Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Thousands killed and arrested as Iran’s protests intensify. The young generation backs Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and defies the collapsing theocracy.

Protesters gathered in Iran’s largest cemetery, Behesht-e Zahra, on Monday, chanting slogans such as “This year is the year of bloodshed, Seyyed Ali will be overthrown.”

Mass protests alone won’t topple Iran’s regime; only military, religious, and security defections can transform unrest into revolution.

Iranians unite against the regime, growing protests signal the possibility for change, yet the world remains hesitant to act.

"We may need to act before a meeting with them… we are in the process of coordinating a meeting,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.

This wave of protests is unfolding against a backdrop fundamentally different from the past anti-regime movements, in the wake of June's 12-day war.

Iran’s diplomatic moves, not calling for assistance or reaching out to its allies, seem to be intended to show that Tehran believes everything is going to turn out all right.

Trump seemed inclined to negotiate with Khamenei in his second term and probably would not have used force against the regime if not for an Israeli decision to attack Iran's nuclear program.

He asserted that he had received “reliable reports” indicating the authorities were facing “a severe shortage of mercenaries to confront the millions of people in the streets.”

One Iranian official told The Telegraph that “the establishment has never felt as threatened by protests as it does now.”