By: Treshawn Ross

Iran- Major protests against the Iranian regime started in late December of 2025. These protests were largely unviolent and orderly. Many of the protesters were demonstrating because of the insanely high inflation, and the collapse of the Rial which is the currency Iranians use.

The goal of the protests was to remove the Islamic Republic controlling Iran. As a result the Dictator of Iran, Ali Khamenei ordered an internet blackout in the country. This was done to prevent any media being released from the country, as he planned on violently cracking down on the protesters. The response of the government was to massacre scores of protesters and to arrest some of them to hold them for execution at a later date. The estimates say that 30,000 or more people were killed. Previously, President Trump promised to step in if the Iranian regime killed any protesters and in response to the reported massacres he sent an aircraft carrier and military personnel near Iran.

Russia/Ukraine– The Russia/Ukraine war has turned into a slow grind for territory, contrary to the 3 day operation that Russian dictator Putin anticipated. Most recently Putin has ordered drone attacks on civilian infrastructure and innocent people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. These attacks killed at least 5 people and injured several others. Putin is ordering attacks on Ukraine’s energy and transport infrastructure in an attempt to cripple the country in the harsh winter months. The battle on the frontlines has been more successful for Russia as they have the manpower to slowly advance despite the casualties.

Israel/Gaza- Israel recovered the remains of the last hostage taken on October 7th, 2023. This allows for more peace talks to occur; the United Nations (U.N.) and many other aid groups push for a phase 2 of peace plans. Netanyahu’s office agreed with Hamas on the new peace deal as all of the demands were met. Hamas is under pressure to disarm to complete the deal which U.S. officials say is close to happening.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-ceasefire-phase-2-rafah-crossing-un-palestinians/
• https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-grinding-war-ukraine#:~:text=Russian%20forces%20have%20suffered%20approximately,country%20faces%20a%20labor%20crunch
• https://www.interactivebrokers.com/campus/traders-insight/ibkr-investmentor/irans-economic-breakdown-how-a-currency-crash-threatens-the-regime/
• https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/01/what-happened-at-the-protests-in-iran/