Jafar Panahi thinks the new wave of protests challenging Iran’s authoritarian regime might bring “something different” this time. Though the dissident director is currently in the U.S. to promote his Palme d’Or-winning film “It Was Just an Accident,

The protests began over economic grievances but have morphed into the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years. Here’s what to know.

Many Iranian opposition activists are hoping the current unrest could be the beginning of the end of the country's hardline Islamic regime.

Tehran also increasingly cut back its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, as tensions increased over its nuclear program in recent years. The IAEA's director-general has warned Iran could build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program.

Sweeping UN economic sanctions were reimposed on Iran in September 2025, when the UK, alongside France and Germany, accused the country of failing to co-operate with the JCPOA deal, a move described by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the time as “unfair, unjust and illegal”.

Tehran, a metropolis of over 15 million people, is now regularly mentioned as a city that is nearing its “Day Zero” – the moment when a city’s taps run dry. This is not unprecedented for a major city. All cities that have recently faced Day Zero ...