New field reports obtained from western and eastern Iran detail a day of intense confrontations on January 8, 2026, showing that the rebellious youth held their ground against heavily armed suppression forces.
According to reports received from the scenes of the conflict, the regime’s repressive forces are facing a strategic deadlock in the face of the people’s anger. In Kermanshah, the “Vakil Agha” neighborhood became the scene of heavy clashes and urban hit-and-run warfare between rebellious youth and the regime’s Special Units. The reports indicate that the youth successfully blocked the advance of the enemy forces by lighting fires and creating barriers. The confrontations involved hand-to-hand combat, resulting in the suppression forces being bogged down in the area.
Kermanshah, western Iran
Newly obtained footage from the January 2026 protests shows the regime's security forces opening fire on unarmed protesters. The regime is committing crimes against humanity.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/0Os3DzcNTl— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 12, 2026
Simultaneously, in the east of the country, the rebellious youth in Birjand launched a swift offensive against the regime’s patrol units. On January 8, 2026, the youth set fire to the motorcycles of the Special Units, effectively paralyzing the regime’s machine of intimidation in the city. The destruction of these equipment signifies a humiliating blow to the forces tasked with instilling terror in the population.
These brave acts of resistance are part of a massive protest wave that erupted on December 28, 2025. What initially began as an economic strike by bazaari shopkeepers and merchants in central Tehran—sparked by the rial’s sharp plunge and price spikes—quickly transformed into a nationwide political uprising. Within days, the unrest expanded geographically to hundreds of locations and socially to include universities, with slogans shifting from livelihood grievances to explicit anti-regime rhetoric targeting the entire governing system.
January 5— Birjand, northeast Iran
Brave students of Birjand University rose up, chanting:
“This year the IRGC will face losses — death to the entire regime.”
“I will kill those who killed my brother.”
“Decades of crimes — down with the mullahs' rule.”… pic.twitter.com/VQHOP8gEIk— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 5, 2026
The intensity of the clashes in Kermanshah and Birjand underscores that the Iranian people have moved beyond the fear of repression. This defiance comes despite a brutal crackdown; thousands of civilians were murdered by the regime during the January uprising. Yet, as the field reports confirm, the regime’s violence has failed to quell the uprising, and the youth are answering bullets with fire and unwavering resolve.