I tried clicking on every number on this site and none of them linked to any primary sources.
I clicked through on the first news item I saw, "Security forces open fire on woman filming them."
This led to a post on X captioned 'Yasuj; "Firing a shotgun at a lady who was filming."'
The attached video[1] did not show a weapon. It appeared to show uniformed forces on motorbikes and some kind of muted firing sound.
A subsequent comment said: "Don't write the wrong text, it's marking with paintball so the operations team can arrest him. The sound of a shotgun is like this, don't give wrong information."
To be clear, this is not meant to defend security forces firing paintballs at or arresting people recording them, just calling into question the integrity of this particular claim suggesting lethal force, and the overall lack of support for the figures claimed.
My Iranian friends live between a state of high hope (at times like this) to crushing frustration when it does not succeed. I'm hoping we avoid the latter state this time around.
We can hope but I'm not very optimistic about this not getting crushed again or there being any more than a vague thumbs up from abroad for the protesters. It seems they are on their own. But I could understand Iranians choosing to stay safe rather then risk their lives protesting given the way this has gone in the past.
On the other hand the sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria shows these things sometimes do happen. But I don't think similar conditions exist in Iran. There seems to be a lot of anger but very little organized opposition. But there are some reasons to assume the regime might fracture internally where religious extremists and conservative but more pragmatic opportunists running e.g. the military part ways.
An Egyptian model might be more lucrative for those types where you get a kleptocratic elite getting more diplomatic about restoring international relationships in exchange for sanctions lifting and access to international markets to get filthy rich from the natural resources that Iran is currently sitting on. My impression is that the current unrest is caused by economics, not ideology. But a lot would need to change in Iran for this to happen. The poor health of Khamenei might trigger such a thing in the context of a wider leadership battle.
Iranian here. I think we've been successful! After the Woman Life Freedom movement, there's a noticeable change on how government enforces hijab rules! Not because they don't want to force hijab and their religion on us, but because they know they can't do it like that anymore. They are scared! That's a big win in my book. I know it might not seem much but I believe it is! No big change happens in one day. I think what you refer to, is the "last" protest/movement before everything falls apart.
If you've been born into these freedoms that we're fighting so hard for, you've been through this process before; by your ancestors. It's hard to appreciate how difficult it is to achieve the smallest of wins. You're not ignorant, it's just difficult to comprehend if you're not in the midst of it.
I also think this should serve as a warning to people whose freedoms are being eroded in western world right now. If you loose them for good, This is the process for getting them back and this is the price you'll have to pay.
Yeah, no thanks! The current regime is all about spirituality, prophecies and magic and look where that got us. We don't need anymore of that. I hope you're right and the regime is gone for good this time, but we need rationality, pragmatism, democracy, science, good education and economic policies, modern government and the rest of the obvious things we should have that a well developed nation needs.
I'm get you and and I'm behind you 1000% and I wish there was something I could offer as substantial help. Iran as a culture and a people is very dear to me even though the current regime would rather have me not breathing on account of my country of origin, and have actively invested crazy money in that aim, luckily unsuccessfully.
FDD -> Founded 2001 after 9/11 as "Emet"(truth in hebrew).
Foundation for improving Israel's image in North America.
Focused on "militant islamism" and has as primary architect a "maximum pressure against Iran" Mark Dubowitz.
Consider the bias that this can imply.
This is not to give credence to either side, just that there are very strong partisans everywhere pushing specific agendas.
Because this is funded and published for the following reason:
> FDD conducts in-depth research, produces accurate and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options – all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by adversaries of the United States and other free nations.
Because you don't go and look for it but instead expect others or The Algorithms to do it for you? Sorry to be so blunt but this comes across as a "why isn't anybody doing anything!!" when many people are doing many things, just not you. Please do some googling before commenting.
Remember. The axis is quickly being diminished (venezuela), and the financial and water situations are far worse now, as is the political one (coming off of a war which destabilised leadership).
