It was only a matter of time until such gloom gave rise to another round of mass protest. The only question was what would trigger it. It came from an unlikely corner on December 28th, when electronics vendors in Tehran went on strike.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for dialogue with protest leaders over the cost-of-living crisis and speaking before Trump’s threat, said failings by the authorities were behind the economic crisis and “it is us who have to find a solution.”

Demonstrations sparked by Iran's struggling economy have spread into rural provinces, with at least seven people killed.

Anti-regime protests entered a fifth day as demonstrations spread across Tehran and other cities, with reports of deaths emerging amid escalating nationwide unrest.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who served as the shah of Iran from 1941 to 1979, urged people to look at the country during and after his leadership when he was asked about how Iranians will judge him 50 years later during an interview.

In today’s newsletter: Witnesses describe the chaos as the fire that killed 40 at a Swiss ski resort bar broke out. Trump threatens to intervene if Iran kills peaceful protesters. And Will Smith is sued over allegations he retaliated against a former employee who reported sexual harassment.