# Podcast Episode Summary
**Iran on the Brink: Protests, Pressure, and a Fragile Pause**
A wave of unprecedented protests has rocked Iran, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands arrested as citizens rise up against crushing economic collapse—with food inflation soaring to 70% and the currency in freefall. In this urgent episode, Marcus Ellery examines the regime's brutal crackdown, President Trump's claimed intervention to halt protester executions, and the high-stakes standoff as U.S. naval forces redirect toward the region. With the Supreme Leader defying international pressure, internet blackouts obscuring the truth on the ground, and exiled opposition figures rallying support, Iran sits at a critical crossroads. This is a story of desperate people, geopolitical chess moves, and the razor's edge between restraint and catastrophe.
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