TEHRAN – Western media has been lionizing armed terrorists that burrowed into Iran’s initially peaceful demonstrations as mere “protesters” fighting for freedom and prosperity. When occasionally mentioning their brutal violence, these media outlets only point to their vandalism of government buildings, entirely ignoring the several security forces and citizens they have killed, the public transportation and aide vehicles they have destroyed, or the private businesses and homes they have set ablaze. 

Protests were initiated in late December by Iranian bazaaries, who had grievances over the currency crisis that began grappling Iran in 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump started his “maximum pressure” campaign, and worsened significantly in November and December of 2025. Iranian authorities said the people have the right to protest and promised to introduce measures that would ease the crisis. American and Israeli officials, however, began attempts to exploit the situation very soon. Their first few statements focused on galvanizing the protesters, urging them to instead ask for the government to be toppled, and assuring them that Mossad agents were on the ground to “help” them. When the bazaaries refused to turn to violence and kept their demonstrations peaceful, the agents Americans and Israelis had been boasting about became more active. By Thursday and Friday, armed terrorists and overwhelmed teenagers influenced by online propaganda had completely sidelined the original protesters. 

Inciting the Iranian people against the government was also a U.S.-Israeli agenda back in June, when the two regimes launched a full-fledged war against Iran. The country’s civilian, military, and nuclear infrastructure were targeted, and somewhere around 1,100 Iranians (mostly civilians) were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Iranians twice to help him topple the Islamic Republic during the 12-day war, telling people in video messages that they would gain “freedom” and “prosperity” if they take to the streets against the authorities. No one in the country heeded the convicted war criminal’s pleas. 
    
Riots that the enemy managed to spur this time were quite short-lived. No notable unrest took place across Iranian cities on Saturday and Sunday, as the youth that had accompanied the armed terrorists appeared to have already distanced themselves, and police moved to arrest dozens of the agents deployed by foreign forces. The unrest is expected to fizzle completely in the coming days. 

Despite Iran’s success at averting yet another U.S.-orchestrated collapse, statements by American officials and reports by Western media show Washington may try to make the most of the unprecedented violence it managed to spur.

After Trump stated multiple times in the past days that he is ready to “strike Iran” if the country cracks down on rioters and armed terrorists, The New York Times published a report, claiming the president has already been briefed on “new options for military strikes in Iran”. The NYT said Trump may choose to attack “nonmilitary” sites, without elaborating on what those sites could be, or how such action would help assuage the economic woes created by years of U.S. sanctions. 

American media outlets also aided Trump in his June aggression against the country, publishing reports that suggested there were rifts between Trump and Netanyahu on whether Iran should be attacked to help deceive Iranians about the war that had already been planned. That revelation was made by The Washington Post in December. 

Given that, back in June, Trump did believe Iranians would turn against the government if attacked, and that the political and military elite would flee the country after receiving threatening calls, it appears that he is particularly prone to making miscalculations about Iran.  His recent abduction of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro may have also made him too flush to remember his failed agenda in Iran. 

If the Trump administration decides to launch a second war against Iran, the results are unlikely to be any different. Another attack on Iran would once again unite the people and further reveal the American hands behind recent riots. The consequences though, are almost certain to be more devastating for both the U.S. and Israel. The Tehran Times understands the Iranian military would not only fire missiles at the occupied territories and U.S. bases like it did back in summer but also take more heavy-handed measures to prevent any future adventurism by Trump and Netanyahu. The still unexplored and likely future options include the mass killing of American soldiers, as well as the closure of the Hormuz Strait.