Iran government could topple after biggest demonstrations in 15 years rock regime

Iranians protesting against the brutal regime (Image: Getty )

Iran is being rocked by the biggest demonstrations the country has seen for 15 years which could threaten to topple the hardline ruling Islamic regime. Thousands have flocked to the streets in all of the nation's 31 provinces, including in the capital Tehran, where protesters rallied again yesterday (January 9) in a rare show of defiance against the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Soaring inflation and fuel prices, as well as food and water shortages, have been blamed for the extraordinary protests which have raged across the country for the past week. Demonstrators have come under fire from security services and large fires have broken out in several cities as public buildings were attacked.

A source in Tehran told the Daily Express the people involved in this latest round of protests were different from previous student and civil rights demonstrations, with shopkeepers and farmers involved in the biggest show of unrest in 15 years. He warned if a crack started to show in the government, it could be gone "in weeks".

"The background story is that the regime had to raise many prices and inflation is skyrocketing, which for the most part has been caused by the war with Israel," he said. "They (the regime) have been buying military equipment from China, North Korea and Russia, they have been spending more on military and staff wages because they had to raise the pay to satisfy them.

"This has made everything for ordinary people very expensive, and the very last trigger has been the fuel prices rising and that hits everyone."

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei raged against the protesters and Donald Trump (Image: Getty )

At least 42 people have been killed since the uprising began, with more than 2,270 arrested, according to aid agencies. However, the exact death toll is hard to verify as the Iranian regime has cut off all internet access for the past 24 hours, with usage plummeting to less than 1% of normal.

British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman are being held in the feared Evin Prison in Tehran. The pair were snatched during a motorbike holiday on January 3 last year and accused of spying. Their son Joe Bennett told the Express his parents had told him this week hundreds of arrested protesters were being brought into the jail every night.

Some Iranians claim to have been using Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service to get messages to the outside world. In a note shared by a prominent Iranian blogger, one surgeon said they had been "operating all night" in Tehran, and that "the number of protesters (injured) was higher than during the 12-day war".

The 12-day war, or Iran-Israel war, in June last year saw Israeli warplanes bomb suspected Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran retaliate by launching more than 500 missiles and over 1,000 drones. Tehran claimed more than 400 Iranian civilians died in the conflict which was brought to an end by the intervention of US President Donald Trump.

Trump, who ordered a US strike on Iranian nuclear sites in the summer, has already taken aim at the regime over the new protests, writing on his TruthSocial: "If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."

Fires rage during the demonstrations across Iran (Image: Supplied )

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has seized upon Trump's words to bolster the regime's propaganda machine which blames America, the West and Israel for the country's problems. In a fiery address to supporters aired on state TV Khamenei said Trump's hands were “stained with the blood of Iranians” and he described the protesters as "terrorists".

Religious zealots like Khamenei have ruled the Middle Eastern country since it became an Islamic Republic in 1979, when the Shah (King) was overthrown and clerics assumed overall control, supported by the brutal military of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The country has been an international pariah ever since, supporting terrorist groups such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as the Houthis in Yemen.

The leadership has openly called for the destruction of Israel and is subject to severe sanctions from the US and international community.

Crown Prince Reza Pahlav, a relative of the deposed Iranian royal family, posted a statement on social media on Thursday urging protesters to continue. He said to demonstrators: "I know you will not give up the streets. Victory is yours."

Dr. Roxane Farmanfarmaian, from the University of Cambridge, told the Daily Express water shortages had also contributed to public outrage and the Iranian regime may seek support from Moscow. She said: "There is an offer on the table from Moscow to send water into Iran from across the Russian border, which is being seriously discussed by Tehran, as one of the real problems triggering the protests is the water shortage, an indicator of the bad economic management that is causing the broader protests."