Just hope that it's not out of the frying pan and into the fire. I have a great appreciation of the everyday Iranian, and they deserve better.
It's genuinely gross what US/Israel is doing by co-opting real grievances against the Iranian government to push their own puppet to lord over Iran.
> "You have a very strong prime minister in Israel who is clearly on our side. I think that [US President Donald] Trump, unlike his predecessor, is definitely on a different path vis-à-vis what’s happening in Iran today. And you have Marco Rubio at the State Department. I believe he’s perhaps the first secretary of state ever since the Iranian revolution who truly gets it," Pahlavi said, praising the political echelons in both Jerusalem and Washington.
> The FDD is a think tank based in Washington, D.C., United States.[6][7] It has been described as a pro-Israel, anti-Iran lobby group
> CEO is Mark Dubowitz
> Mark Dubowitz is [...] a proponent of sanctions against Iran[2] and was a leading critic of the Iran nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Conclusion: U.S./Israel "Think Tank" pushing for regime change in Iran financed by Isreal/Wallstreet money. So boring, always the same playbook.
Of course, the underlying goal is to deny China oil exports from Iran. Venezuela as a major oil supplier to China is already coup d'état successfully. Go U.S.A, go!
I think it's good to explicitly point out that low-effort participation is discouraged on HN. It might not affect the actual "offender", but it's meaningful to the rest of the readers.
While there are ongoing protests in Iran we should support, its never bad to question a source of information and examine it for bias. From their own footer:
"FDD conducts in-depth research, produces accurate and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options – all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by adversaries of the United States and other free nations."
Think its safe to say the majority of the world views the US as one of the largest threats to peace and democracy right now, so any source so obviously biased should be questioned.
Incredible to see so many comments claiming this is propaganda and claiming there are no such maps of the US, when a simple google search results in dozens of hits for such maps. It is impossible to walk around in any major US city without witnessing protests about various topics, we have never been shy about protesting and it’s a key element of modern American culture.
Feel like every submission that I see on HN which is even vaguely political just devolves into “America bad” and conspiracy theories. I honestly preferred the “AWS bad” meta over this
You see, Iran is sanctioned by the west for decades now, and these sanctions eroded the Iranian economy greatly, causing much pain and suffering for the people of Iran.
These sanctions a major reason for the protest, so they are largely legitimate. To archive regime change, mix in (paid) violent protesters with AK's and Molotov Cocktails and add a Truth Social Post like
> If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J.TRUMP
Conspiracy theory isn’t even a smear anymore. It used to refer to idiocy like Reptile Overlords. Now Conspiracy Theory just means the belief that organized groups have an agenda and can lie about their real agenda.
People who yell Conspiracy Theories are just smearing themselves at this point.
I tried clicking on every number on this site and none of them linked to any primary sources.
I clicked through on the first news item I saw, "Security forces open fire on woman filming them."
This led to a post on X captioned 'Yasuj; "Firing a shotgun at a lady who was filming."'
The attached video[1] did not show a weapon. It appeared to show uniformed forces on motorbikes and some kind of muted firing sound.
A subsequent comment said: "Don't write the wrong text, it's marking with paintball so the operations team can arrest him. The sound of a shotgun is like this, don't give wrong information."
To be clear, this is not meant to defend security forces firing paintballs at or arresting people recording them, just calling into question the integrity of this particular claim suggesting lethal force, and the overall lack of support for the figures claimed.
[1] https://x.com/ManotoNews/status/2008440556867702830
I don't know about this specific incident but Iranian forces have a history of firing at protestors with shotguns including last week
https://iranwire.com/en/features/122471-crackdown-survivor-5...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/31/armed-offi...
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/07/iran...
My Iranian friends live between a state of high hope (at times like this) to crushing frustration when it does not succeed. I'm hoping we avoid the latter state this time around.
We can hope but I'm not very optimistic about this not getting crushed again or there being any more than a vague thumbs up from abroad for the protesters. It seems they are on their own. But I could understand Iranians choosing to stay safe rather then risk their lives protesting given the way this has gone in the past.
