a 6-step plan to exert pressure on the regime, which he declared “will fall, not if, but when.”
“My brave compatriots still holding the line with their broken bodies but unbreakable will, need your urgent help right now. Make no mistake, however, the Islamic Republic is close to collapse,” Pahlavi declared.
“Ali Khamenei and his thugs know this. That’s why they are lashing out like a wounded animal, desperate to cling to power,” he continued. “The people have not retreated. Their determination has made one thing clear. They are not merely rejecting this regime. They are demanding a credible new path forward. They have called for me to lead.”
Pahlavi said he has a comprehensive plan for an orderly transition and asked the international community to do six things, starting with protecting the Iranian people “by degrading the regime’s repressive capacity, including targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard leadership and its command-and-control infrastructure.”
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“Second, deliver and sustain maximum economic pressure on the regime, block their assets worldwide, target and dismantle their fleet of ghost [oil] tankers,” he said.
“Third, break through the regime’s information blockade by enabling unrestricted internet access. Deploy Starlink and other secure communications tools widely across Iran and conduct cyber operations to disable the regime’s ability to shut down the internet. Fourth, hold the regime accountable by expelling its diplomats from your capitals and pursue legal enforcement actions against those responsible for crimes against humanity,” Pahlavi continued.
“Fifth, demand the immediate release of all political prisoners. Six, prepare for a democratic transition in Iran by committing to recognize a legitimate transitional government when the moment comes,” he concluded.
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Pahlavi’s remarks came as President Donald Trump seemed to remain ambivalent about the possibility of Pahlavi taking over the country if the Islamic regime were to fall.
“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” Trump told Reuters during an interview on Wednesday. “And we really aren’t up to that point yet.
“I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me,” he added.
When Pahlavi was asked Friday by a reporter about how he plans to win Trump over, he said, “President Trump has said that it’s up to the Iranian people to decide, and I totally agree.”
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“I’ve always said it’s for the Iranian people to decide. And I think the Iranian people have already demonstrated in great numbers who it is that they want them to lead to this transition,” he added. “So I’m confident that I have the support of my compatriot. And as for the international leaders to assess the fact on the ground and see who is capable of doing that. I believe I can, and I have the Iranian people’s support.”
‘Worthless piece of crap’: GOP blasts DNC chief for equating Trump’s America with Iran’s repressive regime
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin is getting hammered by Republicans for comparing the United States under President Donald Trump to Iran’s Islamic theocracy, accusing both of showing “authoritarian behavior.”
The comments from Martin came amid protests in Minneapolis and across the nation in the wake of last week’s fatal shooting of a 37-year-old Minnesota woman and mother of three by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent and in the midst of a wave of massive demonstrations against Iran’s cleric-controlled government in recent weeks.
“From Tehran to my birthplace of Minneapolis, people are rising up against systems that wield violence without accountability. In Iran, brave protestors confront a far-right theocratic regime that crushes dissent and denies basic freedoms,” Martin wrote.
The DNC chair, a former longtime Minnesota state party chair, first made the comparison in a social media post last Sunday.
DNC CHAIR’S CONTROVERSIAL COMPARISON SPARKS BACKLASH
He added, “Here at home, tens of thousands are marching after the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good — demanding justice, transparency, and an end to an unchecked federal force that takes lives and tears families apart. Solidarity across borders means opposing authoritarian power everywhere and defending the right to live free from fear and state violence.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally in the Senate and a longtime proponent of a muscular U.S. foreign policy, bashed Martin.
“Number one, Ken Martin is a worthless piece of crap,” Graham charged in an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “Can you imagine this guy fighting for freedom? To compare President Trump and the Trump regime to the ayatollah means you got the worst case of Trump derangement syndrome in the world. Go to hell.”
The DNC chair, reacting to Graham’s attack, claimed the senator is “a sniveling coward and a Trump bootlicker who hasn’t had a strongly held conviction in decades. I will wear his condemnation as a badge of honor.”
And in an MS NOW interview earlier this week, Martin argued that “people are very concerned that basic rights and human rights in this country are being violated by its own government … this is now who we should be as America, but it’s unfortunately who we’ve become under this administration.”
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But Republican National Committee national press secretary Kiersten Pels claimed Friday in a statement to Fox News Digital that “this is a desperate ploy from a man who drove the DNC into financial ruin and political irrelevancy. Ken Martin is so unhinged that he’s comparing Tehran to Minneapolis and encouraging violent obstruction of federal law enforcement.”
Democrats are energized, thanks in large part to their pushback against Trump and his sweeping and unprecedented moves in his first year back in the White House. And Martin’s controversial comments appear to be getting a thumbs up from his own party.
“I think everyone is giving Ken a pass because he is from Minnesota and Minnesota has not been able to catch a break recently,” a DNC committee member who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital. “So this is very raw, very personal, and very hurtful for him.”
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Asked about Martin’s comparison, DNC committee member and longtime Democratic strategist Maria Cardona told Fox News Digital, “Ken Martin is not comparing Iran’s autocracy to Trump’s America. He is comparing Iran’s autocracy to Trump’s autocracy, specifically the absolute immunity Trump has given these lawless ICE agents, their lack of training, their being hired without background checks, and the $50,000 bonuses that guarantee that those ICE agents out there have no interest in and have no idea how to follow the law and how to properly and lawfully track down violent criminal undocumented immigrants.”
