U-Haul truck with 1953 warning message plows through anti-Iran regime rally in LA, multiple injured

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A U-Haul truck plowed through a massive anti-Khamenei protest crowd in Westwood, Los Angeles, as multiple people were reportedly hit on Sunday, January 11.

Emergency services were called to the scene in the afternoon at around 3.30 pm following reports that a man drove the truck through the planned protest.

 Los Angeles Fire Department says at least two people were injured 

A video which went viral across social media shows the side of the U-Haul truck had signs which allegedly read, "NO SHAH. NO REGIME. USA: DON’T REPEAT 1953. NO MULLAH."

In the viral clip, protesters were seen swarming the van and tearing the signs down from the side of the truck. They hurled abuse at the driver through a smashed passenger window.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said that at least two people have been injured and were treated at the scene. Firefighters also said that they were working to find a third person who was injured, but the size of the crowd delayed their response time.

As per the report, as police walked the man away, some protesters were seen trying to punch him and hit him with flag poles. The truck’s windscreen and windows were also reportedly shattered.

The protest was in support of the continuing mass anti-regime protests in Iran. New reports confirmed the death toll in Iran rose to 579, including eight children, after a fortnight of protests. It comes as protests against the regime erupt globally.

Iranian protesters rename streets after Trump

Some protesters have renamed streets in Tehran after President Donald Trump, who previously warned that the US was ready to intervene if the Iranian government killed peaceful demonstrators. 

The protesters also displayed messages pleading, "Don’t let them kill us," showcasing their appeal to the POTUS for protection. The unrest has drawn wide attention as it spreads through major cities and is met with an expanding government crackdown.

Footage that went viral on Wednesday showed a protester in Tehran symbolically renaming a street after Trump. Protesters have ramped up nationwide protests in recent weeks, appealing to Trump while chanting anti-regime slogans.

The appeals came as protesters faced a widening security crackdown, including the deployment of armed units and tear gas near major civilian sites in the capital.

Meanwhile, the exiled son of Iran's last shah, Reza Pahlavi, said the ongoing unrest marks a rare and historic chance to bring an end to Iran’s Islamic Republic.

"In all these years, I’ve never seen an opportunity as we see today in Iran," Pahlavi said during an interview with Sean Hannity.

"Iranian people are more than ever committed to bringing an end to this regime, as the world has witnessed the last few days. The levels of demonstrations are unprecedented in Iran — over 100 cities, millions of people in the streets chanting 'death to the dictator' and 'end to this regime,'" he added.