Iran fears US strike may reignite protests, imperil rule, sources say

2h (edited) • News

February 2, 2026

By Reuters Today, 9:52 pm

This handout photograph provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him addressing a meeting with the people in Tehran on January 17, 2026.

Iran’s leadership is increasingly worried a US strike could break its grip on power by driving an already enraged public back onto the streets, following a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests, six current and former officials tell Reuters.

In high-level meetings, officials tell Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that public anger over last month’s crackdown — the bloodiest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution — has reached a point where fear is no longer a deterrent, four current officials briefed on the discussions say.

The officials say Khamenei was told that many Iranians were prepared to confront security forces again and that external pressure such as a limited US strike could embolden them and inflict irreparable damage to the political establishment.

One of the officials tells Reuters that Iran’s enemies are seeking more protests so as to bring the Islamic Republic to an end, and “unfortunately” there would be more violence if an uprising took place.

“An attack combined with demonstrations by angry people could lead to a collapse (of the ruling system). That is the main concern among the top officials and that is what our enemies want,” says the official, who like the other officials contacted for this story declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The reported remarks are significant because they suggest private misgivings inside the leadership at odds with Tehran’s defiant public stance toward the protesters and the US.

The sources decline to say how Khamenei responded. Iran’s Foreign Ministry does not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on this account of the meetings.

Multiple sources told Reuters last week that US President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, even as Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the clerical rulers.

“People are extremely angry,” a former senior moderate official says, adding that a US attack could lead Iranians to rise up again. “The wall of fear has collapsed. There is no fear left.”

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