Updated: January 14, 2026 10:57:27 am IST
Anti-government protests have been taking place in Iran since late December in anger over the country’s deteriorating economy, and they soon targeted the theocracy as well.
Iran protest 2026 live updates: The Iranian government and US President Donald Trump are sparring over violent protests in Tehran as activists report that the death toll has risen to more than 2,500. Trump called on Iranians to “keep resisting” and told them that “help is on the way”. His remarks drew sharp criticism from Iran’s regime, which accused the US president of promoting political instability, inciting violence and threatening the country’s sovereignty.
Read this also What we know so far about the Iran protests and Trump’s comments
The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency reported early Wednesday that the death toll was at least 2,571. Iranian state television acknowledged that there had been “a lot of martyrs” in the country but did not give any specific figures.
Protests in Iran began in late December amid anger over the country’s poor economy and soon targeted the theocracy, particularly Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Several graffiti and chants in Tehran reportedly called for Khamenei’s death, which could carry the death penalty.
Iran protest key points
1. Trump on Iran: The US President urged Iranians to continue protesting and asked them to occupy their institutions. He told them that “help is coming”. Trump also called on the Iranian government to “show humanity” towards the protesters and condemned the deaths in the ongoing protests. He further warned that the US would respond strongly if Iranian authorities executed protesters amid the ongoing unrest in Iran. “we’ll take very strong action If they do something like that,” he told CBS News.
2. Iran accuses Trump: Tehran said Washington wanted to create an excuse for military intervention. Iran also accused the US President of promoting political instability, inciting violence and endangering the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security.
3. Trump, Netanyahu ‘chief killers’: Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded to Trump’s threats and said the US and Israel would be responsible for the deaths of Iranian civilians. “We declare the names of the main murderers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2- Netanyahu,” he said in a post on X.
4. Iran eases sanctions: The Iranian government has eased some restrictions for people, allowing them to make phone calls to foreign countries for the first time. However, people told The Associated Press that SMS text messaging service is still down, leaving Internet users unable to access content from other countries. It remained unclear whether the regime would ease further restrictions.
5. Starlink Service in Iran: Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s satellite internet provider Starlink is now offering free service in Iran, the AP reported on Wednesday, citing activists. Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped bring the units to Iran, said the free service has begun. Starlink has reportedly become the only way for Iranians to communicate with people outside the country after authorities shut down the internet on Thursday night amid growing protests across the country.
…read more
Read this also What we know so far about the Iran protests and Trump’s comments
The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency reported early Wednesday that the death toll was at least 2,571. Iranian state television acknowledged that there had been “a lot of martyrs” in the country but did not give any specific figures.
Protests in Iran began in late December amid anger over the country’s poor economy and soon targeted the theocracy, particularly Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Several graffiti and chants in Tehran reportedly called for Khamenei’s death, which could carry the death penalty.
Iran protest key points
1. Trump on Iran: The US President urged Iranians to continue protesting and asked them to occupy their institutions. He told them that “help is coming”. Trump also called on the Iranian government to “show humanity” towards the protesters and condemned the deaths in the ongoing protests. He further warned that the US would respond strongly if Iranian authorities executed protesters amid the ongoing unrest in Iran. “we’ll take very strong action If they do something like that,” he told CBS News.
2. Iran accuses Trump: Tehran said Washington wanted to create an excuse for military intervention. Iran also accused the US President of promoting political instability, inciting violence and endangering the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security.
3. Trump, Netanyahu ‘chief killers’: Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded to Trump’s threats and said the US and Israel would be responsible for the deaths of Iranian civilians. “We declare the names of the main murderers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2- Netanyahu,” he said in a post on X.
4. Iran eases sanctions: The Iranian government has eased some restrictions for people, allowing them to make phone calls to foreign countries for the first time. However, people told The Associated Press that SMS text messaging service is still down, leaving Internet users unable to access content from other countries. It remained unclear whether the regime would ease further restrictions.
5. Starlink Service in Iran: Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s satellite internet provider Starlink is now offering free service in Iran, the AP reported on Wednesday, citing activists. Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped bring the units to Iran, said the free service has begun. Starlink has reportedly become the only way for Iranians to communicate with people outside the country after authorities shut down the internet on Thursday night amid growing protests across the country.
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January 14, 2026 10:57:27 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Starlink offers free service amid internet shutdown
Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s satellite internet provider Starlink is now offering free service in Iran amid the country’s internet shutdown, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, citing activists.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped bring the units to Iran, said the free service has begun.
Starlink has reportedly been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests grew and turned violent.
January 14, 2026 10:54:35 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Trump urges Iranian government to show ‘humanity’
Donald Trump was consulting with his national security team on Tuesday about the steps as he tried to better understand the death toll from the unrest in Iran.
He said he believed the killing was “significant”, adding that his administration would “act accordingly”. Trump also said he believed the Iranian government was “misbehaving badly.”
The US president called on Tehran to “show humanity”. He said, “They have a big problem. I hope they don’t kill people.”
January 14, 2026 10:52:21 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Iran accuses Trump of inciting violence
Iran has also accused US President Donald Trump of promoting political instability, inciting violence and endangering the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security. Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeed Iravani wrote to the UN Security Council and said, “The United States and the Israeli regime bear direct and undeniable legal responsibility for the loss of innocent civilian lives, particularly among the youth.”
January 14, 2026 10:49:45 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Iran says US looking for ‘excuse for military intervention’
The Iranian government on Tuesday accused the United States of trying to create an excuse for military intervention, after US President Donald Trump threatened “strong action” over the deadly crackdown on protesters.
“US fantasies and policy toward Iran are rooted in regime change, with sanctions, threats, engineered unrest, and chaos serving as a pretext for military intervention,” Iran’s UN mission posted on Twitter. Iran vowed that Washington’s “playbook” would “fail again”.
January 14, 2026 10:45:15 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Trump tells Iranians to ‘keep protesting’, ‘occupy institutions’
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Iranians to “continue to protest” and “occupy their institutions”.
In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “Iranian patriots, keep protesting – occupy your institutions!!! Save the names of the murderers and abusers. They will pay a high price. I have canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is on its way. Miga!!! President Donald J. Trump.”
January 14, 2026 10:43:50 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Death toll rises to 2,571, US-based rights group says
US-based human rights activists New Agency said the verified death toll in Iran protests has risen to 2,571, the Associated Press reports.
January 14, 2026 10:35:14 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Trump warns of ‘very strong action’ if Tehran executes protesters
US President Donald Trump warned that Iranian authorities would take “very strong action” if they continued executing some protesters.
“When they start killing thousands of people — and now you’re telling me about executions. We’ll see how that works out for them,” Trump told CBS News. He said the US would “take very strong action” if they did anything like this.
January 14, 2026 10:29:53 am First
Iran protests 2026 live: Iranian government eases some restrictions, people able to make calls abroad
Amid ongoing protests and violence, the Iranian government has finally eased some restrictions on its people, allowing them to make phone calls abroad for the first time in several days. However, restrictions on Internet service and text messaging have not yet been lifted.
