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Canadians are being urged to “leave Iran now” in an updated travel advisory issued by Global Affairs Canada as protests and a crackdown by Tehran intensify.
“Risk level — you should leave Iran now,” GAC said in an updated travel advisory on Tuesday.
“Avoid all travel to Iran due to ongoing nationwide demonstrations, tensions in the region, the high risk of arbitrary detention and the unpredictable enforcement of local laws,” the advisory said.
Iran’s chief coroner has laid the blame for the deaths of demonstrators in Iran on what he said were “terrorists,” claiming forensic examinations revealed victims whose “throats had been slit” and others shot at close range with hunting shotguns.
Detailing a series of killings during a Supreme Judicial Council meeting, Abbas Masjedi-Arani, head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organisation, said a large number of victims were killed with knives and double-barrelled shotguns.
President Donald Trump spoke more about Iran during an interview with Tony Dokoupil on CBS Evening News, spanning from promises of help to the endgame.
Trump reiterated his promise to Iranians that help is on the way as they battle the brutal regime:
DOKOUPIL: Americans woke up this morning and they saw that you said, Help is on the way. What do you mean by that?
TRUMP: Well, there’s a lot of help on the way, and in different forms, including economic help from our standpoint, and not going to help Iran very much. And you know, we put Iran out of business with their nuclear capacity. And now, depending on what’s actually happening, nobody has been able to give us accurate numbers about how many people they’ve killed. Well, on that point, looks like it could be a pretty substantial number, and that’s going to be a lot of problems, a lot of problems
With anti-regime unrest spreading across Iran, the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is secretly planning his escape if the regime falls, The Times of London revealed Monday, quoting an intelligence source.
Khamenei has good reasons to work out a backup plan. His regime suffered a serious military and morale setback in the Twelve-Day War with Israel last summer. Khamenei’s own position within the regime has been weakened by the loss of many of his long-time confidants and key military commanders since Iran-backed Hamas launched the terrorist invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.
Russia appears to be an obvious destination for a failed Iranian dictator. Nearly one year ago, the Iran-backed dictator of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, fled to Moscow after his regime collapsed after 50 years of clan rule. Khamenei, who leads the chants of “Death to America” at weekly Friday prayers in Tehran, has been at the helm of the tyrannical Islamic regime since 1989.
Let #Khamenei run to Russia, or even better – let him stand trial. It’s about time the illegitimate ockupants in Iran are removed. #IranProtests #IranProtests2026 pic.twitter.com/q2BXdXMbtH
— Markus Wiechel (@MarkusWiechel) January 5, 2026
Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran’s ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic’s rural provinces, with at least six people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said.
The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, one on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in three cities predominantly home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.
The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.
President Masoud Pezeshkian strikes conciliatory tone in interview broadcast on state TV but accuses US and Israel of fuelling unrest that has killed dozens.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to overhaul Iran’s struggling economy, saying his government is “ready to listen to its people” after two weeks of increasingly violent nationwide demonstrations.
Pezeshkian adopted a conciliatory approach during a televised interview on state television on Sunday, saying his embattled administration was determined to resolve the country’s economic problems while accusing the United States and Israel of fomenting deadly unrest.
Events inside Iran are accelerating at a breathtaking pace as the freedom uprising enters a decisive phase. Brave Iranians have torched an Islamic City Council building, openly defying the clerical state as the regime reels from cascading losses abroad—its influence in Venezuela, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza has collapsed, while at home the economy is in freefall, electricity and water are scarce, and the rial has lost roughly 60 percent of its value.
Islamic occupation is visibly cracking: police units in Ilam have joined protesters, IRGC-linked banks such as Bank Sepah have been attacked, and parts of the security apparatus are retreating. Despite reinforcements, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost effective control of Tehran, with Abdanan and Malekshahi reported fully liberated as chants of “Death to Ali Khamenei” echoed through the streets.