And veteran Democratic consultant Joe Caiazzo, asked about Martin’s comments, charged that “from the rhetoric deployed to policies enacted, and executive orders issued, it’s clear Donald Trump would love to be a dictator.”
A source at the DNC told Fox News Digital, “everyone is supporting the general gist of what he is saying.”
POLL: AMERICANS GIVE THUMBS DOWN TO POSSIBLE U.S. STRIKE ON IRAN
The conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board, in an opinion piece, criticized Martin.
“Overwrought rhetoric on domestic affairs is one thing. Yoking a false image of U.S. authoritarianism to the freedom struggle in Iran is morally obtuse. It’s a slur against his own country,” the board wrote in an opinion piece. “It also undermines the Iranian people, who count on the U.S. and call desperately for its help, to say that America is yet another murderous tyranny, comparable to their own. Mr. Martin essentially told Iranians that the U.S. is on the side of their regime.”
After Martin’s comparison sparked fiery backlash on social media, he doubled down.
“If comparing the U.S. to Iran makes you angry, ask why. Killing protesters. Crushing dissent. Kidnapping and disappearing legal citizens. Ignoring courts. Threatening critics. Terrorizing communities. That’s authoritarian behavior—anywhere. If you’re rushing to defend it, maybe the problem isn’t the comparison. Trump keeps pushing it, Americans aren’t buying it, and Minneapolis won’t be silent,” Martin said in an additional post on X.
PROGRESSIVE TALK TO ‘ABOLISH ICE’ SPARKS FRESH DIVIDE AMONG DEMOCRATS
The trio of national polls released this week indicated that a majority of Americans give a thumbs down to how ICE is carrying out Trump’s push for the mass deportation of millions of undocumented migrants. But there’s a wide partisan divide, with Republicans supportive of ICE and the president.
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Cardona emphasized that “Trump and ICE are losing public opinion over this, as a majority of Americans know that this should not happen in the United States of America.”
And Martin, in his appearance on MS NOW, argued that “if Donald Trump thinks what he’s doing in Minneapolis is going to improve his poll numbers, I think he has another thing coming.”
An ICE agent shot and killed Good last week during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials have said agents were attempting to make arrests when the woman tried to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers, prompting an ICE agent to fire in self-defense.
Top Democrats, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, criticized the federal account of the incident and rejected the claim that the officer acted in self-defense. Minnesota has since sued the Trump administration, claiming the immigration enforcement surge in the state is “unlawful” and “unprecedented.”
Good’s death sparked widespread protests in Minneapolis, where thousands of ICE agents are now dispatched, and across the nation, with demonstrators calling for changes to federal immigration enforcement.
Trump on Thursday warned that if Minnesota’s political leaders don’t stop what he argued were “professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place.”
Meanwhile, in Iran, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports at least 2,677 people have been killed in the protests. Other reports say the death toll is over 3,000, with the real number likely to be significantly higher.
The protests against Iran’s dire economic conditions, which have rapidly escalated in recent days, are seen as some of the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed the current system of clerical rule.
Secret Service aware after Iranian state TV airs Trump threat featuring photo of Butler assassination attempt
Iranian state television aired a vile threat against President Donald Trump earlier this week, referencing the 47th president’s near assassination while on the campaign trail in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
The clip showed a sign held by a demonstrator at a pro-Iranian regime gathering. The sign featured a now-iconic photo of Trump, standing on stage with a bloodied ear after being grazed by a bullet at the Butler campaign stop, while Secret Service agents rushed to his aid.
The caption below the photo, written in Farsi, said, “This time, it (the bullet) won’t miss,” according to i24 news correspondent Amachia Stein, who posted a screenshot of the television clip on his X account.
The Secret Service confirmed that it is aware of the photo.
LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR US TO USE ‘ANY MEANS NECESSARY’ TO STOP THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE KILLING OF IRANIANS
At the Pennsylvania rally, Trump turned his head a split-second before the bullet struck him, avoiding what could have been a deadly shot. In defiance of his protective detail, he stood up and raised his fist, yelling, “Fight, fight, fight,” before being scuttled off the stage.
The threat comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, and as the Iranian people rise up against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s brutal regime.
The protests stemmed from the cloistered Middle Eastern country’s economic crisis, which has become increasingly dire as the value of the Rial, Iran’s currency, has plummeted.
The regime has cracked down hard on the protesters, with state-sanctioned killings estimated to be in the thousands.
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The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency announced that 1,847 of the dead were protesters and 135 were members of Iran’s security forces. Other reports say the death toll is more than 3,000 people, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been weighing military action to stop the slaughter of civilians.
“I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump posted to Truth Social Tuesday.
TOP IRANIAN GENERAL THREATENS TO ‘CUT OFF’ TRUMP’S HAND OVER POTENTIAL MILITARY STRIKES
At least one U.S. aircraft carrier has been moved to the region, military sources told Fox News Digital. Those same sources said missile defense systems are expected to be deployed in the region to protect U.S. and allied military bases.
On Thursday afternoon, Trump told the media that “very important sources on the other side” informed him that Iran has halted the execution of protesters, but said he is keeping an eye on the situation.
On Friday, the president announced on TRUTH Social that hundreds of scheduled executions had been halted.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” he said in a midday post.
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As for whether military action is imminent, Trump remained noncommittal, reiterating that he is monitoring the situation.