This one is too relatable.

Iran declared its airspace to be closed to all flights for the next two hours. #Iran

Given the stakes, I believe it's fair to ask anyone advocating for U.S. involvement on behalf of #IranProtesters to be explicit about their demands. What kind of support? Are you calling for diplomatic pressure, material aid, military strikes, more sanctions, or something else entirely? #Iran

Eternal Sunshine of the Bomb Iran Mind - my new piece in Foreign Policy lays out why the likely impeding US attack on Iran is unlikely to help its protestors and likely to make things worse. With a paywall free link abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/eternal-suns...

A good short NPR Morning Edition interview with an #IranProtests eyewitness. npr.org/2026/01/14/n... #Iran

Very important thread for anyone covering or sharing news out of Iran right now, and honestly, for anyone covering anywhere ever, but especially when there's this much violence.

Western English-speaking media has yet to figure out how to responsibly cover news from pluralistic societies such as #Iran. A guest is often invited and asked what they are hearing from inside the country, or what they heard prior to their last communication. 1/6 #IranProtests

"Eyewitnesses say gov. forces have begun opening fire, apparently with automatic weapons and at times seemingly indiscriminately, on unarmed protesters. Hospital workers say protesters [...] arrive with gunshot wounds and skull fractures." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/w... #Iran #IranProtests

It’s very difficult to independently verify numbers, and as indicated by similar events in the past, the total may always remain contested, but videos coming out of Tehran’s Kahrizak Forensic Center tell signs of a bloody massacre with thousands killed across the country. #Iran #IranProtests

"Take over your institutions [...] help is on its way," Trump tells Iranians. #Iran #IranProtests

I am glad Reza is doing this. But unfortunately this will be a very very long thread. (Yet more evidence that in the past 125 years Tehran loves to devour its periphery)

So let me get this straight. To “support” the Iranian people, Trump wants to strangle an entire country, which includes everyone living there, whether connected to the IRGC or other state entities or completely unaffiliated. 1/2 #Iran

Ongoing thread of the names, images, and brief bios of Iranian civilians killed during January 2026 #IranProtests:

Correction: NO ONE INJURED www.latimes.com/california/s...

I showed this video to an American friend who is not too familiar with the dynamics of the Iranian-American community and her first reaction was "Oh, no! That's a rental truck. That gentleman is not going to get his deposit back." #Iran #IranProtests

Araghchi provides reporters with details about what unfolded on the streets of #Iran amid the #IranProtests. The state appears to be increasingly arguing that foreign elements directed the violence, placing most, if not all, of the bloodshed on external forces that allegedly encouraged chaos. 1/4

Video evidence of a severe and deadly state crackdown is trickling in. Even #Iran's state TV is reporting from the morgue where one can see numerous body bags. "The majority of them are ordinary people, and their families are ordinary people too," the reporter states. #IranProtests

"Chaos erupted after a driver allegedly plowed a U-Haul into a crowd during an anti-Iranian regime protest near the federal building in Westwood on Saturday afternoon." abc7.com/post/haul-dr... #Iran #IranProtests

Spoke to @aljazeera.com about the contentious debates surrounding #Iran's pre- and post-1979 revolution flags being swapped on X. #IranProtests www.aljazeera.com/features/202...

The semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that 109 security personnel had been killed in the protests across the country www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...

As a trained historian of #Iran, I regret to discover I wasted years poring over books and refining arguments. Amid the #IranProtests, I’ve learned that the country's entire modern history neatly fits into 60-second videos narrated after a quick Wikipedia search and scripted by ChatGPT.

Despite intensified crackdowns and deadly clashes between protesters and security forces, for a third night in a row, nationwide antigovernment protests rocked #Iran. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/w... #IranProtests

This is a really helpful discussion of a form of Iranian nationalism particularly dominant in the diaspora but also strong inside Iran. It’s called dislocative nationalism and is a racist effort to frame Iranians as white Europeans and Islam/Arabs as the enemy. n/ youtu.be/3lvsoW6OI_4?...

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13.5 million Iranians voted for hardliner candidate Jalili in 2024. 18 million for Raisi three years before. What is to be done with these nezam constituencies?