The term “freedom fighters” is so often abused that at times it’s hard to take it seriously. Plenty of goblins agitating for one form of totalitarian rule or another have claimed to be freedom fighters: Communists, Islamists, even your run-of-the-mill American leftist nutcases like the ones we’re seeing making fools of themselves in places like Minneapolis and Portland, right now.
However, the ongoing rebellion in Iran is the real deal. The Iranian people are in the streets, demanding their liberation from the cabal of Bronze-Age barbarians that have driven Iran to ruin, most especially from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These are for-real freedom fighters, and at the moment, it looks like they’re winning.
The son of the late Shah, who was deposed in 1979 in the Islamic Revolution that started Iran down this dark road, has emerged as a key figure supporting this resistance. On Saturday, Reza Pahlavi took to X to offer support to the rebels – and to promise to return to Iran.
بدانید که تنها نیستید. هممیهنانتان در سراسر جهان، صدای شما را با افتخار فریاد میزنند که حتما تصاویر حضور پرشمار و گسترده آنها را از طریق صفحه تلویزیون میبینید. دنیا امروز کنار انقلاب ملی شما ایستاده است و شهامت شما را تحسین میکند. بهویژه پرزیدنت ترامپ، به عنوان رهبر جهان… pic.twitter.com/D3JjErJ7QM
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) January 11, 2026
Translated from Persian, the post reads:
Know that you are not alone. Your compatriots around the world are proudly shouting your voice, and you must surely see images of their numerous and widespread presence through your television screen. The world today stands beside your national revolution and admires your courage. In particular, President Trump, as the leader of the free world, has carefully observed your indescribable bravery and has announced that he is ready to help you.
Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side.
Mohammad Movahedi Azad, Attorney General of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has pronounced that arrested protesters will now be executed. This announcement came after a scheduled televised address by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was cancelled.
Protesters are ‘enemies of Allah’: Iran warns of death penalty in crackdown
THE LAST DEADLY STEP: Mohammad Movahedi Azad, Attorney General of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has pronounced that arrested protesters will now be executed. This announcement came after a scheduled televised address by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was cancelled. pic.twitter.com/jlMnmQeCmE
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) January 10, 2026
Remarkable that this is the street presence in Iran despite estimates of more than 2,000 murdered by the regime in the last few days and nearly 3 days of a total communications blackout in Iran.
All eyes must stay on Iran. It’s past time for this regime to face the music for… pic.twitter.com/vGrS0NzZGJ
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) January 11, 2026
Iran protests live: ‘Some rioters want to please Trump,’ says Khamenei in national address; crowd cheers ‘Death to America!’ Times of India
from news.google.com
ISTANBUL — The Iranian government is struggling to contain protests that began late last month with merchants in Tehran and have exploded into mass demonstrations and extended strikes in cities and towns across the country. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in remarks on Friday that the government would “not back down” against the protesters, whom he described as “vandals.”
Protesters in Iran defied a government crackdown on Saturday night, taking to the streets despite medics at two hospitals telling the BBC more than 100 bodies have been brought in over a two day period.
Videos verified by the BBC and eyewitness accounts appeared to show the government was ramping up its response.
Iran’s attorney general said anyone protesting would be considered an “enemy of God” – an offence that carries the death penalty.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iran “very hard” if they “start killing people”. Iran’s parliament speaker warned that if the US attacks Iran, Israel and all US military and shipping bases in the region would be legitimate targets.
Six Iranian security members killed, hundreds detained amid protests Yeni Safak English
from news.google.com
Anti-government chants filled the streets of Iran’s capital on Saturday night, as protesters pressed the biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years despite a deadly crackdown under cover of an internet blackout.
from www.news24.com
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Nationwide unrest challenging Iran’s theocracy saw protesters flood the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city Saturday night and into Sunday morning, crossing the two-week mark as an outside monitoring group said at least 116 people had been killed.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. But according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on a network of contacts inside the country, the death toll from clashes between protests and Iran’s security forces has climbed steadily, and more than 2,600 others have been detained over the last two weeks.
