Iran descended into intense civil unrest on Sunday and Monday as a catastrophic economic collapse set off widespread protests and strikes throughout Tehran.
The demonstrations center on the historic collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial. “Iran’s rial on Sunday plunged to 1.42 million to the dollar. On Monday, it traded at 1.38 million rials to the dollar,” the Associated Press reported. This depreciation, marked by a 7 percent single-day drop, effectively paralyzed commerce and fueled triple-digit inflation for essential goods.
The protests began on Sunday in Tehran’s commercial hubs, including the Grand Bazaar, the mobile phone markets of Alaeddin and Charsou, and the Lalehzar electrical district. By Monday, the movement gained significant momentum as thousands of merchants shuttered their shops in a coordinated strike against economic mismanagement and the skyrocketing cost of living.
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Demonstrators marched through the streets, chanting “Shut it down, shut it down” and “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid—we are all together,” while calling on security forces to join the people. In some areas, the state responded with force, using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, while students at Amir Kabir University launched hunger strikes in solidarity.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today in Tehran, shopkeepers poured into the streets because their money is becoming worthless. They are protesting the collapse of Iran’s currency but this is how dictatorships crack. 
When daily survival becomes impossible, fear changes sides.
In 2019, economic collapse turned… <a href="https://t.co/jGa9DXJ0nh">pic.twitter.com/jGa9DXJ0nh</a>
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/2005604123975020765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Iran: Public protests in Iran continue to grow as Iranians fill Khayyam street in protest of the Islamic regime in Iran. <a href="https://t.co/tkJwVf8YVe">pic.twitter.com/tkJwVf8YVe</a>
&mdash; Emily Schrader &#8211; אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) <a href="https://twitter.com/emilykschrader/status/2005602878497735152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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People are flooding into the streets of Iran right now. Amazing to witness.
 <a href="https://t.co/Ifu8FwAJxF">pic.twitter.com/Ifu8FwAJxF</a>
&mdash; 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) <a href="https://twitter.com/NiohBerg/status/2005612123926511806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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🚨 Iran: Expansion of protests in Tehran &#8211; large gatherings of demonstrators at several points across the city &#8211; protesting the economic situation. <a href="https://t.co/BWJQ8PdDD0">pic.twitter.com/BWJQ8PdDD0</a>
&mdash; Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) <a href="https://twitter.com/JewishWarrior13/status/2005589924331016348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The economic crisis is driven by a &#8220;perfect storm&#8221; of domestic and international pressures. Internally, the government faces an acute budget shortfall; officials admit that oil revenues for the year have already been exhausted, forcing the state to raid the National Development Fund. Lawmakers have also alleged massive corruption, reporting that $6.7 billion in oil revenue has been “lost” by entities affiliated with the Oil Ministry.
Externally, the restoration of “maximum pressure” by the Trump administration and the United Nations’ “snapback” of nuclear sanctions have crippled Tehran’s ability to access foreign currency. This diplomatic deadlock followed a major military escalation in June 2025, including Israeli and United States air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
With average monthly wages falling to roughly $100 — well below the $450 required for basic survival — and food inflation exceeding 70%, the Iranian public’s patience has reached a breaking point. Observers note that the participation of the bazaar, which was instrumental in the 1979 Revolution, signals a dangerous turning point for the Islamic Republic.
As lawmakers warn of the “crushing sound of the people’s footsteps,” the regime faces its most significant threat of internal upheaval in years, caught between a collapsing economy and sustained military pressure.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

Tehran In Turmoil: Iran’s Currency Collapse Triggers Civil Unrest, Anti-Regime Protests

