‘We want change, not destruction’: Iranian protesters reject US and Israeli interference Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Tue, 01/13/2026 - 10:22 While some opposition figures have pushed the US or Israel for regime change, there's wariness of their true goals This video grab taken on 13 January 2026 from UGC images posted on social media on 10 January shows clashes in Mashhad, northeastern Iran (UGC/AFP) Off As reports reveal a mounting death toll in Iran 's anti-government protests, there have also been mounting calls for foreign intervention to prevent further killings and even oust the Islamic Republic all together. Since June 2025, when Israel launched air strikes that killed around 1,000 people in the country, speculations over a military operation to oust the government have been growing, a view further bolstered by the US kidnapping of Iran ally Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela earlier this month. Israel, the US and the Islamic Republic itself have all claimed that Israeli operatives are already on the ground among the demonstrators, with former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo boasting of "Mossad agents" inside the protests. The repeated claims have unnerved some protesters, who see it as justification for the government to paint their demonstrations as a foreign plot rather than a movement of legitimate grievances against state repression and economic mismanagement. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on Monday that it had confirmed the deaths of 648 protesters and approximately 10,000 arrests since the movement began on 28 December. An Iranian security official told Reuters Tuesday that the death toll may be as high as 2,000 people , including security personnel. Middle East Eye spoke to a number of people involved in the demonstrations as the situation continues to deteriorate, with the US warning its citizens to leave the country and imposing tariffs Iran's trading partners . "I don’t know what Mike Pompeo really meant by that tweet saying Mossad agents were among the protesters," said Sara, a 39-year-old from Tehran. "Personally, I am suspicious that some parts of the protests were deliberately pushed toward violence." '[The government] are turning Iran into ruins, and Israel is the happiest about it' - Reza, Tehran With the government blocking the internet, communication across Iran has become difficult, but videos have emerged of an ambulance and fire trucks being set on fire. "When you see the videos of places being set on fire, you feel this cannot be the work of ordinary people. It looks like they just want destruction," said Sara. "We want regime change, but we do not want our country to be destroyed. And given Israel’s record, it would not be surprising if they tried to exploit this situation." She was also not thrilled by the prospect of an Israeli intervention. "Are you kidding? Over the past one or two years, Israel has attacked almost every country in the region," she said. "They want the entire region to be in chaos while they remain safe." 'Do you think I’m Israeli?' The demonstrations have drawn comparison to the 2022 protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. Then, the focus was to a large extent on the country's strict public dress laws, which were responsible for Amini's arrest and subsequent death following her detention by the morality police. The current demonstrations, however, have focused more on economic issues - though as usual there have been predictions that the demonstrations could lead to the fall of the Islamic Republic. Supporters of regime change in Iran rally as a person holds a poster of exiled opposition leader Reza Pahlavi, outside the Wilshire Federal Building, on June 23, 2025 in Los Angeles, California (AFP) The US and Israel have been much more vocal this time about their willingness to get involved. Trump on Tuesday told Iranians in a post on Truth Social to keep protesting and said "help is on its way", but did not give details. Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli army radio: "The regime in Iran must fall, and we need to exercise strategic patience, while remaining ready to act when is necessary. “At this moment, when what matters most is the mass action on the ground, we need to stay in the background and steer things with an invisible hand. " Meanwhile, the son of Iran's former ruler has moved to position himself as a potential replacement. Reza Pahlavi has spent years cultivating ties with American and Israeli officials and has openly called for Israel to defenestrate the Islamic Republic even when other opposition figures have been hesistant or resistant to such a move. 'This is a tactic the regime uses again and again. It always blames protests on foreign forces' - Artin, Karaj In contrast to his father's autocratic rule, described by Amnesty International in 1976 as having the worst human rights record in the world, Pahlavi has promised a secular democratic state. Artin, a 17-year-old from the city of Karaj, was born 30 years after the Islamic Revolution. He has never known anything but the Islamic Republic, but he looks back towards the time of the shah's rule as a model for the future. He also believes the US and Israel need to intervene swiftly to aid the protesters. "Both of them are friends of the Iranian people. We want to return to the shah’s era, when Iran had good relations with both countries," he said. "Without help from the United States, we cannot stand up to these killers. We are asking Trump to come and help us, just as he helped the people of Venezuela." Despite his fervour, however, he dismissed the claim that there Israeli operatives involved in the protests as "nonsense". "Do you think I’m Israeli? This is a tactic the regime uses again and again. It always blames protests on foreign forces," Artin said. 'Deadlocked' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised on Tuesday that new sanctions against Tehran would be proposed to the 27 member states "quickly", owing to the "horrifying" death toll among the protesters. Demonstrations have also taken place in cities around the world in support of Iranian protesters. Some have carried photos of Pahlavi as well as placards calling on Trump to intervene in the country. Yoav Gallant says Israel should steer Iran protests 'with an invisible hand' Read More » On Tuesday, Farah Pahlavi - the 87-year-old widow of the former shah - spoke out in support of the protesters and called for the security forces to join them. Calling the people of Iran her "children", she added: "Be strong and believe that soon you will celebrate freedom together in Iran, and light will triumph over darkness." Maduro's kidnapping on 3 January has emboldened many of those hoping for an outside force to remove officials, seemingly shaking off the aversion to regime change brought on by the catastrophes of Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump has, unlike past American officials, been speaking far less about bringing democracy and far more about eliminating enemies and taking resources. Reza, a 28-year-old resident of Tehran, said the situation was "deadlocked". "On one side, this government has shown that it is not capable of reform and knows nothing but repression," he said. "On the other side, there are Trump and Netanyahu, both of whom are war criminals." When asked about whether he believed Israel wanted to actually see a democratic Iran, he described it as a "stupid question". "Where has Israel ever welcomed democracy that Iran would be the second case? Israel wants a weak Iran, and unfortunately the Islamic Republic has been moving exactly in that direction," he said. "They are turning Iran into ruins, and Israel is the happiest about it." Iran protests MEE correspondent Tehran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0