The world has not seen the last of the anti-regime protests that have swept Iran in recent weeks, the Trump administration’s intelligence chief said Sunday.
“It's my expectation these protests are not behind us,” CIA director Mike Pompeo said on Fox News Sunday. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared this weekend that the protests had been “defeated.”
“[This] is a theocratic regime that is looking backwards, instead of a regime that is looking forward to make the lives of their people better,” Pompeo said. “It is my full expectation that you will see the Iranian people continue to revolt against this.”
The demonstrations, which began in late December, are still occurring “at a low level,” according to Pompeo. The protests broke out in more than 80 cities and have resulted in the death of at least 21 people, as well as the arrest of hundreds. Iranian authorities have used force and restrictions on social media in an effort to quash them.
Pompeo said the protests represent a rejection of the “backwards-looking,” adventurist theocracy reigning in Tehran, and are fueled by economic grievances.
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01.22.2025