Franco Ordonez

Local journalists are restrained.

Foreign journalists can't get into the country.

And over the years, we've seen several outbursts of these large street demonstrations dating back really to 2009.

The latest one erupted over miserable economic conditions, but now there are increasing calls to oust the regime.

This may well be the biggest challenge to the Islamic government since it came to power in 1979.

Yeah, Iran has really suffered this series of major setbacks in the past two years.

First, among its proxy network in the region and now at home, it really starts, Juana, with the Hamas attack in Israel in October of 2023.

Israel's harsh response decimated Hamas, which has been supported by Iran.

And a year later, the fall of 2024, Israel delivered another powerful blow, this time to Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Iran also backs.

Right after that, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled, removing another ally.

Iran invested billions and used these groups to project power in the region.

Suddenly, they're all gone or badly weakened.

And then Israel and the U.S.

teamed up and bombed Iran last June.

They hit the nuclear facilities, but they also exposed the weakness of Iran's defenses.

And now we're seeing these mass protests challenging the regime.

Well, they're limited and they're not good ones.

The traditional playbook is to unleash the Revolutionary Guards to crush the protests.

That worked previously.

It may work again.