Iran Remains Under Heavy Security Control, With Ongoing Repression by State Authorities

Image Credit: Cristopher Rose, Flickr

Initially triggered by the current Iranian economic crisis, thousands of protests have evolved into a broad anti-government movement since January 2026. As a result, the regime is facing one of the most destabilising periods in years.  The escalating civil tensions led to a brutal response from the current Islamic Regime. The official death toll has not yet been published by authorities. Nevertheless, the authoritarian regime has intensified its crackdown, imposing a nationwide media blackout. Internet and telecommunications services were shut down on January 8, 2026 severely isolating millions of people from their families and access to information. Journalistic investigations into the state’s current actions remain heavily restricted, but Iranians continue to relay information through smuggled-out videos circulating on social media despite tight controls. Activists warn that the communications blackout is being used to hide the true scale of the regime’s repression. 
The ongoing repression has increasingly drawn international attention and pressure on Tehran. Despite a sharp decline in large-scale protests following a brutal crackdown, arrests and killing of protesters continue across Iran, drawing new concerns from the international community. The White House is maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime, oscillating between military warnings and calls for diplomacy. Against this backdrop, talks between Iran and the United States took place in Oman on February 6, though they nearly collapsed amid deep disagreements over what issues should be discussed. Iran asserted that the talk should exclusively be focused on its nuclear program and maintain that its use is only peaceful. However, Iranian officials have increasingly hinted at the possibility of pursuing nuclear weapons. Donald Trump underscored the stakes, warning that failure to reach an agreement could have serious consequences : "If we can work something out, that would be great, and if we can't, probably bad things would happen”.