Massive military build-up reported as Iran protests intensify, US strikes imminent after Trump threat?

PROTESTS intensified in Iran on Saturday night, with anti-government chants filling the streets of the national capital, Tehran, despite an internet shutdown and a brutal crackdown by the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led government.

Reports on Sunday indicated that the US was drawing up plans for potential military action after President Donald Trump's threats of an intervention, with a former US Army colonel and military analyst claiming that there are signs of a massive military build-up in the Middle East.

News agency AFP, citing verified videos, reported that crowds had gathered in the northern parts of Tehran on Saturday, hours after exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called for large numbers of people to rise up in protest against the Khamenei-led government and seize city centres.

The protests, which have stretched for two weeks now, erupted on 28 December 2025, triggered by the currency's collapse and rising economic hardships.

As protests continue in Iran, here are the key updates, as of Sunday, 11 January, morning:

- The current protests in Iran are the biggest anti-government demonstrations the country has seen in more than three years.

-The protests, which began in Tehran in late December last year, have since spread to 180 cities, as per The Wall Street Journal.

- While Iranian authorities had called for "restraint" when the protests broke out and had announced measures to try and address grievances, the Khamenei-led government hardened its stance later and cracked down on protesters as demonstrations continued to intensify.

- At least 116 people have been killed by Iranian security forces since the protests erupted, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

- The Iranian government's crackdown on protesters has also seen thousands of people getting arrested, with the Human Rights Activists News Agency reporting more than 2,600 arrests till date.

- With protesters refusing to lay low, the Khamenei government on Friday imposed an internet blackout across the country, and the shutdown remained in effect at the time of writing this.

- Iran has also warned that protesters could face the death penalty, with prosecutor Ali Salehi saying that demonstrators were waging a war against God and that they would face execution for their actions.

- Salehi's warning was echoed by Iran's Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday, who praised the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for standing firm during the protests and said, “The people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested.”

- Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on Friday hailed the demonstrations and called on larger crowds to gather and seize city centres across the country.

- The Khamenei-led government, however, has remained defiant and has claimed that Trump and the US are behind the agitation. Alleging that Trump's hands were stained with the blood of Iranians, Khamenei said on Friday that like tyrants throughout history, the US President too would soon face a downfall.

- US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly warned of American intervention in Iran, which he said is "looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before".

- The US, however, has been warned by Iran that any act of aggression towards the Islamic Republic would make both America and Israel “legitimate targets”—speaking on Sunday in a televised address, Iran's Parliament Speaker Qalibaf issued the warning, amid chants of “Death to America!” by lawmakers.

- At the time of writing this, reports indicated that the US was mulling airstrikes against military and non-military targets in Tehran in the event Trump decides to follow up on his threat.

- Meanwhile, retired US military colonel and TV analyst Douglas McGregor, claimed that there was a massive military buildup in the Middle East, saying, “US strikes on Iran look to be imminent.”

- Protests, it is understood, are expected to take place on Sunday as well, with protesters seemingly responding to Pahlavi's call for demonstrations.