The Wire - January 12, 2026

//The Wire//2300Z January 12, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: IRANIAN PROTESTS CONTINUE AS PRESIDENT TRUMP REAFFIRMS AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT. VEHICLE RAMMING ATTACK REPORTED AT PROTEST IN LOS ANGELES. PROTESTS CONTINUE IN MINNEAPOLIS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: The situation in Tehran remains tense as demonstrations continue. Over the weekend, pro-regime, pro-Ayatollah demonstrations were carried out, in opposition to the anti-regime protests which have been regular over the past two weeks. Analyst Comment: As one might expect, the pro-regime demonstrations have been covered extensively by Iranian state TV, so the true scale of these demonstrations is not known. The internet outage continues nationwide, so the wider context of how serious the overall situation is developing is hard to discern. In Washington, President Trump has made increasingly more substantial statements regarding American involvement, indicating that the United States may become more actively involved in overthrowing the government of Iran in the very near future. These statements have been understandably vague, however in the context of the current demonstrations this is probably the early indication and warning of another round of American strikes (or more direct involvement) at some point. -HomeFront- USA: Around the nation, various protests and states of civil unrest continued over the weekend, with some being more kinetic than others. Protests remained constant in the usual cities; Portland, Minneapolis, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington D.C. all were host to anti-ICE demonstrations. California: Anti-ICE protests continue state-wide, however other types of protests and demonstrations are underway, which have increased in severity over the past few days. In Los Angeles, a vehicle ramming attack was reported at an Iranian protest Sunday afternoon, which resulted in the wounding of several demonstrators. The demonstration itself was an anti-regime/pro-Shah protest, in support of overthrowing the Ayatollah. As demonstrators were marching up Veteran Avenue to the east of the Federal Building, one assailant drove a Uhaul truck north up Veteran Avenue, conducting a slow-speed ramming into the crowd, before coming to a halt at the corner of Rochester and Veteran Ave. After the vehicle came to a halt, the driver was detained by police, and has not yet been identified. Analyst Comment: This incident was a deliberate attack, as evidenced by the signage that had been affixed to the Uhaul truck by the attacker. Despite these signs, however, the motive remains unclear as the messages are contradictory. The attacker's signs referenced, anti-Shah, anti-regime, and anti-Ayatollah sentiments, so it's not really clear what ideology the attacker was trying to support. Nevertheless, the attack was conducted for ideological reasons, even if they aren't immediately clear at the moment. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: In Minneapolis, a general state of unrest continued over the weekend, with various insurgent groups increasing the intensity of their efforts. Several independent journalists have been assaulted by the mobs at varying locations, as parts of the city descend into a state of lawlessness. Most of the violence has been contained to a few hotspots around the city. In the downtown area, the Renaissance and Hilton Hotels have remained under a state of unrest following the destruction caused by rioters over the weekend. Smaller, but more long-term protest sites have been established at these locations, in addition to the persistent protest that is ongoing at the Whipple Federal Building to the south of the city. This afternoon a riot broke out to the east of the Renee Good shooting site, at the corner of E 34th Street and Park Avenue. Rioters attacked ICE agents, which resulted in the deployment of tear gas to disperse the crowds. Kinetic events like this have been reported all over the city throughout the weekend, as rioters settle in for the long haul. For those seeking to conduct their own risk assessment, the most important factor to consider is the potential...the organizations, funding sources, logistics, transportation, leadership, intelligence, and operational planning efforts are already in place, and these groups causing problems have been coordinating resources for more prolonged operations. All that remains, is to let the funding flow more substantially, if powerful elites want to see the city burn. As this desire is an uncertainty, only time will tell how the unrest will develop. Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT// Bibliography, Sources, and Research - Minneapolis 1: https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2010530020058427633 Minneapolis 2: https://x.com/KimKatieUSA/status/2010515708904686048 Defend612 1: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/820852275/202140879349200309/full Defend612 2: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/820852275 Defend612: https://givebutter.com/defendthe612 Iran 1: https://x.com/OSINTWarfare/status/2010661702728347996 Minneapolis 1: https://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-ice-shooting-30-detained-hilton-canopy-hotel-protests-escalate-overnight Minneapolis 2: https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2010594590697705938 Minneapolis 3: https://x.com/KimKatieUSA/status/2010412637608460582 Minneapolis 4: https://x.com/JakeLang/status/2010490413593804991 Los Angeles 1: https://x.com/nicksortor/status/2010509957485953523 Los Angeles 2: https://x.com/shahinnajafi80/status/2010506975738830951 Los Angeles 3: https://x.com/RyanAlimo/status/2010516691654996217 Los Angeles 4: https://www.foxnews.com/us/u-haul-truck-drives-through-iran-protest-crowd-los-angeles-one-person-struck-driver-detained Los Angeles 5: https://x.com/ZachJones1994/status/2010510323950682134 Lost Angeles 6: https://x.com/AmjedYacu/status/2010510578087862353 Iran 2: https://x.com/ME_Observer_/status/2010717099342418144 Obsidian Internal Links: [[The Wire - January 1, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 2, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 3, 2026 - Priority]] [[The Wire - January 5, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 6, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 7, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 8, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 9, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 12, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 13, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 14, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 15, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 16, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 19, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 20, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 21, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 22, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 24, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 26, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 27, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 28, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 29, 2026]] [[The Wire - January 30, 2026]] Tags: #CivilUnrest #Somalia #Minneapolis #ICE #ANTIFA