Important developments in #Iran within the past 24 hours as reported by Reuters & other sources. 1) IRGC has declared security a 'red line' 2) Iranian military stated that it will protect public property 3) 100 people reported arrested near Tehran www.reuters.com/world/middle... 1/2

At least 2 hospitals in Tehran have reported that the facilities were overwhelmed with injuries from last night's street clashes. An eye hospital went into crisis mode & another hospital did not have enough surgeons to cope with the influx of patients. www.bbc.com/news/article... #Iran #IranProtests

Catching up on what unfolded on the streets of #Iran last night. Large-scale protests took place across multiple cities nationwide. Reports suggest that state violence and repression have escalated dramatically. 1/2

An anchor on #Iran's state TV: "We don't have internet access. There are only two news agencies of Fars and Mehr that are accessible to all citizens. So, you can only open those two agencies on your phones. I'm also going to try to open those." #IranProtests

Thanks to @mediapart.fr, my latest piece on #IranProtests was translated and re-published in French. blogs.mediapart.fr/reza-h-akbar... #Iran

In my latest on #IranProtests, I argue that the country is locked in a state of political paralysis—marked by recurring protest cycles, escalating repression, & no clear transition path. What happens when neither bottom-up forces nor top-down power holders can decisively outmaneuver the other? #Iran

really good piece by Reza Akbari on the current protest movement in Iran, its sources and how it appears to be a truly bottom-up movement with all the dynamism and incoherence that implies and what that means both for understanding the protests and how the regime may respond

Anyone wanting an analysis, read Reza‘s summary. Not a Fortune-teller, as he says himself. „It is the existence of such a robust system that leads me to doubt the regime would be willing to show any flexibility in the short term or collapse following Khamenei’s departure, whether it be natural 1/2

A judicious summary of where we are at in Iran and what helped get us here

An excellent analysis that puts the situation in Iran into perspective, considering the political elements and actors "Above" and "Below," while also incorporating the uncertainty the country faces. Paralysis, in fact, seems to be the major current factor.

In my latest on #IranProtests, I argue that the country is locked in a state of political paralysis—marked by recurring protest cycles, escalating repression, & no clear transition path. What happens when neither bottom-up forces nor top-down power holders can decisively outmaneuver the other? #Iran

In his interview with the @wsj.com, Reza Pahlavi referred to himself as the "pedar" or father of #Iran’s opposition movement and, by extension, of the nation, stating that he's ready to lead a political transition. He also compared Iran to a woman who has been raped. www.wsj.com/opinion/free... 1/7

In his interview with the @wsj.com, Reza Pahlavi referred to himself as the "pedar" or father of #Iran’s opposition movement and, by extension, of the nation, stating that he's ready to lead a political transition. He also compared Iran to a woman who has been raped. www.wsj.com/opinion/free... 1/7

Iran’s Defense Council released a statement today. There is a striking passage that suggests #Iran is toying around with the idea of a preemptive strike. 1/2 www.tasnimnews.com/fa/news/1404...

For me, it’s hard to believe that #Syria will walk away with a fair deal or with terms that genuinely address their concerns, but it’s encouraging that diplomacy is back on the table. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/w... #Israel

A good detailed report by Farnaz Fassihi on the ongoing protests in #Iran. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...

"The Iranian government is attempting risky economic concessions as it tries to meet the escalating demands of protesters seeking fundamental political change, a clampdown on corruption and an easing of the squeeze on living standards of the poor." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... #Iran

Not the main story here, but it’s also interesting to note that #Venzuela owed #Iran an estimated amount of $2 billion. Highly unlikely that Tehran will see that money ever again. iranwire.com/en/news/1470...

Thread: What lessons will #Iran draw from Trump’s actions in #Venezuela? Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth spending much time on this. Iran’s Supreme Leader has not and more than likely will not show any sign of decisive action either way. 1/3

It’s always good to take a moment, find your center, radiate peace, and fill your heart with serenity right before bombing another country and capturing its leader.

One of the most ignorant and irresponsible statements I have seen in a while. Pompeo is now endangering the lives of peaceful demonstrators in #Iran.

In addition to domestic mismanagement & wrongheaded policy moves by Iranian officials, international sanctions have had devastating consequences for #Iran's economy, the middle class, and devaluation of the local currency. 1/2

There will never be a “free” or “secure” #Iran without sovereignty. Beyond the immense human and material costs, a U.S. military invasion would further destabilize the region and deepen divisions within the country's civil society. A wrongheaded move on multiple fronts.

Really liked the focus here on the 'politics of exhaustion' in Iran:

The politics of exhaustion described here is also reflected in the diaspora. There is disagreement now, not seen in 2022, about the best way of supporting Iranians. Many derived different lessons from the aftermath of WLF and Israel’s war and continuing designs on Iran.