Iran

Protests

rial

The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program in June inflicted significant damage, creating critical bottlenecks across the country’s weapons-building supply chain that pushed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions into a period of uncertainty and disruption, according to post-strike assessments.
Before the attacks, Iran was widely viewed as a nuclear threshold state, only months away from being able to assemble a nuclear weapon if its leadership chose to do so. It reportedly possessed sufficient enriched uranium — once further refined to weapons grade — to fuel as many as 22 nuclear weapons within five months, with enough material for roughly half that number available within weeks. Iranian scientists were reportedly accelerating work on weaponization, laying the groundwork for a final political decision by the supreme leader.
The June strikes, <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/csis-satellite-imagery-analysis-reveals-possible-signs-renewed-nuclear-activity-iran">carried out</a> by the United States and Israel, targeted multiple layers of Iran’s nuclear enterprise. Analysts describe the damage in system-level terms: not only to individual facilities, but to the interconnected steps required to enrich fuel, fabricate weapon cores, and assemble a bomb. The attacks destroyed or severely damaged machinery, processing facilities, and stockpiles essential for producing highly enriched uranium. Iran’s route to weapons-grade plutonium was eliminated entirely.
Equally consequential was the blow to Iran’s weaponization effort. Israeli strikes crippled facilities linked to bomb design and fuel-core production, struck administrative centers overseeing the program, and killed more than a dozen nuclear scientists. Even damage to a single element of this complex system, experts say, can dramatically slow progress; taken together, the losses represent a major setback.
Yet the long-term impact remains uncertain. Iran has refused inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the only body capable of verifying what assets survived or could be recovered from underground sites. Tehran may attempt to rebuild, reconstituting capabilities over time.
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Complicating matters further, Iran formally declared in October that all obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action had expired, ending international oversight of its nuclear activities. Since the strikes, Iran’s program appears to have entered a new phase marked by secrecy, disarray, and internal anxiety.
Satellite imagery shows little activity at the bombed sites — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — where power systems were destroyed, and debris still blocks access. Still, concerns persist. Intelligence officials say Iran may retain a stockpile of 60% enriched uranium and could be seeking new underground enrichment sites, signaling that while the program has been battered, it has not necessarily been extinguished.
According to <a href="https://www.fdd.org/iran-strike-assessment/">FDD</a>, regarding Iran’s centrifuge manufacturing, TABA/TESA Karaj and Esfahan tunnel sites have been destroyed, but the Natanz Pickaxe Mountain site is under construction. As for the testing and development of centrifuges, the Tehran Nuclear Research Center and the Kalaye Electric site have been destroyed. Vis-à-vis uranium production and mining, the Saghan 11 &amp; 2 sites are still operational, but for uranium conversion, production of UF6, the Esfahan Uranium conversion facility was destroyed. As for uranium enrichment, the Natanz Pilot Fuel Enrichment plant was destroyed, and the Fordow Fuel Enrichment plant was deeply buried, so any intact highly enriched uranium would need to be excavated. Russia is still supplying enriched uranium fuel. Iran’s capacity for weaponizing uranium and plutonium has been severely degraded.

Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth Holds Pentagon Press Conference On Iran Strikes

U.S. Strikes On Iran Created Severe Bottlenecks To The Regime’s Nuclear Weapons Pipeline

Strikes Create Critical Bottlenecks In Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Pipeline

Nuclear Weapons

Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman ripped the legacy media and strongly defended the Trump administration over its actions vis-à-vis Venezuela, including strikes on suspected narco-terrorist boats and seizing an oil tanker used by Nicolás Maduro&#8217;s regime.
Last week, the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, targeting Venezuela’s state-owned oil industry and primary source of funding. Since September, the U.S. military has also knocked out over 20 boats and submarines in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean in strikes targeting narco-terrorists.
NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?time_continue=218&amp;v=7jyKTMeZDQg&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE">asked</a> Fetterman about a briefing he had attended about the situation, saying, “What did you learn, Senator, that gave you any comfort that we’re not heading into some kind of extended military exercise around Venezuela or in Venezuela?&#8221;
“I thought it was pretty comprehensive,” Fetterman replied. He then criticized the media for attacking the Trump administration on the issue.
&#8220;And this idea, some things out in the media, it’s kind of putting out this — that the military’s just picking off any boat that comes across. That’s just not true,&#8221; Fetterman said. &#8220;I mean, there’s extensive intelligence and they know exactly who’s on that boat and they know what’s actually on that boat right now. And it’s quite frequently they decline to take it into (a) move on those things. When they move on those kinetic kinds of strikes, you know, they have absolute confidence who’s on it and what’s on it, and that’s exactly what it’s about. They are not just going around randomly shooting boats and those things. That’s just not the fact.”
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Cuomo brought up President Donald Trump’s statement in which he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-orders-complete-blockade-of-sanctioned-oil-tankers-moving-in-and-out-of-venezuela?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Orders+%E2%80%98Complete+Blockade%E2%80%99+Of+Sanctioned+Oil+Tankers+Moving+In+And+Out+Of+Venezuela">ordered</a> a &#8220;complete blockade&#8221; of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela and accused the Maduro regime of stealing oil and land.
“What did they steal?” Cuomo asked Fetterman.
“Iran is involved on that and Russia is involved on that and China as well, too,” the senator responded. “That’s sanctioned oil right now &#8230; and those are the kinds of funds that support regimes like Iran’s. It’s not a plan like a land war and invade Venezuela, but seizing those kinds of oil tankers &#8230; it’s undeniable that that’s gonna support Iran &#8230; those are the kinds of fund that are going to be used for illicit things like terrorism. So for me, it makes a lot of sense, at least what I’ve seen.”
Tim Pearce contributed to this article.

