More from MEF
Labor fragmentation, economic insulation, and securitization explain why Iran’s oil workers have not struck.
Middle East Forum Observer
Why Iran’s Oil Workers Have Not Struck
A Fragmented Labor Force, Strict Security, and Other Factors Constrain Workers from Mobilizing, Not Apathy or Ignorance
January 11, 2026
 · 
Umud Shokri
A conceptual image of the flag of the Islamic Republic draped on steps.
Middle East Forum Observer
Time Runs Out as Iran’s Security Forces Kill Hundreds of Protesters
Iranians Plead on Social Media for U.S. Intervention Now, Not Next Week, Which They Warn May Be Too Late
January 11, 2026
 · 
Mardo Soghom
The flag of the Islamic Republic waves in the skyline of Tehran, Iran.
Middle East Forum Observer
Could a Successful Revolution in Iran Spread?
The Fall of the Islamic Republic Could Reverberate, Causing Turks and Azeris to Put Their Lives on the Line to Fight Dictatorships in Their Countries
January 11, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in an April 2025 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Middle East Forum Observer
To Win Over Iranians, Rubio Should Re-Designate the Mujahedin-e Khalq
The past Two Weeks of Protests Have Confirmed the Group Has No Backing or Legitimacy Among Ordinary Iranians
January 10, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urged Iranian protesters to bring out the regime-banned Lion and Sun flag, like this one at a 2024 protest in London.
Middle East Forum Observer
Video Shows Anti-Regime Momentum Building in Iran
Protesters Mocked Khamenei’s Latest Speech, in Which He Declared That the World Should Wait for the ‘Collapse of Trump’s Regime’
January 10, 2026
 · 
Ali Hamedani
An Islamic cleric in traditional dress walking in the courtyard of Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom, Iran, in 2019.
Middle East Forum Observer
What Will the Iranian Clergy’s Position Be in a Post-Islamic Republic Future?
A Challenge to the Regime by Religious Leaders Could Deliver the Coup de Grâce to the Islamic Republic
January 10, 2026
 · 
Shay Khatiri
Iran's former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi inspires passionate supporters, like these in England during his 2023 visit to talk in Parliament.
Middle East Forum Observer
Reza Pahlavi Must Leave His Trolls Behind If He Returns to Iran
Many Followers Claim to Speak on His Behalf, but Their Approach Is Immature and They Seek to Punish Dissenters
January 10, 2026
 · 
Michael Rubin
Middle East Forum Online
Is Iran on the Verge of Collapse?
January 10, 2026
 · 
Jim Hanson
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a televised speech in September 2025.
Middle East Forum Observer
Kill Khamenei’s Family Members and Top Regime Oppressors Until Khamenei Surrenders
Making the Fall of the Regime an Inevitability That Even Khamenei Cannot Deny Is a Difficult Task
January 10, 2026
 · 
Shay Khatiri
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Middle East Forum Online
Iran’s New Age of Revolutions
Iran’s Protests Are Part of a New Phase of Unrest in the Islamic Republic That Began in 2017
January 9, 2026
 · 
Saeid Golkar