Protests are escalating across Iran after 13 straight days, with last night's being the largest so far. All 31 Iranian provinces have now seen protesters on the streets expressing their anger at the Islamic regime.
Images are circulating online of government buildings on fire, despite the regime's efforts to block internet access since yesterday. Videos show protesters chanting "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to the Islamic Republic!" and waving the Lion and Sun flag, the Iranian national flag before the Islamic Republic took power.
However, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a speech today that his government "will not back down," calling the protesters "saboteurs" who will be shown no "leniency" for their actions.
There are new reports from the Iranian city of Zahedan that regime forces have again opened fire on unarmed protesters. The Washington Post is reporting that the death toll has now risen to at least 62.
Following President Trump's threat yesterday that the U.S. would act if the regime continues to kill protesters, members of Congress are speaking out in support of the Iranian protest movement.
Senator Lindsey Graham warned leaders of the regime: "You run your mouth against President Trump at your own peril. Thugs, dictators, bullies and killers who defy President Trump do not last long in this world."
Senator Ted Cruz added, "President Trump has been very clear: If the ayatollah harms the protesters, the consequences would be catastrophically painful. The regime should understand that the president is deadly serious and will enjoy strong support in Congress."
Additionally, Senator John Fetterman said that he would back any effort from the U.S. to support the Iranian people.
Below are more key stories and links to share AIPAC social media content from the week. We'll continue to provide the latest updates on our social media channels.
Alpinist Reservist Unit completes training at Mount Hermon
The Israeli Alpinist Reservist Unit completed its annual series of training exercises to prepare the troops for extreme weather activities at the Mount Hermon Summit in Syria.
Wall Street Journal exposes shadow fleet smuggling oil across world
A new Wall Street Journal report details the shadow fleet smuggling illicit oil around the world for sanctioned nations, including Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.
The roughly 1,500 tankers are owned by shell companies, and typically change ownership multiple times to hide the identities of their real owners.
Once the tankers begin transporting the sanctioned oil, they change the names and flags of the ships, and, at times, turn off their transponders to hide their location. This allows the fleet to swap barrels of oil to hide the origin and destination of their cargo, making these clandestine ship-to-ship transfers only visible to satellites.
Earlier this week, U.S. special forces seized an Iran-linked tanker in the North Atlantic Ocean. The ship was sanctioned in 2024 by the U.S. for smuggling black-market Iranian oil on behalf of Hezbollah.
A map highlighting the path of the Iranian-linked tanker, which was seized by U.S. special forces earlier this week.
13 million Americans are living with PSTD. Israeli scientists are hoping to change that.
Every day that goes by without returning Ran’s body is another Hamas ceasefire violation.
For the second time in the past 24 hours, Hamas has violated the ceasefire agreement.
The Iranian people are courageously standing up to the fanatical tyrants of the regime and are risking their lives for a better future.
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