Faced with its most significant challenge in years, Iran’s theocratic rulers have issued increasingly stern threats to what it claims are agitators being influenced by the U.S. and Israel — and answered threats of a U.S. intervention by President Trump with corresponding threats of their own.
Iran’s parliament speaker warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America strikes the Islamic Republic, as threatened by President Trump. Qalibaf made the threat as lawmakers rushed the dais in the Iranian parliament, shouting: “Death to America!”
Masoud Pezeshkian expressed sympathy for protesters’ economic pain, but said the state must respond to “rioters.”
from www.nytimes.com
At Poursina Hospital in Rasht in northern Iran, 70 bodies were brought in on Friday night alone. A hospital source said the morgue reached full capacity, forcing staff to remove bodies to make space. “The bodies were placed on top of one another,” she said, adding that after the morgue filled up, bodies were stacked in the hospital’s prayer room.
A medic at a Tehran hospital told the BBC that many young protesters arrived with fatal gunshot wounds. “Around 38 people died, many as soon as they reached the emergency beds,” she told the BBC, adding they couldn’t even perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on them. “There were direct shots to the heads of the young people, to their hearts as well. Many of them didn’t even make it to the hospital.”
from news.google.com
The U.S. Military on Saturday launched a series of large-scale airstrikes targeting Islamic State (ISIS) positions across Syria.
These operations, conducted under the broader Operation Hawkeye Strike, involved more than 20 aircraft, including F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, AC-130J Ghostrider gunships, MQ-9 Reaper drones from the U.S. Air Force, and F-16 fighter jets from the Jordanian Air Force. Over 90 precision-guided munitions were deployed against at least 35 targets, which included weapons caches, supply routes, and other infrastructure supporting ISIS activities.
The strikes commenced around 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time and were coordinated with partner forces on the ground. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported no immediate civilian casualties or collateral damage assessments, emphasizing the actions as part of an ongoing effort to degrade ISIS capabilities and prevent attacks on U.S. and allied personnel.
Israel is on high alert for the possibility of any United States intervention in Iran as authorities there confront the biggest anti-government protests in years, according to three Israeli sources with knowledge of the matter.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days and warned Iran’s rulers against using force against demonstrators. On Saturday (Jan 10), Trump said the US stands “ready to help”.
Trump threatens US action over Iran protests, rules out sending troops – China Daily Capitalfm.co.ke
from news.google.com
Violence reported across Iran as government signals crackdown on protests Australian Broadcasting Corporation
from news.google.com
Over 60 Killed in Iran as Anti-Government Protests Intensify The Sentinel – of this Land, for its People
from news.google.com
Anti-government protests spread in Iran as authorities impose internet blackout CBC
from news.google.com
As a wave of protests swept across Iran last night, the internet was completely shut down.
I have no idea what is happening to my friends, my family, or anyone else.
My best friend Champ was at the demonstration.
I desperately hope he is safe.
Iran is a nation wanting its soul back.
The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who has emerged as a prominent voice in the fragmented opposition, made his strongest call yet for the protests to broaden into a revolt to topple the clerical rulers.
State media said a municipal building was set on fire in Karaj, west of Tehran, and blamed “rioters”. State TV broadcast footage of funerals of members of the security forces it said were killed in protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom and Hamedan.
Footage posted on Friday on social media showed large crowds gathered in Tehran and fires lit in the street. In one video verified by Reuters showing a nighttime protest in Tehran’s Saadatabad district, a man is heard saying the crowd had taken over the area.
“The crowd is coming. ‘Death to the dictator’, ‘Death to Khamenei’,” he said, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Protests have spread across Iran since Dec 28, beginning in response to soaring inflation, and quickly turning political with protesters demanding an end to clerical rule. Authorities accuse the US and Israel of fomenting unrest.
Trump Shares Lindsey Graham’s Post on Truth Social Warning Iran as It Enforces Crackdown on Protests International Business Times UK
from news.google.com