While all eyes are on Venezuela, Iran is also undergoing a captivating shift. Right now, Iranians are in the streets demanding regime change. For decades, civilians in Iran have chafed at the oppressive rule of the ayatollahs, but what seems to have been the tipping point is the rial, Iran’s official currency, diving in value against the U.S. dollar.

Since June, the rial has dropped an astonishing 60%, and merchants and bazaars recently shuttered their shops in protest. This is significant because this class of people is generally friendly toward the regime. However, this one act of protest has sparked a bold rash of demonstrations across the country, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the horrific killing of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Her “crime” was not wearing a headscarf exactly to the regime’s liking; consequently, she was beaten to death while in custody.

Today’s protest has a very different tone. Instead of asking for reform, protestors are demanding regime change and the return of their king. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has attempted to politic his way out of it by saying the only legitimate protests are the ones concerning the moribund economy. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, has responded in his usual bloodthirsty manner, saying, “Rioters must be put in their place.” What does that mean in Iran? It means hundreds if not thousands of brutal arrests and killings by the regime.

President Donald Trump first responded to the Iranian protests on January 2, declaring in a Truth Social post: “If Iran [shoots] 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.”

“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 pic.twitter.com/ctNbfJD9jv

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 2, 2026

This is a drastically different tone from previous American presidents. Barack Obama sided with the Iranian regime during his tenure. His failure to support the Iranian people during the 2009 Green Movement quashed any sense of momentum they had to quash the Islamic theocratic dictatorship. Trump took out top general Qasem Soleimani in his first term. However, Joe Biden’s foreign policy was simply weakness and apathy while evil festered around the world.

Trump posted his support for the Iranian protesters on Friday and nabbed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro on Saturday. The people of both nations are feeling the support of the American president.

As protests continue, sadly, there have been killings. According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 17 have been killed so far in the protests, including at least three children.

On Sunday, Trump warned the Iranian regime again during a press gaggle on Air Force One, stating, “We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.”

It seems that the unrest in Iran is great enough to prompt Khamenei to have an escape plan in place. Should his guards turn on him or his security fail, he plans to escape to Russia, where he’d be joining Syria’s former leader, Bashar al-Assad, making Russia a harbor for failed Middle Eastern dictators.

You’d think Iran would know better than just about anyone not to mess with President Trump. He annihilated their nuclear program in June with stealth bombers that no one saw coming. This is yet another stark difference from Obama’s approach. While Obama gave the Iranian regime pallets of cash, buoying its nuclear program, Trump took that weapon off the table. You fool around with this president, you find out. Frankly, the Iranian people are counting on it.

On another interesting note, if Iran’s regime does finally fall, this would ruin Russia and China’s day. They already lost Venezuela — if they also lose Iran, their oil, gas, and mineral cash cows are gone.

Clearly, there is some canny reshuffling happening around the world. Not only is Trump publicly supporting oppressed peoples, but he’s also putting our greatest foreign adversaries in their place. Pretty interesting start to 2026.