NEW: The protests in Iran this month were the most recent in a series of popular uprisings that reveal a fundamental reality inside the country: The Islamic Republic in its current form is unsustainable. (1/2) Since 2017, large-scale demonstrations have swept across Iran on four occasions, with masses of citizens from diverse regions and backgrounds taking to the streets to express frustration with the ruling establishment. They have been motivated by a litany of grievances but invariably call for major political change or outright revolution. In that context, the protests that have dominated recent headlines should be seen as more than social unrest in response to the failing Iranian econom

NEW: The protests in Iran this month were the most recent in a series of popular uprisings that reveal a fundamental reality inside the country: The Islamic Republic in its current form is unsustainable. (1/2)

Since 2017, large-scale demonstrations have swept across Iran on four occasions, with masses of citizens from diverse regions and backgrounds taking to the streets to express frustration with the ruling establishment.

They have been motivated by a litany of grievances but invariably call for major political change or outright revolution. In that context, the protests that have dominated recent headlines should be seen as more than social unrest in response to the failing Iranian economy.

Rather, they reflect how large segments of the Iranian population can no longer tolerate a brutal regime that mismanages state resources, imposes its rigid ideology on the people, and instigates conflict with its neighbors.

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) Jan 30, 2026