On the other hand the sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria shows these things sometimes do happen. But I don't think similar conditions exist in Iran. There seems to be a lot of anger but very little organized opposition. But there are some reasons to assume the regime might fracture internally where religious extremists and conservative but more pragmatic opportunists running e.g. the military part ways.
An Egyptian model might be more lucrative for those types where you get a kleptocratic elite getting more diplomatic about restoring international relationships in exchange for sanctions lifting and access to international markets to get filthy rich from the natural resources that Iran is currently sitting on. My impression is that the current unrest is caused by economics, not ideology. But a lot would need to change in Iran for this to happen. The poor health of Khamenei might trigger such a thing in the context of a wider leadership battle.
Have friends with relatives there. I think the fear of what's next is as potent as the frustration of what is happening with the current government.
> restoring international relationships in exchange for sanctions lifting and access to international markets to get filthy rich
The issue is the Iranian elites are getting filthy rich from sanctions and have a vested interest in them.
The IRGC has its own smuggling networks and its own companies which it can use to evade taxes and sell its own imported goods for lower prices locally
> when it does not succeed
Iranian here. I think we've been successful! After the Woman Life Freedom movement, there's a noticeable change on how government enforces hijab rules! Not because they don't want to force hijab and their religion on us, but because they know they can't do it like that anymore. They are scared! That's a big win in my book. I know it might not seem much but I believe it is! No big change happens in one day. I think what you refer to, is the "last" protest/movement before everything falls apart.
If you've been born into these freedoms that we're fighting so hard for, you've been through this process before; by your ancestors. It's hard to appreciate how difficult it is to achieve the smallest of wins. You're not ignorant, it's just difficult to comprehend if you're not in the midst of it.
I also think this should serve as a warning to people whose freedoms are being eroded in western world right now. If you loose them for good, This is the process for getting them back and this is the price you'll have to pay.
For those being into prophecy (like myself): yes it WILL SUCCEED this time! The Iranian terror regime is finished.
(Unfortunately most people completely ignore the SPIRITUAL dimension of things...)
Yeah, no thanks! The current regime is all about spirituality, prophecies and magic and look where that got us. We don't need anymore of that. I hope you're right and the regime is gone for good this time, but we need rationality, pragmatism, democracy, science, good education and economic policies, modern government and the rest of the obvious things we should have that a well developed nation needs.
I'm get you and and I'm behind you 1000% and I wish there was something I could offer as substantial help. Iran as a culture and a people is very dear to me even though the current regime would rather have me not breathing on account of my country of origin, and have actively invested crazy money in that aim, luckily unsuccessfully.
I saw a picture today of some Iranian cops waving at protesters from the rooftop. The caption said this was a very good sign.
Wishing you and your country positive outcomes.
We did something similar during the 2022 Sri Lankan protests: https://protests.watchdog.team/heatmap
FDD -> Founded 2001 after 9/11 as "Emet"(truth in hebrew). Foundation for improving Israel's image in North America. Focused on "militant islamism" and has as primary architect a "maximum pressure against Iran" Mark Dubowitz.
Consider the bias that this can imply. This is not to give credence to either side, just that there are very strong partisans everywhere pushing specific agendas.
why don't we see such maps when it happens in the US (ICE, black lives matter, Palestine) or EU?
Some people are very passionate about problems in other countries, or just contributing to propaganda
Because this is funded and published for the following reason:
> FDD conducts in-depth research, produces accurate and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options – all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by adversaries of the United States and other free nations.
The .org websites are not trustworthy anymore
Because you don't go and look for it but instead expect others or The Algorithms to do it for you? Sorry to be so blunt but this comes across as a "why isn't anybody doing anything!!" when many people are doing many things, just not you. Please do some googling before commenting.
Anyway. https://usprotests.liveuamap.com/
who funds the link you shared? it also looks so incomplete
fyi: FDD is funded by the US government, which probably means incentives the propaganda (e.g. to get promoted and so on)
It's a Foundation with strong evidence of ties to Israel and an open agenda against (current) Iran. Don't be surprised.
