Iran has exposed the limits of Trump’s America

THE war with Iran did not begin with American jets in the sky or missiles falling on Tehran. It began earlier, in the streets of Iran itself.

In January 2026, Iranians protested against the crushing cost of living, inflation, shortages and the daily humiliation of life under a regime that demands obedience while offering little dignity in return. The response from the Iranian state was familiar and brutal. Security forces moved against protesters, and what began as economic anger became another reminder of the Islamic Republic’s oldest instinct: survival through repression.