Have the protests in Iran failed?

How a brutal crackdown appears to have quelled the unrest.

An episode of the The Global Story podcast, hosted by BBC World Service, titled "Have the protests in Iran failed?" was published on January 21, 2026 and runs 26 minutes.

January 21, 2026 ·26m · The Global Story

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Summary

After weeks of mass demonstrations, Iran is reeling from one of the deadliest government crackdowns in its history. In a rare speech on Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei admitted that thousands of protesters have been killed, "some in an inhuman, savage manner", but he also blamed the US for their deaths.President Trump urged Iranian demonstrators to “keep protesting”, promising that “help is on its way”. Yet the window for US military intervention appears to have narrowed while the Iranian government has largely quelled the unrest. Amid a near-total internet shutdown however, the situation on the ground remains unclear. In today’s episode, we speak with journalists in the BBC’s Persian Service in London, to unpack how anger over the economy escalated into a nationwide uprising that seemed to genuinely challenge the government’s grip on power. They walk us through the difficulties of covering these protests from outside the country, explain why the movement failed to topple the Iranian leadership, and explain what this means for the stability of the Iranian government going forward. Featuring Parham Ghobadi, Sarah Namjoo, Ghoncheh Habibiazad and Maryam Zohdi. Producers: Viv Jones, Aron Keller and Lucy PawleExecutive producers: James Shield and Bridget Harney Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: A handout photo made available by the Iranian supreme leader's office shows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaking during a ceremony in Tehran, Iran. Credit: Leader's office handout/EPA/Shutterstock.

Episode Description

President Trump urged Iranian demonstrators to “keep protesting”, promising that “help is on its way”. Yet the window for US military intervention appears to have narrowed while the Iranian government has largely quelled the unrest. Amid a near-total internet shutdown however, the situation on the ground remains unclear.

In today’s episode, we speak with journalists in the BBC’s Persian Service in London, to unpack how anger over the economy escalated into a nationwide uprising that seemed to genuinely challenge the government’s grip on power. They walk us through the difficulties of covering these protests from outside the country, explain why the movement failed to topple the Iranian leadership, and explain what this means for the stability of the Iranian government going forward.

Featuring Parham Ghobadi, Sarah Namjoo, Ghoncheh Habibiazad and Maryam Zohdi.

Producers: Viv Jones, Aron Keller and Lucy Pawle

Executive producers: James Shield and Bridget Harney

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A handout photo made available by the Iranian supreme leader's office shows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaking during a ceremony in Tehran, Iran. Credit: Leader's office handout/EPA/Shutterstock.