Sen. John Fetterman Visits “Jesse Watters Primetime”

Fetterman Blasts Media, Defends Trump’s Narco-Terror Strikes And Oil Tanker Seizure

John Fetterman

Oil and Gas

Trump Administration

Venezuela

The United States has seized a very large <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/venezuela-cries-international-piracy-after-u-s-seizes-oil-tanker?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=9&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Venezuela+Cries+%E2%80%98International+Piracy%E2%80%99+After+U.S.+Seizes+Oil+Tanker">oil tanker</a> off the Venezuelan coast.
President Trump confirmed that the United States had pursued the seizure. According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, it was headed to Cuba.
There’s been talk about establishing a no-fly zone around Venezuela. All of this is external pressure, presumably designed to force the possibility of a regime change in Venezuela without any serious threat to American troops going in on the ground.
In <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1998909254854746523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1998909254854746523%7Ctwgr%5E8f093637fc0050e48ee90200825bb3534d8c39c8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fvenezuela-cries-international-piracy-after-u-s-seizes-oil-tanker">a video</a>, you can see an American helicopter hovering over a gigantic oil tanker as soldiers begin rappelling down onto the deck. The soldiers, with guns drawn, move toward the control booth, presumably to stop the tanker from moving toward its target.
The United States military is unparalleled at what it does and does not play around.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
KNOCKOUT.
If you threaten our nation, or break the law, there is no place on land or sea where we won’t find you.
Thank you to the brave service members from <a href="https://twitter.com/USCG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USCG</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ICEgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICEGOV</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofWar</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJusticeDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJusticeDept</a>. <a href="https://t.co/KUCRjES267">pic.twitter.com/KUCRjES267</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1998909254854746523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
President Trump has always been clear in his belief that if the United States is engaged in armed conflict somewhere, we should keep the spoils that we reap. He said that about the Iraq War, suggesting that if you&#8217;re going to go to war, then you may as well take the oil as some form of compensation.
When it comes to the Venezuelan government shipping oil over to Iran in violation of sanctions or allowing the Iranians to combine their oil with Venezuelan oil and ship that elsewhere and ship the money back to Iran, keeping the spoils would be worthwhile.
If it turns out that the United States is now prepared to interdict all oil that may or may not be headed for Iran or from Iran, then this could absolutely cripple the Venezuelan economy even more than it has suffered before.
Venezuela’s economy is highly dependent on oil, mainly through its impact on exports and government revenue. Oil accounts for over 80 to 90% of all total export earnings in recent years. So if that were to shut down, whatever is left of the Venezuelan economy would basically collapse. That seems to be something that the United States is pursuing at this point.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2332-us-seizes-venezuelan-tanker?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Trump has also made clear he is going to put pressure on Gustavo Petro, the president of Colombia, which has historically been a relatively conservative state. But Petro, a far-left socialist, is more oriented toward China and Iran.
President Trump was asked about Petro describing the seizure as “barbarian.”
“He&#8217;s been fairly hostile to the United States. I haven&#8217;t given him a lot of thought,” Trump replied. “And he’s going to have himself some big problems if he doesn&#8217;t wise up. Colombia is producing a lot of drugs. &#8230; He better wise up or he&#8217;ll be next.”
The United States could put pressure on the Petro regime in Colombia. The next scheduled election for president in Colombia happens in May of 2026. So there&#8217;s every possibility that Petro could be in trouble as well.
All of this seems to be part of a broader national security strategy pursued by the White House. According to the new national security document, the foreign influence of China, Iran, or Russia in the Western hemisphere has to stop.
The national security strategy of the United States is very much a muscular Monroe Doctrine, suggesting that the Western hemisphere be cleared of outside influence.
It’s about time.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

U.S. Seizes Venezuelan Tanker. The Trump Doctrine Is Working.

