The UnWoke Show Season 4, Episode 150: ”Iran’s Collapse: Why the Regime is Terrified of its Own People.”

2026-01-18

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Iran isn’t just struggling anymore, it’s breaking. In this episode, we unpack how Iran’s ongoing economic collapse has transformed into something far more dangerous for the Islamic Republic: a mass protest movement with national momentum. What started as outrage over skyrocketing prices, collapsing currency value, and shortages has spilled into the streets across the country, spreading beyond one city and becoming a broader uprising fueled by public exhaustion, rage, and disbelief that the system can ever ...

Iran isn’t just struggling anymore, it’s breaking.

In this episode, we unpack how Iran’s ongoing economic collapse has transformed into something far more dangerous for the Islamic Republic: a mass protest movement with national momentum. What started as outrage over skyrocketing prices, collapsing currency value, and shortages has spilled into the streets across the country, spreading beyond one city and becoming a broader uprising fueled by public exhaustion, rage, and disbelief that the system can ever be fixed.

Reports show protests escalating rapidly in late December 2025 into January 2026, spreading into dozens of cities and across all 31 provinces. Strikes and unrest reached symbolic economic and cultural centers, including Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, historically one of Iran’s most influential pressure points.

As the unrest expanded, Iran responded in the most predictable authoritarian way possible: crackdowns, mass arrests, live fire allegations, and internet shutdowns to cut off coordination and prevent images from leaving the country. But instead of killing the movement, this appears to have hardened it, turning economic rage into political rebellion.

We also examine how international tension is adding volatility to an already combustible situation, with threats, warnings, and escalating geopolitical pressure looming over Iran’s internal crisis.

At the center of it all is one brutal reality: a population that no longer believes waiting will change anything. The question now isn’t whether Iran is in crisis, it’s whether this movement becomes a turning point… or gets buried under force.

Show Notes

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/iranian-official-says-verified-deaths-iran-protests-reaches-least-5000-2026-01-18/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-deaths-trump-khamenei-95207b62fb2c8a4f3745d981ea0f9849

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/12/what-we-know-about-the-protests-sweeping-iran?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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