In what appears to be a prelude to a massive crackdown on the protesters filling city streets in Iran, the regime has cut off internet access in several key provinces, including the capital city of Tehran.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that 39 people have been killed during the 12-day protests, including four members of the security forces. The protests have spread to more than 200 cities and towns encompassing 26 of Iran's 31 provinces.
There is also an indication that the regime is losing trust in at least some of its security forces. Fox News is reporting (confirmed by ISW) that "roughly 850 Hezbollah, Iraqi militia and Quds Force-linked fighters crossed into Iran to bolster the regime’s security forces," according to the network.
"This is nothing new for the regime. It is the logical extension of a playbook the ruling clerics have used since 1979 to outsource repression to ideologically loyal militias and then integrate them into the state’s coercive infrastructure," Iran expert Lisa Daftari told Fox News Digital.
"From the Basij and Revolutionary Guard, which were built to crush internal dissent under the banner of defending the revolution, to today’s deployment of foreign proxies like Hezbollah and Iraqi Popular Mobilization units, the regime is signaling once again that it treats its own population the way it has long treated regional battlefields. The message is clear: The mullahs don’t care about the Iranian people. They are willing to go to any extent to blur the line between domestic policing and transnational militancy to preserve their grip on power,"
"Since protests dating back to 2009, there were always allegations of Arabic being heard on the street," Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. "As the contest between the state and the street continues to heat up, all eyes will be on Iran’s security forces to see if they defect or disobey orders to crack down
One possible explanation for bringing in Iraqi Shiite militias for security is that the coming crackdown is going to be a bloody one, and it's thought that foreign thugs would be more willing to turn their guns on Iranians than Iranian-born security personnel.
The Kurds are trying to inflict maximum pressure on the regime by calling for a general strike on January 8.
"The Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), among others, called for a nationwide 'general strike' on January 8 in response to the regime’s violent crackdown on protests in Kermanshah, Ilam, and Lorestan provinces," reports ISW.
Sanandaj, in western Iran's Kurdistan province (Rojhelat), exhibited empty streets and markets. Similar reports came from other Kurdish towns and cities.
Footage seen by The New Region showed a general strike across much of Iran’s Kurdish-inhabited western regions (Rojhelat), including cities in Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and West Azerbaijan, after Kurdish opposition groups jointly called for a strike and amid nationwide protests pic.twitter.com/jFIKyBYPR0
— The New Region (@thenewregion) January 8, 2026
Unless there are widespread defections among the police or a military coup, the Iranian government will only be discomfited, and not in any danger of falling. They have already demonstrated a determination to beat down these protests by any means necessary.
Supreme Leader Khamenei sees the protesters as agents of Israel and the U.S. He has no intention of giving in to any demands. That means a lot more blood is going to be shed in the near future.
The new year promises to be one of the most pivotal in recent history. Midterm elections will determine if we continue to move forward or slide back into lawfare, impeachments, and the toleration of fraud.
PJ Media will give you all the information you need to understand the decisions that will be made this year. Insightful commentary and straight-on, no-BS news reporting have been our hallmarks since 2005.
Get 60% off your new VIP membership by using the code FIGHT. You won't regret it.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member