Ben Shapiro

Colombia

Gulf of America

Opinion

President Trump

U.S. Military

Two countries that criminalize homosexuality have asked to be left out of a soccer match that is being branded as a celebration of homosexuality.
Egypt and Iran, who are scheduled to play in Seattle on June 26, the same day that Seattle is holding its &#8220;Pride Match,&#8221; said that they want no part of the LGBT celebration. This should come as a shock to no one. While the pride theme was determined before last weekend&#8217;s team draw that put Egypt and Iran on the June 26 slot, backlash was to be expected.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/world-cup-teams-back-down-on-rainbow-armbands-after-fifa-threats">World Cup Teams Back Down On Rainbow Armbands After FIFA Threats</a>
In a <a href="https://www.efa.com.eg/ar/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B6-%D8%A5%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AB%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%A3%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85/">letter sent to FIFA</a>, the Egyptian Football Association requested that there be no activities glorifying homosexuality during the match with Iran. Egypt references FIFA&#8217;s policies requiring FIFA competitions to avoid anything that brings conflict between fans from different backgrounds.
&#8220;The Egyptian Federation categorically rejects these calls and demands that FIFA not hold any events or performances related to supporting (homosexuality) inside the stadium on match day.&#8221;
The Egyptian Football Association said that it &#8220;rejects such activities&#8221; such as promoting homosexuality during the soccer match that &#8220;directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values ​​in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.&#8221;
Iran made a similar statement.
President of Iran&#8217;s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, spoke to state media and denounced the decision to use pride branding for the match.
&#8220;Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point.&#8221;
Taj said Iran would bring up the issue at a FIFA Council meeting next week in Qatar, another country that will start their quest for the World Cup in Seattle.
Egypt, Iran, and Qatar have laws against homosexuality.
In Egypt, if someone is caught engaging in homosexual activity, it’s punishable with up to three years in prison, and they may be forced to pay a hefty fine, according to Human Rights Watch. In Iran, capital punishment remains the maximum penalty for homosexuality under the law.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/2026-world-cup-to-host-pride-match-featuring-two-countries-that-criminalize-being-gay">2026 World Cup To Host ‘Pride Match’ Featuring Two Countries That Criminalize Being Gay</a>
Seattle&#8217;s Pride Match Advisory Committee is organizing the &#8220;Pride Match&#8221; that is still set to go on despite the two countries&#8217; requests during the city&#8217;s Pride weekend. This committee isn&#8217;t associated with FIFA or endorsed by it.
Hana Tedesse, Vice President of Communications for Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ , which is directly associated with the soccer tournament, told The Daily Wire SeattleFWC26 isn&#8217;t backing down.
&#8220;SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington,&#8221; Tedesse said.
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SeattleFWC26 called inclusion Seattle’s “greatest strength.”
&#8220;As the local organizing committee, our role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium,&#8221; Tedesse said. &#8220;Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs. The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle.”
During the 2022 World Cup, FIFA threatened sanctions for European countries that wanted to wear pride-themed LGBT bands — the countries ultimately decided against it.
The &#8220;Pride Match&#8221; is scheduled for June 26 at Seattle&#8217;s Lumen Field. The Daily Wire has reached out to FIFA to comment on Egypt&#8217;s and Iran&#8217;s request to take pride out of play.

Photo-illustration: Getty Images; Daily Wire staff

Egypt And Iran Clash With FIFA Over 2026 World Cup ‘Pride Match’

Egypt

News

Soccer

World Cup

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) reverted to the talking points favored by Iranian terrorists during a recent interview, referring to the United States first as the &#8220;world&#8217;s number one bully&#8221; and then &#8220;the Great Satan.&#8221;
Johnson, who first became a household name when he suggested that the Pacific island of Guam might &#8220;tip over&#8221; if too much American military equipment was placed there, made the comments while speaking with far left host Dean Obeidallah.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrat Hank Johnson directly echoes propaganda from the terrorist Iranian regime.
JOHNSON: &#8220;We are the world&#8217;s number one bully&#8230;America is indeed&#8230;the great hand of Satan&#8230;the great Satan.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/3JxrccCqLY">pic.twitter.com/3JxrccCqLY</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1998121577833972222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Johnson told Obeidallah that the United States was the quintessential playground bully, lording it over other countries that had less power simply because it was possible to do so.
“We are the world&#8217;s number one bully, and we are using our immense unrivaled power to rule over those who have less power,” he claimed, adding, “This sends a shocking message to the world that America is indeed the — what did they used to call it — the great hand of Satan, or something like that.”
“I mean, America under the Trump regime is demonstrating that that moniker is entirely accurate. That’s what we’ve become in this country, the great Satan,” he continued.
Johnson, during a congressional hearing about a military buildup on Guam, raised eyebrows when he suggested the added weight of the military equipment could cause the island to capsize.
“My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize,&#8221; Johnson said.
Admiral Robert Willard, who was serving as head of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at the time, paused and managed to give his reply with a straight face: &#8220;We don&#8217;t anticipate that.&#8221;

Hank Johnson

Georgia Democrat Refers To United States As ‘World’s Number One Bully,’ ‘The Great Satan’

Congress

Donald Trump

Politics

United States

Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid out the crisis at America’s southern border and the growing danger emanating from Venezuela during a candid exchange with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night.
Rubio blasted Venezuelan socialist President Nicolás Maduro&#8217;s regime, calling it a failing dictatorship that is funneling chaos toward the United States. The secretary of state said that Maduro &#8220;suckered Joe Biden,&#8221; but added, “They’re not going to sucker Donald Trump.”
Rubio noted that more than eight million Venezuelans have fled the country, overwhelming neighbors and adding to the migrant flow reaching America’s doorstep. But he stressed that the conversation can’t stop at humanitarian collapse. The sharper danger, he argued, is the Iranian foothold inside Venezuela, a reality the media rarely touches. He explained that Iran’s IRGC — and even Hezbollah — have entrenched themselves in South America, with Venezuela serving as one of their “anchor” sanctuaries.
Rubio also discussed the unavoidable limits of vetting migrants with a level of sobriety absent from most political rhetoric.
&#8220;You can only vet information that exists,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So it is possible that in many cases, there are things about these people that you just don&#8217;t know, and no matter how much you vet them, you just don&#8217;t have certain information.&#8221;
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Rubio explained that in many corners of the world — especially countries overrun by terrorists or lacking functioning institutions — documentation is nonexistent or impossible to verify. He warned that someone with no extremist record could be pulled into ideology once inside the United States, particularly if they struggle to assimilate or are vulnerable to propaganda in their native language. The Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., last week — killing one and wounding the other — was &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/suspected-national-guard-shooter-was-radicalized-through-connections-in-afghanistan-noem-says">radicalized</a>&#8221; through connections he maintained in Afghanistan after coming to the United States, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
&#8220;The bottom line is there is no effective way to allow hundreds of thousands of people to enter any country in the world and not face consequences,&#8221; Rubio added.
Turning back to Venezuela, Rubio said the Biden administration made a major mistake by believing that Maduro could be negotiated into good behavior.
&#8220;The Biden administration made a deal with Maduro. No one talks about this,&#8221; Rubio told Hannity. &#8220;He made a deal with Maduro. Here was the deal: Maduro asked that his nephews – convicted drug traffickers – be released from U.S. prisons. He asked that his chief money launderer, his money man, his bag man, be released from U.S. custody before he stood trial. In exchange he promised to hold free and fair elections. He got the nephews back, the drug dealers. He got the bag man back. And he never did the free and fair elections.&#8221;

