The protests in Tehran have been somewhat overshadowed by what the US just did in Venezuela.
But the situation appears to be serious: especially in terms of how Trump and the Israelis are treating it. The Israelis of course have been pushing for regime change in Iran for a long time.
Is this the moment?
And are the protests organic – or being manipulated?
On December 29th, an account on Elon Musk’s ‘X’ platform called ‘Mossad Farsi‘ tweeted the statement, ‘Come out to the streets together. The time has come. We are with you. Not only remotely and verbally. We are also with you in the field…’
Israeli newspaper Ynet reported that this X account is generally regarded as ‘an official messaging channel of the Mossad targeting Iranian audiences’. Though it adds that Israel hasn’t officially confirmed running that account.
However, the Jerusalem Post also published an article suggesting Mossad involvement in the Iranian protests, also reaffirming that ‘Mossad had hundreds of agents involved in Israel’s 12-day war… and killed dozens of its top military and intelligence officials.’
The article also quotes Mossad Director David Barnea telling the general public ‘that Israel “will [continue to] be there, like we have been there.”…’
Even more curiously, Mike Pompeo, the former CIA head and Trump’s previous Secretary of State, posted what amounts to open acknowledgment of Mossad’s presence on the ground with protesters in Tehran.
He tweeted: ‘Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also to every Mossad agent walking beside them.‘
The question is why.
Shouldn’t they be trying to cover this up? To at least pretend Israel has nothing to do with it?
Why so openly boast of Mossad being involved – especially knowing that it would taint the protests for many? Why muddy the waters?
Is it to provoke a harsher crackdown by the regime against a perceived ‘Zionist plot’? Or are they trying to sow division even among the protesters for some reason?
Or are the Israelis just that emboldened now, that arrogant, that they’re happy to do this stuff openly, almost as if taunting their enemy?
President Trump meanwhile has vowed that if any protester in Iran is killed by the regime, he will respond.
Since when does Trump care about protesters? He doesn’t even like protesters in his own country, sending in the National Guard to deal with them.
Clearly, the Iranian regime is being baited by both Trump and the Israelis.
This isn’t exactly like the Libya situation in 2011, where armed agitators were attacking government locations (with foreign involvement on the ground guiding the unrest): but there’s a similarity in how Gaddafi was warned not to attack protesters – or else.
That same warning now appears to be being issued to the Iranian government. And all it could take is one bad incident to provide Trumpstein with his justification for action.
That one inciting incident could easily happen, either organically (in the heat of the moment) or by design (easy to accomplish if Mossad is somehow on the ground with the protesters).
As I wrote in the Venezuela article, Iran could be next. The kidnap of Maduro could be a warning to Tehran.
Moreover, Israeli involvement in Trump’s Venezuela operation hasn’t been ruled out: and people have been trying awfully hard to paint connections between the Maduro regime, Iran and Hezbollah.
These guys appear to have hit the ground running in 2026: gripping a check list of enemies to be targeted and dealt with.
Here’s a good analysis of the various causes for the protests in Iran, which even the regime acknowledges to consist of legitimate grievances.
But legitimate grievances, as ever, doesn’t negate the involvement of foreign manipulators with ulterior motives.
