Iran unrest deepens as U.S. attack in Venezuela sharpens Trump intervention threat

Widespread anti-government protests person roiled Iran for implicit a week, forcing its leaders to measurement options to quell the unrest arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump raised the menace of an intervention.

The spreading unrest, which began successful Tehran's bazaar connected Dec. 28, is fueled by increasing vexation with a long-running economical situation successful Iran and has turned progressively convulsive successful caller days. At slightest 29 radical person been killed and much than 1,200 arrested, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency connected Tuesday. The U.S.-registered nonprofit relies connected an activistic web wrong Iran for its reporting.

The anti-regime demonstrations person dispersed to implicit 250 locations crossed 27 of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the group.

Tehran sought to quell the protests, with Iran's ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying Saturday that "rioters indispensable beryllium enactment successful their place," a remark wide interpreted arsenic a awesome for information forces to extremity the demonstrations.

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has struck a much conciliatory tone, urging dialog and promising economical reforms successful bid to placate demonstrators demanding governmental change, enactment connected corruption and alleviation from rising surviving costs.

The promises included proviso of a monthly stipend of 10 cardinal rials ($7) per idiosyncratic successful non-cashable physics recognition for usage astatine selected market stores, according to Reuters, citing the semi-official Tasnim quality agency. Officials besides pledged to overhaul the country's overseas speech subsidies system to bring nonstop enactment for consumers, shifting distant from subsidizing importers, which person long been criticized arsenic susceptible to corruption.

Still, the nationalist unrest has continued, expanding from economical grievances to broader vexation with the regime, with immoderate protestors chanting "Death to the dictator," a notation to Khamenei, who holds eventual authorization implicit the state.

The unrest has revived concerns astir imaginable American intervention.

In a societal media station past Friday, Trump vowed that the U.S. would support the protestors if they were attacked, informing that Washington was "locked and loaded and acceptable to go" if Iranian authorities utilized unit against peaceful demonstrations.

The informing carried added value aft U.S. forces captured Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro implicit the play and brought him to New York to look trial this week.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters connected committee Air Force One that Iranian authorities would beryllium "hit precise hard" if much protesters died. "We're watching it precise closely. If they commencement kiling radical similar they person successful the past, I deliberation they're going to get deed precise hard by the United States," Trump said.

Analysts astatine probe steadfast BMI, a portion of Fitch Solutions, said Iran's enactment whitethorn present beryllium much cautious astir the usage of unit against protestors, noting that Trump had bombed Iran's atomic facilities successful enactment of Israeli strikes successful June past year.

"We spot heightened risks of U.S. enactment against Iran successful aboriginal 2026 if protests escalate," the analysts said.

Reuters cited 1 unnamed Iranian official arsenic saying that determination were concerns that Iran could beryllium "the adjacent unfortunate of Trump's assertive overseas policy."

Iran's system has struggled since Trump pulled the U.S. retired of the Iranian atomic woody successful 2018, an statement that constricted Iran's atomic programme successful speech for sanctions relief. The state has besides reeled from tightening sanctions following a 12-day warfare with Israel, its longtime determination rival backed by the U.S.

The rial, Iran's authoritative currency, collapsed successful December, falling to a grounds low of astir 1.45 cardinal rials per U.S. dollar at the extremity of 2025, while inflation reached 42.5%.

The long-running economical situation successful Iran could airs greater risks to the authorities than the imaginable of a U.S. intervention, David Roche, seasoned capitalist and strategist with Quantum Strategy, told CNBC connected Monday.

"[Iran] is not gonna autumn due to the fact that of the involution by the United States," Roach said, citing the geographic and governmental constraints. Instead, helium said sustained protests combined with worsening home economical conditions would airs a greater risk.

He added that the authorities volition astir apt outlast this peculiar circular of protests, but "they don't person immoderate tools to code Iran's economical problems."

— CNBC's Amitoj Singh contributed to this report.