Check "Monthly Protest Count" since september 2022 and you'll see things don't change much...
Numbers might be similar- but that doesn't mean the circumstances are.
https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/iran-ayat...
Remember. The axis is quickly being diminished (venezuela), and the financial and water situations are far worse now, as is the political one (coming off of a war which destabilised leadership).
Just hope that it's not out of the frying pan and into the fire. I have a great appreciation of the everyday Iranian, and they deserve better.
Although I fully understand why Iranians would protest, considering what happened to Syria and Libya, I would be very cautious.
Meanwhile Reza Pahlavi supported Israel bombing Iran and now: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-882490
It's genuinely gross what US/Israel is doing by co-opting real grievances against the Iranian government to push their own puppet to lord over Iran.
> "You have a very strong prime minister in Israel who is clearly on our side. I think that [US President Donald] Trump, unlike his predecessor, is definitely on a different path vis-à-vis what’s happening in Iran today. And you have Marco Rubio at the State Department. I believe he’s perhaps the first secretary of state ever since the Iranian revolution who truly gets it," Pahlavi said, praising the political echelons in both Jerusalem and Washington.
Sigh.
[dead]
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From Wikipedia:
> The FDD is a think tank based in Washington, D.C., United States.[6][7] It has been described as a pro-Israel, anti-Iran lobby group
> CEO is Mark Dubowitz
> Mark Dubowitz is [...] a proponent of sanctions against Iran[2] and was a leading critic of the Iran nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Conclusion: U.S./Israel "Think Tank" pushing for regime change in Iran financed by Isreal/Wallstreet money. So boring, always the same playbook. Of course, the underlying goal is to deny China oil exports from Iran. Venezuela as a major oil supplier to China is already coup d'état successfully. Go U.S.A, go!
Thanks for this addition.
[flagged]
I think it's good to explicitly point out that low-effort participation is discouraged on HN. It might not affect the actual "offender", but it's meaningful to the rest of the readers.
[flagged]
While there are ongoing protests in Iran we should support, its never bad to question a source of information and examine it for bias. From their own footer:
"FDD conducts in-depth research, produces accurate and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options – all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by adversaries of the United States and other free nations."
Think its safe to say the majority of the world views the US as one of the largest threats to peace and democracy right now, so any source so obviously biased should be questioned.
That's true, and it's worth mentioning that both your parent and grandparent comments are painfully low-effort.
And this comment is more low effort than mine. See my addition from Wikipedia for more effort
Exactly. Why is this pushed to HN front page with only 21 upvotes? > "The American political blog ThinkProgress criticized FDD for what it called "alarmist rhetoric and fear mongering" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Defense_of_Demo...
Is there also a page mapping protests in the usa? I guess not
Feel free to make one. Would you expect someone to cry "propaganda" if you did?
Incredible to see so many comments claiming this is propaganda and claiming there are no such maps of the US, when a simple google search results in dozens of hits for such maps. It is impossible to walk around in any major US city without witnessing protests about various topics, we have never been shy about protesting and it’s a key element of modern American culture.
Feel like every submission that I see on HN which is even vaguely political just devolves into “America bad” and conspiracy theories. I honestly preferred the “AWS bad” meta over this
You see, Iran is sanctioned by the west for decades now, and these sanctions eroded the Iranian economy greatly, causing much pain and suffering for the people of Iran.
These sanctions a major reason for the protest, so they are largely legitimate. To archive regime change, mix in (paid) violent protesters with AK's and Molotov Cocktails and add a Truth Social Post like
> If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J.TRUMP
there is your regime change!
[flagged]
Conspiracy theory isn’t even a smear anymore. It used to refer to idiocy like Reptile Overlords. Now Conspiracy Theory just means the belief that organized groups have an agenda and can lie about their real agenda.
People who yell Conspiracy Theories are just smearing themselves at this point.