Iran protests demanding regime change against the clerical system headed by the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, entered their 13th day on January 9. Khamenei vowed to quell the protests as he dismissed the protesters as 'vandals' and 'saboteurs' in a speech. At least 50 people were killed, and over 2270 others have been detained.
The exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi of the Shah dynasty urged Trump to intervene. However, Khamenei called Trump an arrogant leader who, along with Israel, is responsible for over 1000 deaths in Iran during the US strikes in June 2025.