President Trump Hosts Philippines President Marcos At White House

‘They’re Not Going To Sucker Donald Trump’: Rubio Crystal Clear On Venezuela, Immigration

Immigration

Marco Rubio

Nicolas Maduro

Iran is confronting an escalating environmental crisis so severe that President Masoud Pezeshkian has announced the country must <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202511209098">move its capital,</a> declaring that the regime “no longer has a choice.”
Tehran, once the political and demographic heart of Iran, is now overwhelmed by water depletion, collapsing land, and infrastructural strain. Pezeshkian warned that parts of the capital are sinking by up to 30 centimeters a year, calling it a “catastrophe” driven by decades of mismanagement, overbuilding in upstream regions, and disrupted downstream flows. With water resources no longer matching demand, he argued that continued population or construction growth in Tehran is impossible and that remaining in place means “signing our own destruction.”
The Iranian regime is studying relocation to the Makran coast, despite the area’s underdevelopment, security concerns, and financial burden — costs so immense that previous efforts since the 1979 revolution have repeatedly stalled. Nevertheless, Pezeshkian said Iran has reached the point where relocation has become “an obligation.”
This dramatic moment stands in stark contrast to Israel’s successful campaign to overcome its own longstanding water scarcity, transforming from a drought-prone nation into a global leader in water security. Israel built a national system anchored in large-scale reverse-osmosis desalination plants, which now provide most of the country’s drinking water. The country also recycles nearly 90% of its wastewater — the highest rate in the world —largely supporting agriculture and preserving natural freshwater sources. Israeli-developed drip irrigation technology allows precise water delivery and enables high crop yields even in arid zones, while a centralized national water grid efficiently moves water to where it is needed, stabilizing supplies in dry years.
Israel’s technological capabilities were on full display in 2025, when it launched an <a href="https://x.com/InbarCohen13/status/1990408176290701356">unprecedented project</a> to pump desalinated Mediterranean seawater into the Sea of Galilee, restoring the stressed lake’s water levels and even reviving dried-out streams such as the Tsalmon. This initiative not only protects one of Israel’s most important freshwater reservoirs but also illustrates the country’s ability to reverse ecological decline through engineering and long-term planning.
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Against this backdrop, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last July extended an extraordinary public offer directly to the Iranian people. Citing Iran’s severe drought — affecting 96% of the country — and warnings that up to 50 million Iranians could ultimately be displaced, Netanyahu said Iranians were victims of a regime that had squandered and mismanaged vital resources. He highlighted Israel’s breakthroughs in desalination, wastewater recycling, and agricultural efficiency, offering to share these methods by launching a Farsi-language website that would teach Iranians how to recycle water and preserve crops. Netanyahu framed the offer as humanitarian rather than political: “The Iranian regime shouts ‘Death to Israel.’ In response, Israel shouts, ‘Life to the Iranian people.’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Islamic Republic 🇮🇷 has led Iran to the worst water shortage crisis in its history.
As prime minister <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@netanyahu</a> said, Israel 🇮🇱 is one of the world leaders in water desalination, and is willing to share its technology for the benefit of Iranians 👇 <a href="https://t.co/6R5pX5N4e9">pic.twitter.com/6R5pX5N4e9</a>
&mdash; Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/1949224206849495442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As Iran contemplates relocating its capital to escape a deepening ecological disaster, Israel demonstrates how strategic planning, innovation, and responsible governance can transform water scarcity into long-term resilience — and even offer help to a nation in crisis.

