Dec 28, 2025 – Protests erupt in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar after the central bank ends a cheap‑dollar program, sparking currency‑price spikes; shopkeepers close markets and demonstrators chant against the regime, marking the start of the widest anti‑government wave since 2022[8].

Summer 2025 – Iran fights a 12‑day war with Israel that damages nuclear facilities and weakens Tehran’s deterrence, creating heightened expectations for political change that later fuel the January protests[6].

2009 – The Green Movement protests against election fraud set a precedent for mass dissent, a reference point for analysts comparing the 2026 unrest to earlier challenges to the Islamic Republic[6].

2022 – Nationwide protests over economic hardship and political repression become the most extensive challenge to the regime in years, providing a benchmark for the scale of the 2026 demonstrations[6].

Jan 1, 2026 – In a New Year video, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi declares the Islamic Republic “at the end of the road,” urges global backing for Iranians, and promises to return to lead a democratic transition[11].

Jan 8, 2026 – Iran imposes a nationwide internet and international‑call blackout as protests spread to over 100 cities, with at least 45 demonstrators killed (including eight children) and more than 2,000 detained; Pahlavi posts on X urging Iranians to take to the streets[8][8].

Jan 9, 2026 – Protesters mark the 13th day of unrest, chanting for Pahlavi’s return and for a constitutional monarchy, while Supreme Leader Khamenei accuses demonstrators of seeking Trump’s favor; the regime continues the blackout and reports damage to banks, hospitals and mosques[7][5].

Jan 9, 2026 – Pahlavi outlines a 100‑day interim plan for a transitional administration and free elections, positioning himself as a potential guide for a democratic Iran rather than a monarchist restoration[3].

Jan 9, 2026 – The UN human‑rights office condemns the violence, calls for investigations into deaths and property destruction, and criticises the internet shutdown as a breach of fundamental freedoms[5].

Jan 10, 2026 – Pahlavi tells Newsweek that Trump’s warning “gives protesters great strength,” calls for two more nights of demonstrations, and backs the Iran Prosperity Project’s two‑phase roadmap toward economic stability and constitutional reform[10].

Jan 10, 2026 – Diaspora‑focused media report that Pahlavi’s calls spur Thursday‑night protests across dozens of towns, expanding the movement from economic grievances to a direct challenge to the theocracy[13].

Jan 12, 2026 – Eyewitnesses describe security forces opening fire with Kalashnikov‑style rifles, hospitals overwhelmed, and Iran Human Rights reporting at least 648 protesters killed, while Supreme Leader Khamenei vows the regime will not back down[2].

Jan 13, 2026 – Activists estimate the death toll surpasses 2,000; former President Trump threatens strikes and 25 % tariffs on firms dealing with Tehran, adding a volatile U.S. policy dimension to the crisis[9].

Jan 13, 2026 – A Canadian‑based 25‑year‑old woman burns Khamenei’s portrait on video, saying she does it “just to humiliate” the dictator, while author J.K. Rowling publicly supports the protesters, illustrating the global symbolic resonance of the uprising[9].

Jan 16, 2026 – At a Washington press conference, Pahlavi urges the world to back the protests, calls for a “surgical strike” on IRGC leadership, demands economic pressure, expulsion of Iranian diplomats, release of political prisoners, and deployment of satellite internet, and pledges to return to Iran to oversee a new constitution based on territorial integrity, secularism and individual liberties[1].

Jan 20, 2026 – Hackers hijack Iran’s state TV to broadcast pro‑Pahlavi messages and urge the army not to fire on civilians; activists claim the crackdown has killed at least 4,029 people; the World Economic Forum and Munich Security Conference withdraw Iranian invitations, and the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group moves toward the Middle East, signaling escalating international pressure[12].