Global Briefs: Iranians call for regime change

Iran

Thousands of people died, and many more were arrested during mass protests that spread across the country in early January. The demonstrations started in response to the Islamic Republic’s deteriorating economic situation, but quickly morphed into calls to overthrow the government. As the protests grew, U.S. President Donald Trump warned America might intervene if Iran’s leaders began killing their own people. In response, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed Trump for the violence, claiming crowds of people in Tehran and other cities destroyed buildings to please the U.S. president. The 86-year-old Khamenei insisted Iranian leaders won’t back down. He also claimed Iran’s enemies didn’t know what they were up against. Despite the regime’s attempt to shut down the country’s internet access, videos of the protests continue to appear on social media. —Christina Grube

Somaliland

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited the capital city of Hargeisa Jan. 6. Saar’s visit to the Horn of Africa followed Israel’s Dec. 26 formal recognition of the de facto state—the first by a UN nation since its 1991 declaration of independence from Somalia. Somalia condemned Israel’s interference into its internal affairs. China, Turkey, and 20 Middle Eastern and African nations also criticized Israel’s move, but the European Union supports Somaliland’s right to sovereignty. After Israel’s recognition, Djibouti recalled its representative from Somaliland in protest, and Somaliland reciprocated. Israel and Somaliland will open embassies in the other’s country as part of the mutual agreement. —Amy Lewis

Japan

The country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has added her name to a petition for more women’s restrooms in the house of parliament. A cross-party group of nearly 60 female lawmakers submitted the petition Dec. 31. The parliament building contains only nine toilets for women, with 22 total cubicles, compared to 12 men’s toilets with 67 stalls and urinals. In 2024, 73 women were elected into the 465-seat lower house, exceeding the previous high of 54 in 2009. The male-to-female toilet ratio reflects Japan’s broader gender gap in politics. The government wants women eventually to hold at least 30% of its legislative seats, but they currently hold just 16%.—Elisa Palumbo

Burkina Faso

The government on Jan. 6 said it had foiled another attempted coup to oust military leader Ibrahim Traoré. This is the latest reported attempt to remove Traoré, 37, who took power in September 2022 during a rise in militant attacks in the region. The country’s security minister, Mahamadou Sana, announced in a broadcast that Lt. Col. Paul Henri Damiba, who was ousted by Traoré in September 2022, orchestrated the plot with co-conspirators from neighboring Ivory Coast. They reportedly planned to launch their attack on Jan. 3. Since seizing power, Traoré has faced at least two coup attempts while grappling with growing jihadist violence. Despite this opposition, experts observe that Traoré continues to gather popular support across the continent, driven by his pan-African ideals and anti-Western rhetoric. —Olalekan Raji

South Korea

President Lee Jae Myung said Jan. 7 that he had requested Chinese President Xi Jinping to mediate inter-Korean relations and help curb North Korea’s nuclear program. Lee spoke at a press conference in Shanghai after meeting with Xi in Beijing on Jan. 5, the first visit by a South Korean president to the Chinese capital in six years. Lee’s long-term goal is to denuclearize the peninsula, but he said any effort to prevent further escalation would be a good first step. Lee said Xi told him to be patient with Pyongyang, which has refused to engage in dialogue with Seoul. China is the top trading partner for both Koreas. Lee belongs to the left-leaning Democratic Party of Korea which favors diplomacy with North Korea and stronger ties with China. He came into office in June 2025. —Joyce Wu

Colombia

Unidentified hit men shot and killed Pente­costal Pastor José Ortega on New Year’s Eve during a family reunion in the northwestern department of Magdalena. Colombia’s Evangelical Council issued a statement Jan. 2 condemning the attack and calling for the crime not to go unpunished. Ortega’s death marks one year of increased persecution against religious and community leaders in Colombia after failed peace talks between paramilitary groups and the national government. Since Dec. 31, military offensives by the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) have also forced a mass displacement of at least 150 Colombian families in the nearby Catatumbo region. Presidential elections are set to take place in May amid one of the most violent periods in Colombia’s recent history. —Carlos Páez