Rain prayer held in Tehran, which has suffered its worst drought in 60 years

Iranian Regime Faces Water-Driven Capital Relocation As Israel Showcases Water-Conquering Innovation

Drinking Water

Israel

This week, Colonel Ebrahim Aghaie Komazani, an Iranian Air Force officer, hurled one of the <a href="https://x.com/MOSSADil/status/1988719412094927117">boldest public military challenges</a> to the Islamic Republic since its founding in 1979.
Standing beside the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag — a powerful emblem of the Pahlavi monarchy — Komazani called for a “million-man march” on November 16 to begin a national transition toward a new government. His statement, invoking divine duty and historical legitimacy, framed his defiance as a moral and patriotic mission rather than an act of rebellion.
Komazani began by highlighting two “truths” meant to connect Iran’s present struggle with the legitimacy of its pre-1979 constitutional monarchy. First, he recalled that during the 1979 revolution, the late Shah ordered the Imperial Armed Forces not to fire on civilians, underscoring that sovereignty belonged to the people, not the monarch. Second, he credited the remnants of the Imperial Air Force with saving the country during the Iran–Iraq War, implying that the Islamic regime owes its survival to patriots loyal to the old order.
From this foundation, Komazani’s address escalated into an explicit call for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. He warned personnel across the military, police, intelligence, and judiciary that continuing to suppress protests would make them enemies of the nation and traitors before God. Declaring the current clerical regime “false” and “criminal,” he urged soldiers to stand with the people rather than enforce repression. Should Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, heir to the exiled monarchy, declare an armed resistance necessary, Komazani said it would then be both a right and a duty for Iranians to rise up militarily. His closing words praised national sacrifice and invoked symbols of imperial Iran — the Derafsh-e-Kaviani and Lion and Sun flag — as rallying icons for freedom and restoration.
Komazani’s appeal resonated with a growing revival of monarchist sentiment inside Iran. Just days before his declaration, two men <a href="https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/1988727659552207005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1988727659552207005%7Ctwgr%5Eaf2b374cf1c6443558d6636e39abdebb285077e8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranintl.com%2Fen%2F202511130343">dressed in Iranian army uniforms</a> were arrested in Tehran’s metro after <a href="https://x.com/tiregheib/status/1988667137049911731">publicly displaying the old flag</a>, a scene captured on social media and swiftly suppressed by authorities. Such acts have become more frequent since the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, where the banned flag reemerged as a secular and nationalist symbol rejecting the Islamic Republic.
Komazani’s message aligns closely with Reza Pahlavi’s June 2025 appeal for “regime change” and a peaceful national transition. Speaking from Paris, the exiled prince compared the coming moment to the fall of the Berlin Wall, portraying Iran as poised for liberation from tyranny. He accused Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of economic plunder, nuclear adventurism, and totalitarian control, asserting that the regime’s collapse was imminent. Pahlavi announced initiatives for a unified transition government — anchored in national integrity, individual freedom, and secular democracy — and called for an organized civilian–military alliance to peacefully dismantle clerical rule.
Together, Komazani’s defiant call from within Iran’s military and Pahlavi’s coordinated campaign abroad form a potent narrative of unified rebellion, suggesting that even within the armed forces, resistance to the Islamic Republic is maturing into an open challenge for regime change.

Demonstrators Gather Outside Iranian Embassy In London, Following US Strikes On Iran’s Nuclear Facilities

Military Defiance: Iranian Air Force Officer Demands Regime Change, Calls For Million-Man March

