Trump Says Iranian Regime Is In 'Big Trouble' As Protests Grow; Supreme Leader Says He Won't 'Back Down'

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Before we get to today’s headlines, here’s a glimpse of what’s ahead for all of us this weekend in our weekly ‘Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend’ section.

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And now, onto the news.

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Iran Protests Escalate: Supreme Leader Vows Further Crackdown, Trump Says Regime Could Fall

Massive anti-regime protests continue to grow across Iran as they are about to enter a third week. Internet communications were shut down nationwide Thursday and have remained offline for the past 24 hours. Islamic Republic authorities appear to have made the move to cut Iranians off from the outside world and crack down on demonstrations.

  • Thursday night scenes: Videos still made it onto social media showing government buildings and cars burning, including in Tehran, where thousands of protesters flooded the streets.

  • President Trump said Friday afternoon that the Iranian regime “is in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago.”

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed Friday that the government “will not back down” to protesters who are calling for an end to his nearly four-decade rule. Tehran’s prosecutor Ali Salehi also warned that protesters could face the death penalty, according to local news reports.

“Last night in Tehran and in some other places, a group of vandals came and damaged buildings belonging to their own country just to please the president of the United States,” Khamenei said.

The day before, President Trump reiterated his threat that the U.S. will “hit [the Iranian regime] very hard” if they kill protesters en masse.

ON THE GROUND
In addition to blacking out the internet, authorities have disrupted phone calls, grounded flights, and limited access to news sites. The unrest — the biggest demonstrations in more than three years — began as a response to soaring inflation and the collapse of the country’s currency, but quickly pivoted to calls for "Death to Khamenei!" and an end to five decades of Islamic theocratic authoritarian rule.

  • At least 45 protesters — including eight under the age of 18 — have been killed since protests began on Dec. 28, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO). The group said hundreds more have been injured and more than 2,000 people have been detained.

  • “This looks like a war zone - all the shops have been destroyed,” a state TV journalist reported in front of fires in the Caspian Sea port of Rasht.

What’s next? Protest chants have included calls supporting the return of the Iranian monarchy, which has been in exile for nearly 50 years. Reza Pahlavi, who is in exile in the U.S. and the son of Iran’s last shah, has encouraged the protests. He is seeking to position himself as a potential figure in the country’s post–Islamic Republic future, despite his father being ousted from power in 1979. On Friday, Pahlavi called on Trump to further intervene. The U.S. president has not backed Pahlavi as a potential leader, saying Thursday that he would wait to “see who emerges.”

Want to learn more about how we got here? Mo News hosted a deep-dive workshop on the history of Iran, including the CIA-backed 1953 coup that reshaped the country’s future and U.S.–Iran relations. Subscribe today or watch on your Mo News Premium dashboard under “Deep Dive Workshops.”

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

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  • U.S. seizes another tanker in campaign to control flow of Venezuelan oil (NBC)

  • Luigi Mangione in court as he fights to block death penalty, murder charge and key evidence (AP)

  • U.S. payrolls rose 50,000 in December, less than expected; unemployment rate falls to 4.4% (CNBC)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

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  • Pope Leo says ‘war is back in vogue’ in major address to global envoys (CNN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

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  • Massive iconic iceberg turns blue and is “on the verge of complete disintegration,” NASA says (CBS)

  • Meta unveils nuclear deals with Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo (AXIOS)

  • Elon Musk’s xAI to build $20 billion data center in Mississippi (ABC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

  • Bruno Mars announces The Romantic Tour, 1st-ever headlining stadium trek (ABC)

  • Miami outlasts Ole Miss 31-27 to advance to College Football Playoff national championship (NBC)

  • Bill Gates sends $8B to ex-wife Melinda’s charity in one of largest divorce-related payouts ever (NY POST)

  • Kate Middleton celebrates her 44th birthday with King Charles and Queen Camilla leading well wishes (PEOPLE)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… A low-level tennis tournament in Nairobi went viral after a 37-minute 6–0, 6–0 blowout.

The attention wasn’t on the score, but on Egyptian player Hajar Abdelkader’s performance, which many online said looked like it may have been her first time ever on a tennis court 🎾

Guest User
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