Former CIA director and secretary of state Mike Pompeo publicly endorsed Iran’s anti-government protests while implying Israeli intelligence involvement, remarks that intensified regional tensions and drew sharp warnings from Tehran.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Former U.S. Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo voiced support for widespread anti-government protests in Iran over the weekend while suggesting that Israeli intelligence operatives may be operating alongside demonstrators, comments that added a new dimension to the unrest shaking the Islamic Republic.
The protests, described by Iranian officials and international observers as the most severe in years, erupted amid hyperinflation and a prolonged economic crisis in the heavily sanctioned country. Demonstrations that began last weekend quickly spread to multiple cities, with reports of deadly clashes between protesters and security forces.
Pompeo, who served in Donald Trump’s first administration and led the “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, made his remarks in a post on X. In the message, he wrote that the Iranian regime was “in trouble,” citing unrest in dozens of cities and invoking a symbolic reference to Trump’s return to office before adding: “Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also to every Mossad agent walking beside them.”
The comment appeared to allude not only to Israeli intelligence involvement but also to broader U.S. interest in the unrest. It followed days of demonstrations driven by economic hardship and anger toward Iran’s political leadership.
Pompeo’s remarks came shortly after a Farsi-language X account widely associated with Israel’s Mossad intelligence service publicly encouraged Iranians to join the protests, claiming that its operatives were embedded among demonstrators. Iranian authorities have echoed those allegations. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf accused foreign agents of attempting to exploit legitimate grievances and turn protests into violent urban confrontations.
The unrest has also prompted increasingly confrontational rhetoric from Washington. President Trump warned earlier in the week that the United States could intervene militarily “if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters.” In response, Tehran sent a formal letter to the United Nations, appealing to Secretary-General António Guterres, accusing Trump of “incitement to violence, unrest, and terrorist acts,” and urging the international body to condemn what it described as threats of force.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran recognizes the right to peaceful protest but warned that violence and foreign interference would not be tolerated.
The tensions unfold against the backdrop of recent direct conflict. Last year, the United States joined Israel in airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during a 12-day war that Washington said was intended to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a claim Iran has repeatedly denied. Israel’s Channel 13 later reported that Mossad had deployed roughly 100 foreign agents inside Iran ahead of those strikes to sabotage missile launchers and air-defense systems.
Pompeo’s public suggestion of intelligence involvement has further inflamed an already volatile situation, underscoring the geopolitical stakes surrounding Iran’s internal unrest as protests continue and international scrutiny intensifies.
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