Global Politics

Regime change

World

In 1946, not too long after the end of World War II, Winston Churchill famously spoke of a “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States — not only as a bond of history and language, but as a partnership grounded in shared principles and moral duty. That same sense of duty must guide us today as we confront the world’s leading state sponsor of terror: the clerical regime in Iran.
Historically, when facing totalitarian regimes, Britain, the US, and other Western powers have placed local dissidents at the center of any discussion about the future of oppressed nations. Yet Iran remains a glaring exception. For reasons that defy logic and morality, successive governments have marginalized the voices of Iranian democrats.
I am one of a growing number of Western politicians on both sides of the Atlantic who believe this should change and to this end, I will speak at the Free Iran Convention in Washington, D.C., on November 15, where more than one thousand Iranian experts, professionals, and academicians from all over the US, will present their vision for a free, democratic Iran.
For nearly half a century, Western policy toward Tehran has prioritized negotiation over accountability, assuming the clerical regime’s grip on power was unshakeable. Many believed Iran’s rulers would never meet the same fate as the Shah — at least not without chaos in the absence of a viable alternative.
That assumption was flawed from the outset. In the immediate aftermath of the 1979 revolution, the forces that helped topple the Shah — chief among them the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) — remained active, popular, and determined to oppose the theocracy that hijacked the revolution’s promise. The regime responded with brutal repression throughout the 1980s, culminating in the horrific 1988 massacre of around 30,000 political prisoners, most of them MEK members and supporters.
This atrocity was meant to eliminate organized opposition once and for all. It failed. The MEK survived and went on to form the backbone of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a broad coalition advocating regime change and democratic transition. Yet, tragically, the massacre convinced much of the international community that internal resistance had been extinguished — and that engagement with Tehran was the only realistic path forward.
Encouraged by that misperception (echoed by the regime’s protagonists and lobbyists), the regime deepened its repression at home and aggression abroad. It became the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, the nation with the highest per-capita rate of executions, and the only non-nuclear-armed state enriching uranium to 60% purity — just short of weapons-grade.
Ironically, by assuming the regime’s permanence, Western leaders helped create a situation where regime change has become essential for global security and human rights. Some progress is evident: the UK, France, and Germany recently triggered the re-imposition of UN sanctions following Washington’s return to a “maximum pressure” strategy.
But it remains unclear whether today’s policymakers grasp how profoundly their predecessors misread the regime’s vulnerability.
That misunderstanding can no longer be excused. Three nationwide uprisings — in 2018, 2019, and 2022 — have shown the Iranian people’s enduring commitment to democratic change. The unity and persistence of their demands reveal the strength of an organized opposition that, despite deadly crackdowns and decades of dismissal by Western analysts, continues to challenge the regime from within.
The Free Iran Convention in Washington builds on this momentum. It follows major gatherings in Brussels and across Europe, where Iranian youth and dissidents reaffirmed their readiness for a democratic transition. The movement’s supporters will call for a coherent Western policy — one that recognizes the NCRI as a credible alternative and supports the Iranian people’s right to determine their future.
Many of us in public life have already joined this cause. In parliaments on both sides of the Atlantic, lawmakers have endorsed resolutions recognizing the NCRI as a legitimate democratic alternative to the current regime and affirming the Iranian people’s right to establish a secular, non-nuclear republic. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the NCRI, has articulated a ten-point plan as a roadmap for a future democratic republic of Iran. It has gained cross-party support of the majority of members of both the US House of Representatives and the UK House of Commons.
It is time for policymakers to act accordingly. The UK and European Union must designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and democratic governments should hold Tehran’s leaders accountable for crimes against humanity. Most importantly, the West must acknowledge the Iranian people’s right to overthrow tyranny and build a democratic future.
Appeasement has never delivered stability. Courage, clarity, and solidarity with the Iranian people just might.
* * *
Rt. Hon. John Bercow was the Speaker of the UK House of Commons from 2009 to 2019.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Protest Against U.S. Attacks On Iran

It’s Time To Challenge Tehran’s Illusion Of Strength With Reality

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Democracy

European Union

Great Britain

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Middle East

Radical Islamic Terror

<div>
Tehran, home to more than 10 million people, stands on the brink of a catastrophic water shortage amid Iran’s most severe drought in decades. In 2025, the capital has seen a 100% drop in precipitation compared to the previous year — an unprecedented collapse that has left the region’s reservoirs nearly empty. Iranian officials are now warning that, absent immediate rainfall, parts of the city may face forced evacuation within weeks.
</div>
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At the center of the crisis is the Amir Kabir Dam, once a cornerstone of Tehran’s water supply. Today, it holds only <a href="https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/07112025">14 million cubic meters of water</a> — just 8% of capacity — enough to sustain the city for about two weeks under current conditions. Tehran depends on five primary dams — Lar, Mamlu, Amir Kabir, Taleqan, and Latyan — but together they are only <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2025/11/07/tehran039s-main-dams-only-11-pct-full-amid-severe-drought#goog_rewarded">8%</a>. Excluding the newly added Taleqan Dam, that figure plunges to 5%, according to Mohsen Ardakani, head of Tehran’s Water and Wastewater Company.
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<div>
Tehran’s environmental collapse is only one part of a broader national emergency. <a href="https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/human-rights/stop-executions-in-iran/irans-regime-executes-14-on-oct-14-over-2000-killed-under-pezeshkian/">According</a> to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), more than 2,000 people have been killed in just 14 and a half months of Pezeshkian’s repressive presidency, as the regime tightens its grip.
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<div>
Tehran province received only 159 millimeters of rainfall in the last water year, the lowest in a century, and has had no measurable rain since September 23. Current dam reserves have dropped to 252 million cubic meters, down from 420 million cubic meters in previous years, and weather forecasts indicate no significant rainfall is expected before December. Even after tapping underground aquifers to maintain a minimal supply, the crisis remains “critical,” Ardakani warned.
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<div>
The Karaj Dam, another key source, is currently at 7% capacity, and clean water could be exhausted within two weeks, according to Mehdi Maghsoudi, director of Karaj Water Affairs.
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<div>
President Masoud Pezeshkian admitted, “If it does not rain, we will have to start restricting water supplies in Tehran next month. If the drought continues, we will run out of water and be forced to evacuate the city.”
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<div>
With the capital consuming about three million cubic meters of water per day, Tehran has little margin for error. The convergence of drought, state failure, and brutal governance paints a grim picture of a nation on the brink — where both the land and its people are being drained dry.
</div>

