The world has been watching as mass protests have rocked the Islamic Republic of Iran for the past three weeks in all 31 of its provinces. Of course, the despotic regime has struck back, and estimates of the deaths their security forces have caused from their crackdown range from around 2,000 to as high as 16,000.
Donald Trump has vowed to help the demonstrators, and the Pentagon is moving the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the region. Ask Nicolás Maduro how a similar U.S. move worked out for him.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING? Internet Down in Iran As Protests Rage, Trump Vows Harsh Consequences If Mullahs Shoot Demonstrators
Pres. Trump Calmly Lays Out the Harsh Truth on Iran’s ‘Leadership’ After New Taunts by Khamenei
On Sunday, however, rebel forces proved that the mullah’s iron grip on their society may be weakening. Hackers reportedly took over Iranian state television for a solid ten minutes to air footage of the Middle Eastern country’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.
Multiple Iranian state TV channels were hacked on Sunday amid a near-total internet shutdown to air footage of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and images of anti-government protests that have rocked Tehran in recent weeks.
Two clips of Pahlavi were shown as well as a graphic calling on Iranian security forces to side with the public, The Associated Press reported.
“Don’t point your weapons at the people. Join the nation for the freedom of Iran,” one graphic read, according to a translation from the outlet.
Pahlavi himself called on Iran’s military to break with the Islamic Republic and side with the people.
🚨 UNPRECEDENTED: The Regime’s Propaganda Machine Has Been Hijacked! 🚨
(Turn on sound & read English Subtitles)
For decades, the “Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting” (IRIB) has been the regime’s absolute monopoly on information. It is the only legal broadcaster in the… pic.twitter.com/2b0NT7P7M9
— Sina Estavi 🇮🇷 Voice of Free Iran (@SinaEstavi) January 18, 2026
The above tweet continues:
It is the only legal broadcaster in the country, used solely to brainwash the public and spread lies. It is the main pillar of their control.
BUT TONIGHT, that pillar cracked. 📉
In a massive cyber-attack, all major state TV channels were hacked for 10 full minutes. Instead of the usual propaganda, millions of Iranians saw a message of freedom from Prince Reza Pahlavi, calling on the Army to join the people.
The regime has lost control of its own voice. History is happening. 🔥
Fight for a free Iran, the videos exhorted:
The footage aired Sunday night across multiple channels broadcast by satellite from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the country’s state broadcaster. The video aired two clips of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, then included footage of security forces and others in what appeared to be Iranian police uniforms. It claimed without offering evidence others had “laid down their weapons and swore an oath of allegiance to the people.”
BREAKING
The Iranian National Revolution managed to hack the state broadcaster of the Islamic Dictatorship occupying Iran.
They broadcast a message from the Leader of the Iranian National Revolution, HRH @PahlaviReza
We are in the end game. https://t.co/CMlPM5w9vL pic.twitter.com/ntaryR6cwQ
— Goldie Ghamari | گلسا قمری 🇮🇷 (@gghamari) January 18, 2026
Iran is a brutal and repressive theocracy, and will likely cause more bloodshed before all is said and done, but many feel we are watching the dying days of a barbaric regime. The fact that hackers were able to do this will only add to those hopes.
A world without the mullahs would be a better world indeed.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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