BREAKING: Iran’s Top Security Council Warns of Possible Return of Anti-Regime Protests as Economic Crisis Deepens – Report

According to a report by the Times of Israel on Tuesday 28 April, 2026, Iran’s leadership is reportedly bracing for the possibility of fresh unrest, as economic pressures continue to build and memories of the January protests remain close to the surface.

According to a report by the opposition-linked outlet Iran International, the country’s Supreme National Security Council recently held a meeting to assess the situation. The concern, based on internal intelligence, is that the conditions that fueled earlier demonstrations haven’t really gone away – if anything, they may have worsened.

Rising prices, stubborn unemployment, and the broader economic strain linked to the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel are all seen as contributing factors. There’s also particular worry about damage to key sectors like petrochemicals and steel, which play a central role in Iran’s economy. If those industries continue to struggle, officials fear it could become a tipping point.

Sources cited in the report suggest that some within the council see renewed protests as almost unavoidable – less a question of if, and more a matter of timing. And timing, in this case, could be soon. Labor groups, both inside and outside Iran, have been calling for demonstrations around International Workers’ Day, which may serve as a rallying moment.

The backdrop to all this is the ongoing war, which began in late February. Early on, both US and Israeli officials had floated the idea that the conflict might lead to the fall of Iran’s ruling system. But as the weeks passed, that objective seemed to fade, with some officials acknowledging it may not be realistic. Even the Israeli military has indicated that regime change is not part of its operational focus.