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei

Iran’s Despotic Government May Have To Evacuate Tehran Because Of Water Shortage

drought

Natural Disaster

In 1979, Iran’s revolutionaries — an <a href="https://institute.global/insights/geopolitics-and-security/ideology-and-irans-revolution-how-1979-changed-world">alliance</a> of Marxists and Islamists — rose on promises of justice and equality. They <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/2/5/the-ayatollahs-unkept-promises">pledged</a> to give citizens free water, free electricity, and free housing. The slogans captured a nation’s imagination, uniting two ideologies that despised each other but shared the same illusion: that moral purity and government control could replace economic discipline. Within years, the illusion <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/30/world-news/islamic-republic-close-to-collapse-in-iran-civil-war-possible-report/">collapsed</a>. Inflation exploded, jobs vanished, and the regime they created silenced its own believers.
Half a century later, in a different world and under a different flag, the same rhetoric echoes in New York City.
Assemblyman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/zohran-mamdani">Zohran Mamdani</a>, now running for mayor, calls for “people-powered politics” and promises “free” public services — fare-free buses, frozen rents, and new programs that would expand government dependency under the banner of compassion. It’s a playbook familiar to anyone who has studied <a href="https://diamond-democracy.stanford.edu/speaking/speeches/when-does-populism-become-threat-democracy">revolutionary populism</a>: identify inequality, moralize the problem, and promise paradise without explaining the cost.
Analysts <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/traffic_and_transit/2025/07/10/free-buses-could-slow-speeds-and-cost-more-">estimate</a> that making city buses free would erase about $700 million a year in fare revenue. Replacing that money would either require massive new taxes or more state debt. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) already <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/traffic_and_transit/2025/07/10/free-buses-could-slow-speeds-and-cost-more-">loses</a> roughly $1 billion annually to fare and toll evasion, including more than $500 million on buses alone. The Independent Budget Office <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/comments-on-new-york-citys-executive-budget-for-fiscal-year-2025-and-financial-plan-for-fiscal-years-2024-2028/#:~:text=With%20these%20adjustments%20based%20on,$13.00%20billion%20in%20FY%202028.">projects</a> multi-billion-dollar city deficits through 2028. To date, Mamdani has offered no serious proposal to offset the hundreds of millions in lost revenue.
That mindset is not new. In 1979, Iran’s revolutionaries <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/18468/#:~:text=In%201979%2C%20Ayatollah%20Khomeini%20gave%20his%20first,disappeared%20from%20the%20public%20archives%20in%20Iran.">said</a> oil revenues would pay for everything; in 2025, New York’s progressives say “the rich” will. The numbers never add up, but the slogans keep working because they appeal to emotion, not reason.
<div id="attachment_995421" style="width: 749px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-995421" class="size-large wp-image-995421" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2659698-739x576.jpg" alt="The Iranian Islamic Republic Army demonstrates in solidarity with people in the street during the Iranian revolution. They are carrying posters of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian religious and political leader. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)" width="739" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2659698-739x576.jpg 739w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2659698-300x234.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2659698-768x599.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2659698.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 739px) 100vw, 739px" />Keystone/Getty Images</div>
Adding to the picture, the Washington-based lobbying group <a href="https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/how-the-iranian-regime-seeks-to-build-its-power-upon-american-naivete">NIAC</a>, often criticized for mirroring Tehran’s foreign-policy positions, recently <a href="https://x.com/NIACouncil/status/1982919590310011092">announced</a> its official endorsement of Mamdani. The symbolism is striking: the same organization that has long echoed and defended the Islamic Republic now throws its support behind a socialist-leaning candidate in America’s financial capital. The thread that connects them is ideological, a shared belief that moral virtue justifies economic fantasy.
This convergence of left-wing utopianism and moral absolutism should alarm anyone who cares about the survival of pragmatic politics. When ideology replaces arithmetic, cities fall into the same trap that ensnared nations. The faces and languages change, but the structure remains: emotional populism promising equality through control.
Iran’s tragedy began with chants about justice and dignity. Within a decade, the alliance between communists and clerics disintegrated, replaced by censorship, executions, and an economy under siege. The rhetoric of equality gave way to ration cards and ideological policing.
New York is obviously not Tehran. But when candidates promise unlimited benefits and moral purity while ignoring budgets, they are playing the same dangerous tune. No city, no matter how rich, can outspend reality. Populism always runs on borrowed time and borrowed money.
The warning isn’t about religion or class. It’s about patterns. In every era, radicals on the Left promise that compassion can be legislated and that economics will obey moral will. It never does. When leaders treat economics as politics and politics as faith, collapse follows.
In 1979, Iran’s revolutionaries told people to look up, and many claimed to see Ayatollah Khomeini’s face in the moon. The illusion was complete. New Yorkers shouldn’t make the same mistake on the skyline. Charisma is not competence, and utopia is never free.
* * *
Dr. Aidin Panahi is an Iranian-American research professor, energy expert, and political activist. He is the co-founder of the “From Boston to Iran” initiative, and his analyses on security and policy issues have appeared in outlets including The Jerusalem Post, Washington Times, the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, Middle East Forum, Homeland Security Today, and Visegrád24. X: @Aidin_FreeIran
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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