US senator calls for more pressure on Iran as people protest

Senator Rick Scott of Florida said he feels encouraged by the protests in Iran and hopes they will continue and lead to a change of leadership in the country.

“As we look at the start of a new year, it’s encouraging to see Iranian protests that call for an end to the abusive Iranian dictatorship,” Scott posted on X on Wednesday. “I hope the people of Iran continue to stand up to the evil Iranian regime.”

Iranian director Jafar Panahi shared a video of protesters in Iran, saying that “shared pain has now turned into a cry in the streets” and that the protests are an uprising “to push history forward.”

“Shared pain has now turned into a cry in the streets; for four days people have stood firm, not just to shout but to change. The streets are not claimed by guns, but by determination,” Panahi wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

“When there is nothing left to lose, fear crumbles, voices merge, silence breaks, and the way back closes. This uprising is a decision of will: to stay, to push forward, and to move history,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided not to publicly comment on the ongoing protests in Iran, amid concerns that doing so could give Tehran a pretext to target Israel and divert attention from its domestic economic problems, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

The decision followed a briefing Netanyahu held on the issue at his hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to the report.

“We’re watching dramatic domestic events in Iran, but it’s too early to tell what the ramifications will be,” Channel 12 quoted a senior Israeli official as saying.

Sunni cleric Molana Abdolhamid of Zahedan said in a post on X on Wednesday that unbearable living conditions and the dead end the country has reached are among the key reasons behind the current wave of nationwide protests in Iran.

Abdolhamid warned that ignoring calls by well‑meaning figures for “necessary changes” has pushed Iran into political and economic crises, urging structural reforms and accountability from officials in response to people’s demands.

A video sent to Iran International shows a group of protesters taking to the streets in the town of Farsan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, chanting “Reza Shah, rest in peace,” as the sound of gunfire can be heard in the background.

Another video from Farsan shows demonstrators facing off with police officers while chanting “Death to Khamenei,” as officers are heard threatening the crowd and further gunshots ring out.