The Iran uprising enters its 20th day on Friday, January 16, 2026, with protests, night-time hit-and-run clashes, and acts of resistance continuing across the country despite an undeclared state of martial law, mass arrests, and an ongoing digital blackout.
Reports received from inside Iran indicate that street confrontations continued from Monday through Thursday nights (January 13–15). Due to severe internet restrictions imposed by the regime, much of this information has emerged with delays, underscoring the authorities’ attempts to conceal the true scale of the uprising.
Resistance Units and Youths Confront Repressive Forces Nationwide
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, rebellious youths in Tehran mobilized in the Pirouzi and Tehranpars districts, chanting anti-regime slogans and clashing with suppressive forces. In the Qolhak district, an ammunition depot belonging to the IRGC and Basij was set on fire Tuesday night in a targeted act of resistance.
In Abdanan, Ilam province, thousands of people turned the funeral of Alireza Seidi, a teenage protester killed by regime forces, into a mass protest. Mourners chanted slogans including “Death to Khamenei,” “I will kill the one who killed my brother,” “This country will not be free until the mullahs are shrouded,” and “This is the year of sacrifice; Seyed Ali will be overthrown.”
Clashes between protesters and armed regime forces were reported in dozens of cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz, Karaj, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Arak, Izeh, Qom, Sanandaj, Ilam, Yazdanshahr (Isfahan), Islamabad-e Gharb (Kermanshah), Khoy, Rafsanjan and Shahr-e Babak (Kerman), Marvdasht (Fars), Gonbad-e Kavous, Langroud, Bandar Abbas, and Dezful.
PMOI/MEK: At Least 50,000 Arrested Since the Start of Iran Uprising
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Thursday, January 15, 2026, that it estimates at least 50,000 people have been arrested since the uprising began on December 28, 2025.
According to the PMOI/MEK, the figures are based on data collected from 220 cities, using reports from eyewitnesses, families of detainees, local sources, and prisoners. The organization emphasized that accurate and comprehensive statistics can only be obtained through an independent international fact-finding mission with unrestricted access to all prisons and detention centers run by Iran’s ruling clerical regime.
Reports confirm that the regime is using advanced military-grade surveillance drones to identify, track, and arrest protesters, treating unarmed civilians as “enemy combatants.” Security forces have also intensified raids on homes and workplaces.
The PMOI/MEK recalled that three years after the 2022 uprising, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejeii admitted in May 2025 that the regime had opened cases against 90,000 citizens, exposing the systematic and large-scale nature of repression—now repeating itself on an even broader scale.
Messages from Inside Iran: “This Uprising Will Not Be Extinguished”
Despite killings, mass arrests, and censorship, messages from inside Iran confirm that public morale remains high and they continue their protests and resistance.
One protester wounded by pellet gunfire, with six pellets lodged in his body, said:
“We’ll take a hundred pellets if needed, but we will drive the mullahs out. The regime thinks cutting the internet and turning state TV into a loudspeaker of fear will stop us—it has no effect. Morale here is completely revolutionary. Everyone is ready for the final blow. Don’t believe any message that says otherwise.”
Another protester stated:
“By the blood of the martyrs, the people are ready. Yes, many have been killed and arrested, but millions remain free. In the coming days, you will see what we will do. Be our voice. Be the voice of our people’s great morale. Despite the massacres, people continue to come out. This uprising may have ups and downs, but it will not be extinguished.”
A message from Shiraz echoed this determination:
“Despite the killings, people have not lost hope. They have decided to stay in the streets until the outcome is determined. Tell the world: the people of Iran are in the streets, and we are standing to the end. Young women are leading the protests with chants of ‘Death to the dictator.’ The people no longer leave the streets. Even now, they are present.”
Regime Leaders Flee with Millions as Crisis Deepens
As resistance expands, clear signs of panic among regime leaders are emerging.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in an interview with Newsmax that senior officials of the Iranian regime are moving “millions and tens of millions of dollars” out of the country.
Bessent stated that the U.S. Treasury Department is tracking these funds, whether transferred through banks or digital assets, adding, “The rats are now fleeing the ship, because we are witnessing the transfer of millions and tens of millions of dollars being sent out of the country or smuggled by Iran’s leadership.”
